Every City Needs a Monorail

[karlbeau]

Just a little levity to start your week....:ROFLOL:

Every City Needs a Monorail

 

[ddbowdoin]

Boston could sure use one... the T here is a joke, it doesnt really go anywhere, there are ALWAYS issues that cause delayed trains, and the last train is at 1245 AM... ie, lets encourage drunk driving!

 

[greebomusic]

It will never work! Ask Detroit!

:ROFLOL:Nice article

 

[bgraham34]

I would love an Express Monorail from NJ to Magic Kingdom.

 

[Phonedave]

I would love an Express Monorail from NJ to Magic Kingdom.

As would I, but I think the best you are going to do is a ride on the AirTrain at Newark Airport from long term parking to your terminal to catch your flight to WDW. If you squint a little (OK a LOT) it sort of looks like the WDW monorail.

-dave

 

[HoneyMnShawnee]

It will never work! Ask Detroit!

:ROFLOL:Nice article

You beat me to it. I was going to say the same thing....

 

[MUTZIE77]

Isnt the federal government trying to push monorails?

 

[Laufschneller65]

I feel like the Government needs to push more regional light rail as opposed to high speed rail. And why is the construction of Monorail Lines so expensive... isn't it just reinforced concrete with wiring and tie ins at the seems? I mean, if they even build regular rail, they do the railroad ties in Reinforced concrete as well... It seems to me the price is so greatly inflated to discourage it... When in stead of buying steal from China to build actual rail, we can do our own concrete work here.....

 

[smk]

Indy has one, I ride it when I have to (goes between two major hospitals campuses). It rocks back and forth something awful and makes me scared it is going to fall off the tracks. Several times it has had problems, gotten stuck 20 feet above a major intersection, caught on fire, hit the building it arrives too. You name it, it has happened, all but falling off the rails, which I imagine will happen one day.

I have ridden the one in Vegas and loved it, felt really secure on it. However, the one here in Indy scares the heck out of me!

 

[montyz81]

Boston could sure use one... the T here is a joke, it doesnt really go anywhere, there are ALWAYS issues that cause delayed trains, and the last train is at 1245 AM... ie, lets encourage drunk driving!

There was talk of one running straight up 93 from North Station to Manchester NH. Originally it was a train and then a monorail was considered and now I think they would still like to see a train there.

 

[Texas84]

As several people on this board have pointed out, they cost eleventy-billion per mile to build.

 

[Clever Name]

There is one big problem with passenger rail service. It is a big hole into which people throw money. For the short haul or the long haul it just costs too much. One of the major reasons why ticket prices are so high at WDW is because of the monorail. IMO they should get rid of the monorail and cut ticket prices. :wave:

 

[unkadug]

There is one big problem with passenger rail service. It is a big hole into which people throw money. For the short haul or the long haul it just costs too much. One of the major reasons why ticket prices are so high at WDW is because of the monorail. IMO they should get rid of the monorail and cut ticket prices. :wave:

What? :ROFLOL::ROFLOL::ROFLOL::ROFLOL:

 

[Clever Name]

What? :ROFLOL::ROFLOL::ROFLOL::ROFLOL:

The monorail is old technology and doesn’t really fit into the WDW theme any longer. If it had any value as a real transportation system it might be worth keeping but it just costs a major fortune to operate. The cost of operating the monorail is paid directly by hugely inflated ticket prices at WDW. You see, a large chunk of money from the sale of every WDW ticket goes directly to the monorail account. It doesn’t matter whether or not the guest actually uses the monorail, the transportation account still gets the money.

This was the basis of the original honey pot deal that Walt himself had worked out both at Disneyland and WDW. The old steam train and the monorail were both owned by Walt (in the case of WDW, the Disney family). A significant sum of money came right off the top of all ticket sales and went directly to Walt for use of “his” transportation system. He made a fortune with this deal. This deal continued long after Walt’s death and benefited the Disney family. It wasn’t until shareholders threatened to sue that the Disney family sold its interest in the railroad systems to the company. Walt was very clever in the ways he made his money at the expense of the shareholders.

The long and short of it all is that the monorail is subsidized directly by ticket sales and it could never operate on its own merit. It would be better IMO to get rid of the huge expense that constitutes the monorail and lower ticket prices.

 

[unkadug]

The monorail is old technology and doesn’t really fit into the WDW theme any longer. If it had any value as a real transportation system it might be worth keeping but it just costs a major fortune to operate. The cost of operating the monorail is paid directly by hugely inflated ticket prices at WDW. You see, a large chunk of money from the sale of every WDW ticket goes directly to the monorail account. It doesn’t matter whether or not the guest actually uses the monorail, the transportation account still gets the money.

This was the basis of the original honey pot deal that Walt himself had worked out both at Disneyland and WDW. The old steam train and the monorail were both owned by Walt (in the case of WDW, the Disney family). A significant sum of money came right off the top of all ticket sales and went directly to Walt for use of “his” transportation system. He made a fortune with this deal. This deal continued long after Walt’s death and benefited the Disney family. It wasn’t until shareholders threatened to sue that the Disney family sold its interest in the railroad systems to the company. Walt was very clever in the ways he made his money at the expense of the shareholders.

The long and short of it all is that the monorail is subsidized directly by ticket sales and it could never operate on its own merit. It would be better IMO to get rid of the huge expense that constitutes the monorail and lower ticket prices.

Well let's get rid of horticulture, custodial, entertainment and all theming also while we are at it. They are all unnecessary expenses that the park could do without. Surely the parks would be the same without these amenities and still continue to draw the masses. The stock holders would simply LOVE that the parks no longer have to pay these astronomical fees AND are able to DRASTICALLY cut prices while simultaneously holding onto the status quo.

 

[Clever Name]

Well let's get rid of horticulture, custodial, entertainment and all theming also while we are at it. They are all unnecessary expenses that the park could do without. Surely the parks would be the same without these amenities and still continue to draw the masses. The stock holders would simply LOVE that the parks no longer have to pay these astronomical fees AND are able to DRASTICALLY cut prices while simultaneously holding onto the status quo.

No. The other amenities that you mention do more than carry their own weight. The monorail is a gigantic money hole and uses up far more money than it is worth. I realize there is a small group of monorail fans that would be upset in closing this wasteful system, but they'd get over it in a short time. And frankly, the monorail is more retro than anything modern and it really detracts from WDW.

 

[wm49rs]

No. The other amenities that you mention do more than carry their own weight. The monorail is a gigantic money hole and uses up far more money than it is worth. I realize there is a small group of monorail fans that would be upset in closing this wasteful system, but they'd get over it in a short time. And frankly, the monorail is more retro than anything modern and it really detracts from WDW.

You're right. I can't stand the way the monorail goes through that boxy hotel, or the stop it makes near the big ball at EPCOT. Totally distracting. Busses should be used everywhere. They're so quiet, convenient, and smell waaaay better than the monorails.....

 

[Uncle Lupe]

Lets use coaster launch tech to make the journey more exciting.

 

[unkadug]

No. The other amenities that you mention do more than carry their own weight. The monorail is a gigantic money hole and uses up far more money than it is worth. I realize there is a small group of monorail fans that would be upset in closing this wasteful system, but they'd get over it in a short time. And frankly, the monorail is more retro than anything modern and it really detracts from WDW.

Please provide data to back up your claims.

 

[MansionGoer13z]

I think the monorail adds to the Disney magic. Lets just leave it at that. Whoo Hoo! My 50th post! :sohappy: :king: