Any Monorail Expansion Updates?

[PeterAlt]

The last time this site's been updated as far as monorail expansion or any fixed-rail type of transportation for WDW has been like ten years ago or something like that! Is expansion still being planned, or have these plans been put away to be forgotten about? Or have they decided to go back to the drawing boards and develop alternative expansion plans?

 

[Master Yoda]

The next monorail expansion will begin on 4/22/4694 give or take a century or two.

The monorail will more than likely never be expanded. It is far to expensive and inefficient.

 

[Disneyfan1981]

Every now and then someone posts something they heard from a Bus Driver or Monorail Operator about expanding the Monorail but I think its relatively known that it'll never happen

 

[marni1971]

Since there is a new thread (and question) on the topic every month or so, search is your friend :wave:

 

[PeterAlt]

The monorail will more than likely never be expanded. It is far to expensive and inefficient.

A TTC to DAK to DSH route (with a peoplemover route connecting DSH and EPCOT) would be very efficient, IMO. This would connect each park under a single route, using the existing station at the TTC, saving a great deal on construction costs with eliminated redundancies. What this would do to increase overall customer satisfaction would be invaluable. And the cost of operating the current bus system over time is far greater than the cost of operating an expanded (and modernized) monorail/peoplemover system.

Has Disney's new management team made any comments about this? And what about Steve Jobs and the Pixar people who now share management power?

 

[s8film40]

The next monorail expansion will begin on 4/22/4694 give or take a century or two.

The monorail will more than likely never be expanded. It is far to expensive and inefficient.

While I agree with you that they won't be expanded anytime soon, Monorails are not inefficient. The per passenger per mile cost of monorails is usually less than half that of buses. Keep in mind the monorails account for around half of WDW's transportation needs and do so with less than 12 trains using a mere fraction of the energy that the equivalent buses would. Not to mention the labor savings, 10 monorail operated by 10 drivers is equivalent to 50 buses with 50 drivers. If there is one thing monorails are, its efficient.

 

[TubaGeek]

While I agree with you that they won't be expanded anytime soon, Monorails are not ineficient. The per passenger per mile cost of monorails is usually less than half that of buses. Keep in mind the monorails account for around half of WDW's transportation needs and do so with less than 12 trains using a mere fraction of the energy that the equivelent buses would. Not to mention the labor savings 10 monorail operated by 10 drivers is equivelent to 50 buses with 50 drivers. If there is one thing monorails are its efficient.

Not to mention it's pretty darn iconic.

 

[lscott933]

well i hear with the high cost of fuel. they are thinking about maybe putting :ROFLOL: a line to each person house who has booked there trip. this way they can a sure people can still afford to go. :drevil:

 

[Sloan]

response to PeterAlt

Peter,

As Marni suggested, if you will search the forums for past discussions on this topic, I think you will find a lot of information.

To summarize, it is not the cost of operation that is the issue / problem, its the initial construction cost that makes any expansion seem unlikely to many.

I'm 'with you' in that I would love to have the monorail option for all of the property, but I've read some rather well-reasoned responses in prior threads about why its just too expensive to justify expanding.

 

[jt04]

A TTC to DAK to DSH route (with a peoplemover route connecting DSH and EPCOT) would be very efficient, IMO. This would connect each park under a single route, using the existing station at the TTC, saving a great deal on construction costs with eliminated redundancies. What this would do to increase overall customer satisfaction would be invaluable. And the cost of operating the current bus system over time is far greater than the cost of operating an expanded (and modernized) monorail/peoplemover system.

Has Disney's new management team made any comments about this? And what about Steve Jobs and the Pixar people who now share management power?

I agree with you on the principle of a non-motorized resort wide transportation system. I have recently thought that a light rail loop from an expanded TTC at Epcot parking lot that went to a station just west of the Dolphin/Swan and then out to Coronado Springs/Blizzard Beach and then onto a station at Animal Kingdom would be effective. Then add a short monorail spur from AKL to the station at AK and the people mover you mentioned from DHS to the station near the Dolphin/Swan and you would eliminate the need for MANY of the busses and move people far easier. I have always thought they could also add a gondola type ski lift (very inexpensive) from WL to the MK TTC to eliminate the need for so many water taxis and busses serving that resort. Also (I just checked google earth) the gondola system could also be used to transport guest from a station at CBR to a new station and Epcot entrance on the east side of World Showcase. All-Star resort guests could be transported via gondola to the new light rail station at Blizzard Beach. The gondola system could also be used to get guests from Pop Century to DHS. In the long run they could also add a light rail loop from SS to OKW to PO and to the expanded TTC at Epcot.

With the price of fossil fuels so high and the "greening" of the resort becoming a priority this strategy (or something similar)has to be receiving some consideration.

 

[Lucky]

If Disney could save money by building and operating an expanded monorail and cut back on bus service, they would have done it a long time ago.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

The next monorail expansion will begin on 4/22/4694 give or take a century or two.

