Monorail Automation Testing

[larryz]

They have emergency procedures in place and none of that changes with this new automation. The problem being faced is the monorails not hitting their marks in the stations (or even making the stations) at times. Easy way to add 10+ minutes to the trip while the computers try to figure out what went wrong.

And that's supposed to make me feel better about the monorails???

Disney's monorail system is one of the safest forms of mass transportation on the planet. The automation testing isn't putting safety at risk, and there is always a pilot in the cab who can override as an additional safeguard.

How quickly can they evacuate a burning monorail car?

As others have already alluded to the automation implementation in no way increases or decreases the already extremely low chances of something like this happening. The Monorails are an extremely safe means of transportation.

Historically, yes -- but nobody's been in the territory that WDW's approaching, with 28-year-old monorail cars...I don't want to be a guinea pig for WDW's Safety Department.

I understand that automation doesn't increase the likelihood that something like this might happen. But the idea of these trains being almost 30 years old, and the tracks not having anyplace to escape from the cars onto other than crawling across the car tops to the front, then shimmying down a rope to the beam... I'll pass. You're welcome to risk it.

It must stink that you don't take mass transit trains in most other large cities then, too.

You have no idea what forms of transportation I use. But most mass transit trains I've been on have plenty of room alongside to evacuate onto in the event of a fire or other emergency.

 

[Bolt]

And that's supposed to make me feel better about the monorails???
How quickly can they evacuate a burning monorail car?
Historically, yes -- but nobody's been in the territory that WDW's approaching, with 28-year-old monorail cars...I don't want to be a guinea pig for WDW's Safety Department.

I understand that automation doesn't increase the likelihood that something like this might happen. But the idea of these trains being almost 30 years old, and the tracks not having anyplace to escape from the cars onto other than crawling across the car tops to the front, then shimmying down a rope to the beam... I'll pass. You're welcome to risk it.

You have no idea what forms of transportation I use. But most mass transit trains I've been on have plenty of room alongside to evacuate onto in the event of a fire or other emergency.

I miss the Space Mountain and Everest pilots - never cared for when the coasters went automated.

 

[montyz81]

Disney's monorail system is one of the safest forms of mass transportation on the planet. The automation testing isn't putting safety at risk, and there is always a pilot in the cab who can override as an additional safeguard.

True, but it does put my vacation at risk if the computers can't figure out where the stations are!

 

[Figment2005]

True, but it does put my vacation at risk if the computers can't figure out where the stations are!

By the way, the new system has been activated for 3 days. The trains know where to stop.

 

[montyz81]

By the way, the new system has been activated for 3 days. The trains know where to stop.

There go my chances of being a monorail pilot when I retire. Guess I will hope for the Port Orleans Water Taxis

 

[Bocabear]

God knows they wil still have plenty of buses to drive...

 

[Brad Bishop]

If public transportation were more than just the last chance option for the great unwashed masses in most citiea I would. I lived in the DC area for 5 years (Arlington) and actually road the Metro regularly.

One thing that is universal with public transportation, and it doesn't seem like it has to be: dingy. The stations are dingy. The trains are dingy. The trough/track is dingy/trashy, the buses are dingy but, oddly, better kept in most areas than the trains.

I'm in Atlanta and I think they could have a team that does nothing but power wash stations and it'd look so much better.

Add to it the things that, if it were a regular office building they'd get cited for like broken outlets with the wires hanging out.

All of this is OK for public transportation, though.

It's sort of the difference between the person who cleans their house once a week where things look pretty fresh, maybe not perfect but fresh, and then those who never clean and the grime just kind of builds up over time.

This isn't even addressing the monorails which, while less dingy than public transportation, are still kind of dingy/drab.

Here's hoping that @Monorail_Red is correct, and it's certainly sound reasoning, and that this is just the first step to getting automation all sorted and then they can begin work on the trains.

I still hold to the notion that they could use extra maintenance bays (maybe over near Epcot by the solar farm) and extra trains so that they could maintain/clean the trains without an impact to the guest experience. It can be done.

 

[jme]

Here's a look at the monorail fleets service schedule over the years at both parks.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Here's a look at the monorail fleets service schedule over the years at both parks.

The colors for the Disneyland monorails is not so linear. Mark V Orange became Mark VII Red, Mark V Red became Mark VII Blue, and Mark V Blue became Mark VII Orange. I'm not sure if the Mark IIIs did any color switching when they became the Mark Vs.

 

[jme]

The colors for the Disneyland monorails is not so linear. Mark V Orange became Mark VII Red, Mark V Red became Mark VII Blue, and Mark V Blue became Mark VII Orange. I'm not sure if the Mark IIIs did any color switching when they became the Mark Vs.

Can you please share your sources? Not that I don't believe you, I've just never seen it reported that way

 

[lazyboy97o]

Can you please share your sources? Not that I don't believe you, I've just never seen it reported that way

I don't know of any place that has compiled the transition in one place. Regular park updates (i.e. Dateline Disneyland) were a thing when the transition occurred if you want to look them up. It was a rolling transition. Mark V Monorail Orange was the first to leave so that it could be ripped apart by Walt Disney Imagineering and came back as Mark VII Monorail Red.

 

[articos]

I don't know of any place that has compiled the transition in one place. Regular park updates (i.e. Dateline Disneyland) were a thing when the transition occurred if you want to look them up. It was a rolling transition. Mark V Monorail Orange was the first to leave so that it could be ripped apart by Walt Disney Imagineering and came back as Mark VII Monorail Red.

*ripped apart by Dynamic Structures. Designed by WDI.

 

[flynnibus]

Can you please share your sources? Not that I don't believe you, I've just never seen it reported that way

all of micechat during the migration @Darkbeer1 probably has photos of it all

 

[Monorail_Red]

The Mark IV replacements weren't linear either. The first MVI delivered to WDW was Blue in '89 and the last was Coral in '93. There were times where two of the came color trains overlapped in operation.

 

[ford91exploder]

So at DL they got new trains back in 07 and before then new trains every 20 years. WDW got an update 20 years in and the current manangent decided to skip the refresh cycle and run existing trains into the ground

 

[lazyboy97o]

So at DL they got new trains back in 07 and before then new trains every 20 years. WDW got an update 20 years in and the current manangent decided to skip the refresh cycle and run existing trains into the ground

Disneyland last received entirely new monorails before Walt Disney World opened.

 

[ford91exploder]

Disneyland last received entirely new monorails before Walt Disney World opened.

I was speaking of

'New' trains in the context of being stripped to the support structure and completely re manufactured.

This is a very common thing for locomotives in the railroad industry instead of buying a 'new' locomotive its stripped to chassis and all parts are remanufactured and upgraded so in the end you have a 'new' locomotive which re-used the chassis but everything else is zero timed and ready for another decade or two of service at about half the price of a 'new' one

 

[zulemara]

There go my chances of being a monorail pilot when I retire. Guess I will hope for the Port Orleans Water Taxis

MK Watercraft is far better. 3 different boats, 4 different routes. Never the same day twice!

 

[jme]

Thanks I'll look into it to update.
Regardless, this highlights that the average lifespan of a train is 20 years. Wdws current fleet is almost 30

 

[monothingie]

The Mark IV replacements weren't linear either. The first MVI delivered to WDW was Blue in '89 and the last was Coral in '93. There were times where two of the came color trains overlapped in operation.

My favorite picture.