Any Monorail News?

[Champion]

There is simply no impetus for Disney to move away from the bus system--it is extremely efficient and now they are investing in audio for the journey to the parks and even video in the future to make it seem less like a bus ride and more like the Disney experience is 24/7 with no gaps--magic in the parks, magic at the resorts, and magic inbetween--from the moment you arrive at the Orlando International Airport til the moment you return to it, Disney is ever-present.

The only thing I could see that would make Disney move away from busses is if fuel costs went completely through the roof. But at that point I think they'd just buy a fleet of alternate fuel busses.

 

[ToTBellHop]

The only thing I could see that would make Disney move away from busses is if fuel costs went completely through the roof. But at that point I think they'd just buy a fleet of alternate fuel busses.

you can even convert existing busses to do that. My school has busses all around New Haven and they just converted them all to be more environmentally-friendly.

 

[Champion]

you can even convert existing busses to do that. My school has busses all around New Haven and they just converted them all to be more environmentally-friendly.

Didn't they just bio-diesel them? Thats an improvement, but hardly one of note.

I'd see Disney doing fuel cell before bio-diesel.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Didn't they just bio-diesel them? Thats an improvement, but hardly one of note.

I'd see Disney doing fuel cell before bio-diesel.

yeah...still a one-up on Disney!

 

[wherewhy]

Yes. It's a ride. The most-efficient way into and out of the park is by foot.

unless you are staying at the DL hotel, by the end of the day, that is a long walk back.

 

[Champion]

yeah...still a one-up on Disney!

This is true.

 

[ToTBellHop]

yes, but unless you are staying at the DL Hotel (or GCH or PPH), the monorail won't help you much either.

 

[Glasgow]

I have two ideas for transportation in between the parks. One, a big vacuum tube like at the drive-thru at the bank which holds a family of four; two, a giant trebuchet.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I have two ideas for transportation in between the parks. One, a big vacuum tube like at the drive-thru at the bank which holds a family of four; two, a giant trebuchet.

actually they will use bubbles like Meet the Robinsons.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I have two ideas for transportation in between the parks. One, a big vacuum tube like at the drive-thru at the bank which holds a family of four; two, a giant trebuchet.

It could be powerd by gas collected from guests, as I understand that folowing the smoking banm Disney is going to introduce a fart zone, the gas will be harvested and used to power the tubes. It will be storedin the now redundanr castle missile silos and in the wand.

 

[TimeTrip]

First, what are you going to do at the intersections?

Well you missed my point about "except at overpasses and such".

Second, its not the elevation that costs the larger sum of money. Its the concrete track that runs with it, not the pylons themselves, even though those are expensive as well. You would still have to bury the pylons deep enough to support the weight of the track, so you're only cutting the cost of the above ground pylons, which you won't even cut out around roads, because you need to go over it.

So you're saying that a monorail beam elevated 50 feet off the ground costs close enough to one running on the ground? I would think it would be cheaper on the ground since you won't need to sink the pylons as deep since you can have a continuous contact with the ground.

And, with running it low and then up and down over roads, you're going to make the ride a lot less smooth.

Doesn't seem like a big deal heading into the contemporary. I would think that they could lay the track that the majority of the track would be on the ground. Maybe :-\

Third, you would have to create some sort of barrier around the entire track because the track is electrified, so you can't have anyone walking near it.

Would that cost more or less than adding catwalks along an entire elevated track?

The fact is that a system where you can add and subtract to specific locations at will is the best choice for WDW's guest flow.

Oh I agree. I don't foresee monorail expansion ever happening, because its too inconvenient.

I'm saying that I would think it would be cheaper to run monorail on the ground versus in the sky. It seems everyone always talks about hypothetical monorail runs at disney as being elevated, and I think alot of monorail cost propositions all over the world hinge on the track being elevated, but at WDW i don't know if that would always be necessary.

 

[Champion]

You're overestimating the monorail's height GREATLY.

And secondly, what catwalks along the entire track?

 

[TimeTrip]

You're overestimating the monorail's height GREATLY.

The height? Or the percentage cost of having the height? I've usually heard that people hint that sinking the pylons is a huge cost because of the swamp land, so i figured running on the ground would alleviate that by a significant margin because its much easier to spread the load.

And secondly, what catwalks along the entire track?

I figured that with all the crazy regulations nowadays that any new monorail stuff would require a better evacuation strategy than currently exists. Las Vegas had to put catwalk along the entire track.
http://monorails.org/webpix 2/LV083003o.jpg
http://monorails.org/webpix 2/LV083003j.jpg
I think this became an issue in the Seattle monorail planning as well.

 

[benji]

This conversation can go on and on and on.... Let's face it linking all four parks with the monorail system would be great for visitors. If Disney offers park hopper tickets then people are park hopping. My friends and I park hop and it will be so great to just hop on a monorail to travel from park to park. It will also be a better form of transportation for people in wheel chairs. We do not know what Disney is planing for the future. And we do not know how much money they have for future projects. As we know Disney has billions of dollars and who's to say what they are going to do with thier money. If they can spend 100 million on Everest they can add monorail track. How much can track cost? Not very much.

 

[freediverdude]

You know what would be a really really good compromise, and make both sides relatively happy? Disney should hire a company to design fuel cell vehicles which travel around like buses, about the same size as the buses but not look like them, so they could fit into the same bus stops, and either look like monorail cars or even more futuristic looking. They could phase these in gradually, so it wouldn't cost billions and billions to do this, and people would really be excited to ride on them. And it would be as flexible as the bus system. And no clouds of black exhaust and horrible sounding engines. Voila, problem solved.

 

[CubsRock]

You know what would be a really really good compromise, and make both sides relatively happy? Disney should hire a company to design fuel cell vehicles which travel around like buses, about the same size as the buses but not look like them, so they could fit into the same bus stops, and either look like monorail cars or even more futuristic looking. They could phase these in gradually, so it wouldn't cost billions and billions to do this, and people would really be excited to ride on them. And it would be as flexible as the bus system. And no clouds of black exhaust and horrible sounding engines. Voila, problem solved.

Sounds like a good idea!

 

[WDW Monorail]

This conversation can go on and on and on.... Let's face it linking all four parks with the monorail system would be great for visitors. If Disney offers park hopper tickets then people are park hopping. My friends and I park hop and it will be so great to just hop on a monorail to travel from park to park. It will also be a better form of transportation for people in wheel chairs. We do not know what Disney is planing for the future. And we do not know how much money they have for future projects. As we know Disney has billions of dollars and who's to say what they are going to do with thier money. If they can spend 100 million on Everest they can add monorail track. How much can track cost? Not very much.

It cost $1 million per mile in 1971. Recent estimates have put the BEAM ONLY estimate anywhere between $1.2 -$2.00 BILLION.

 

[ToTBellHop]

It cost $1 million per mile in 1971. Recent estimates have put the BEAM ONLY estimate anywhere between $1.2 -$2.00 BILLION.

that's two theme parks...well, the way Disney builds them today, 3 or 4, but two GREAT theme parks could be built for $2 billion. 20 major E-Tickets. I'll take the bus.

 

[Champion]

that's two theme parks...well, the way Disney builds them today, 3 or 4, but two GREAT theme parks could be built for $2 billion. 20 major E-Tickets. I'll take the bus.

Not only that, but thats $2b with $0 EVER for return on investment. Whereas those parks or rides would bring people in.

 

[unkadug]

I figured that with all the crazy regulations nowadays that any new monorail stuff would require a better evacuation strategy than currently exists. Las Vegas had to put catwalk along the entire track.
http://monorails.org/webpix 2/LV083003o.jpg
http://monorails.org/webpix 2/LV083003j.jpg
I think this became an issue in the Seattle monorail planning as well.

But, Disney is self-regulating, so... I don't think that that is an issue.