The monorail will more than likely never be expanded. It is far to expensive and inefficient.

Actually you were only off by 2 years. But you had it right with Earth Day :lol: (But, by that time, won't Disney World be under water? :lol: )

 

[joel_maxwell]

I agree with you on the principle of a non-motorized resort wide transportation system. I have recently thought that a light rail loop from an expanded TTC at Epcot parking lot that went to a station just west of the Dolphin/Swan and then out to Coronado Springs/Blizzard Beach and then onto a station at Animal Kingdom would be effective. Then add a short monorail spur from AKL to the station at AK and the people mover you mentioned from DHS to the station near the Dolphin/Swan and you would eliminate the need for MANY of the busses and move people far easier.

yes, but you always have to factor in that 5th gate :drevil:

 

[Kamikaze]

While I agree with you that they won't be expanded anytime soon, Monorails are not inefficient. The per passenger per mile cost of monorails is usually less than half that of buses. Keep in mind the monorails account for around half of WDW's transportation needs and do so with less than 12 trains using a mere fraction of the energy that the equivalent buses would. Not to mention the labor savings, 10 monorail operated by 10 drivers is equivalent to 50 buses with 50 drivers. If there is one thing monorails are, its efficient.

You can't make up numbers and use them as fact. For example, when you say 'half', you are discounting the on-site busing to MK and Epcot from resorts, and you are also discounting the water transport to both of those parks.

When Yoda was talking about efficiency, he meant as a crowd flow pattern, not the energy efficiency. WDW's crowd flow - huge crowds at certain times of day, nothing at other times - is not conducive to a tracked system as the only means of getting to a park. If there was a way to quickly add and subtract trains and/or switch them to different lines, monorails or some other form of light rail would make more sense. But a monorail system the way the current one is done just isn't feasible.

 

[jt04]

yes, but you always have to factor in that 5th gate :drevil:

I am convinced that a 5th gate is unlikely. But even if it does happen it would probably be near the current monorail or the light rail loop I mentioned. Seriously though, with the rising cost and logistics of operating a motorized transportation system (Disney employs over 1000 drivers) I just can't believe a light rail wouldn't make more sense. And it would be a whole lot less smokey.

 

[tdonald]

I would LOVE a resort-wide monorail system, but it will probably never happen, unfortunately. Maybe a light rail, but that doesn't seem very "magical" to me. But then again, who knows what Disney could come up with.

BTW, I don't know if it was true or not, but I believe somewhere on this site it was once mentioned that a monorail expansion would cost upwards of $100 million a mile. If that's true, I would rather have that money put into the upkeep and expansion of the parks.

 

[DTM93]

Don't they already have a great transportation, if it is good, don't change it all.

 

[WDW Monorail]

Teleportation!

BTW, I don't know if it was true or not, but I believe somewhere on this site it was once mentioned that a monorail expansion would cost upwards of $100 million a mile. If that's true, I would rather have that money put into the upkeep and expansion of the parks.

It wouldn't cost nearly that much.
The cost would depend on the number of miles of beam, costs of steel and concrete (which are on the rise), station additions, maintenance facilities, infrastructure and construction costs.

 

[jt04]

I would LOVE a resort-wide monorail system, but it will probably never happen, unfortunately. Maybe a light rail, but that doesn't seem very "magical" to me. But then again, who knows what Disney could come up with.

BTW, I don't know if it was true or not, but I believe somewhere on this site it was once mentioned that a monorail expansion would cost upwards of $100 million a mile. If that's true, I would rather have that money put into the upkeep and expansion of the parks.

Light rail can be themed but a bus is a bus *ack*

 

[WaltsApprentice]

Teleportation!



It wouldn't cost nearly that much.
The cost would depend on the number of miles of beam, costs of steel and concrete (which are on the rise), station additions, maintenance facilities, infrastructure and construction costs.

Oh thats all?? haha... i love it how (not saying you ) many think that they are experts at Monorail construction and how the company makes money choices. I also laughed when someone on here mentions doesn't Steve Jobs or one of the new people on the board want to add this haha..I think there main concerns are on other things...when a transportation system works fine on how it is..there is no need to stress over it..If it has been 25 years since they have added anything to the system's (except a new monorail) track..I don't see anything new coming.

Oh and that gondalia) spelling?) ski lift idea...um what would you do about when its raining or crazy high winds that florida gets many of times during the summer... Kinda unsafe like the skyway that was in MK. Plus it would probably be very much of an eye sore all over property...but again I'm not getting a real proper vision of what you are talking about. But imagine the maintence on it when some guest gets stuck on it.

Oh and a steel and plastic monorail that has Year of a Million dreams plastered all over is going to look really themed well jetting in front of or through the jungles of DAK. haha. You could have the monorail stop in Dinoland though...hmmm