Rumor New Monorails Coming Soon?

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
It seems you are right after some more research. No wonder they have been so hesitant to replace it. Quarter billion.

How much are they spending on refurbishing old vehicles? At some point it's no longer cost effective, but then again, who cares when you're a manager or executive who doesn't have any long term interest in the core product?

Like Space Mountain, the monorails may be the best analogy for the current state of WDW.
 

_caleb

Well-Known Member
How much are they spending on refurbishing old vehicles? At some point it's no longer cost effective, but then again, who cares when you're a manager or executive who doesn't have any long term interest in the core product?

Like Space Mountain, the monorails may be the best analogy for the current state of WDW.
I’m not sure when something becomes too expensive to be cost effective. What about the trains or the vehicles on Main Street? Surely it would be cheaper to replace them with new equipment, but those are still being maintained (the trains are being completely rebuilt, per another thread) and used daily. The Monorails are practically brand new compared to those.
 

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
I’m not sure when something becomes too expensive to be cost effective. What about the trains or the vehicles on Main Street? Surely it would be cheaper to replace them with new equipment, but those are still being maintained (the trains are being completely rebuilt, per another thread) and used daily. The Monorails are practically brand new compared to those.

:rolleyes:

The Main Street vehicles are antiques. That's the whole point. That's their novelty and appeal.

The monorails are supposed to be efficient, modern examples of mass transit. That's why the original trains were replaced after 20 years. Now those once new replacements have been in operation longer than the originals for no other reason than the company doesn't want to spend more than x $ a quarter.
 

_caleb

Well-Known Member
:rolleyes:

The Main Street vehicles are antiques. That's the whole point. That's their novelty and appeal.

The monorails are supposed to be efficient, modern examples of mass transit. That's why the original trains were replaced after 20 years. Now those once new replacements have been in operation longer than the originals for no other reason than the company doesn't want to spend more than x $ a quarter.
I wasn’t trying to make an unreasonable comparison. I was genuinely thinking about how other forms of transportation on property are really old and costly to maintain but worth it to Disney to maintain. The Monorails were originally supposed to be efficient, modern examples of mass transit, but so were the trains ones upon a time! The Monorails aren’t really that anymore, are they? Seems to me they’d still be worth the upkeep because they’re so iconic.
 

larryz

I'm Just A Tourist!
Premium Member
The Main Street vehicles are antiques. That's the whole point. That's their novelty and appeal.

The monorails are supposed to be efficient, modern examples of mass transit. That's why the original trains were replaced after 20 years. Now those once new replacements have been in operation longer than the originals for no other reason than the company doesn't want to spend more than x $ a quarter.
It doesn't help that the current monorail fleet qualifies as "antique vehicles" under Florida vehicle registration requirements: "The vehicle described above is a “Custom Vehicle” which is a modified motor vehicle manufactured after 1948 and is 25 years old or older and has been altered from the manufacturer’s original design or has a body constructed from non-original materials."
 

the.dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
It seems you are right after some more research. No wonder they have been so hesitant to replace it. Quarter billion.
Cowardice from a group of people who are more concerned about their bonuses than providing quality, reliable transit service.

These trains are amortized over their service life so the hit is much smaller. Plus, a fleet of 100 plus buses can cost around high eight figures/low nine figures.

The monorail resorts print money for Disney, there’s no excuse good enough for their decision not to buy new trains ten years ago.

EDIT:# of buses
 
Last edited:

Monorail_Orange

Well-Known Member
...there’s no excuse good enough for their decision not to buy new trains ten years ago.
That's only true from a certain point of view...now, before you get all spirited on me, hear me out...

The alternative is to invest in proper maintenance and overhaul of the existing fleet. I've said it before, but it's worth repeating here, the Mark VII re-uses the same chassis from the Mark V, which was reused from the Mark III. Those DLR trains are virtually toys compared to the Mark VI trains at WDW, and yet the underpinnings at DLR are about twice the age. There is nothing wrong with the Mark VI WDW trains that cannot be addressed with proper maintenance and overhauls. (I believe the problems with the automation system are not related directly to the age of the trains, but are intrinsic to the capabilities of the system.)

To your point, the option is new trains OR proper investment in repair/refurbishment of the existing fleet. Some trains have received needed attention as of late. Granted, they should have all been refurbished long before now...you are quite correct about that.
 

DisneyFuturist87

New Member
Some trains have received needed attention as of late. Granted, they should have all been refurbished long before now...you are quite correct about that.

Are you referring to the monorail green? I noticed it has new carpet and a cleaned up interior, but is that really "needed attention"? Also what's up with the random color breaks on the exterior color ribbon? I don't remember seeing these on trains until recently.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom