Rumor Higher Speed Rail from MCO to Disney World

[nickys]

There are buses between TTC & MK when the monorail and ferry have insufficient capacity. They leave from the Mouse House area at TTC, to the right of the monorail station. A bus loading zone was built along the MK-CR walkway so that guests arriving from TTC would not have to go thru security twice.

So possibly as a post-Covid measure?

It isn’t a regular bus service that you can rely on, like resort to parks. Or would advise a first-time visitor to use. It’s a service used when an out-of-the-ordinary situation demands.

 

[marni1971]

OMG, 8 pages added since 3 oclock... What did I miss, I don't want to go back thru and read for hours.

Mainly one persons delusional ramblings.

 

[Goofyernmost]

From Central Florida isn't the distance from the Atlantic to the Gulf only about 130 miles, give or take. By the time a bullet train got to speed from Orlando they would be in the Gulf treading water. If one were necessary I would think that Jacksonville to Miami would be needed. Possible Jacksonville to Tallahassee. Tallahassee to Naples but in my mind high speed from Orlando to Tampa would be a waste of money. Just a small step above a light rail train would be more then enough. Coming from either direction that largest stop is going to be WDW. There are major airports on both coasts. MCO would not be a destination of any consequence from Tampa or Cocoa Beach area. A big one from WDW.

 

[The Lochness Monsta]

Great! Now all of the riff raff from the state of Florida can get to Disney.

 

[jt04]

Mainly one persons delusional ramblings.

Is this your way of saying our meeting is off again?

 

[jt04]

From Central Florida isn't the distance from the Atlantic to the Gulf only about 130 miles, give or take. By the time a bullet train got to speed from Orlando they would be in the Gulf treading water. If one were necessary I would think that Jacksonville to Miami would be needed. Possible Jacksonville to Tallahassee. Tallahassee to Naples but in my mind high speed from Orlando to Tampa would be a waste of money. Just a small step above a light rail train would be more then enough. Coming from either direction that largest stop is going to be WDW. There are major airports on both coasts. MCO would not be a destination of any consequence from Tampa or Cocoa Beach area. A big one from WDW.

Tampa/Orlando definitely needs an inter-city rail service.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

Many valid point have been brought up here. I think though Disney would be best served with Segways and per minute/per mile bicycles. It would eliminate the need for a hub altogether.

Segway lanes only need be added to 528 in both directions with a connector at I4. Guests could then take the Segway transportation from MCO directly to the resort. And then again from the resort back to the airport.

Disney would instantly create a brand new revenue stream while saving enormous amounts of money by eliminating the need for a hub.

Obviously some slight modifications to the “vehicles” would need to be made - and that’s where Imagineering comes in.

I could envision something like:

 

[LAKid53]

It’s still the same route with the same issues. The state is too small and not nearly populous enough to support true high speed rail. Improved rail corridors that allow for higher speeds can be beneficial but that doesn’t mean high speed, and definitely not high speed as the first step. Caltrain is a commuter rail that tops out at 79 mph.

True high speed rail operates along corridors that support not just highway travel, but also rail and air travel, which is one of its big competitors. It’s a top level premium service for highly traveled routes. Why take a high speed train that wont be much faster than driving but will be significantly more expensive? Congestion in Florida is also exacerbated by the lack of alternate roads and modes of transportation. There are also still a lot of people who cling to the idea that ever widening highways will eventually fix traffic problems due to poor planning and design.

The state is too small? It's the 3rd most populous state at nearly 22 million residents. 250K new residents between July 2019 and July 2020. With nearly 1K moving here daily. Nearly 600 miles long from Pensacola to Miami.

The Tampa to Orlando corridor is a heavily traveled route. Central Florida is experiencing a population boom. The I-95 corridor includes the densest populated counties in the state.

Interstates have become not only travel routes between cities, but within cities in this state. Just look at I-4 and I-95 at rush hours and certain segments of I-10.

Yes, I agree, some think the solution to increasing congestion on major arteries between cities is to widen those. Rail is an excellent alternative.

 

[LAKid53]

From Central Florida isn't the distance from the Atlantic to the Gulf only about 130 miles, give or take. By the time a bullet train got to speed from Orlando they would be in the Gulf treading water. If one were necessary I would think that Jacksonville to Miami would be needed. Possible Jacksonville to Tallahassee. Tallahassee to Naples but in my mind high speed from Orlando to Tampa would be a waste of money. Just a small step above a light rail train would be more then enough. Coming from either direction that largest stop is going to be WDW. There are major airports on both coasts. MCO would not be a destination of any consequence from Tampa or Cocoa Beach area. A big one from WDW.

I must disagree. Tampa to Orlando is heavily traveled. And Central Florida is where the state is experiencing a population boom. And not just because of Disney.

 

[marni1971]

Is this your way of saying our meeting is off again?

Ah. You’re up.

I’ve been trying to arrange a meeting for years. I’m open to meeting anyone from here (and frequently have) including yourself. Even @Goofyernmost and I have mussed it over.

This one would knock your socks off:

 

[LAKid53]

They don't check reservations? Maybe that's only a Contemporary thing.

They tend to check at MK resorts more than others. Especially during certain times of the year.

 

[jt04]

Ah. You’re up.

I’ve been trying to arrange a meeting for years. I’m open to meeting anyone from here (and frequently have) including yourself. Even @Goofyernmost and I have mussed it over.

This one would knock your socks off:

View attachment 549698

Cool. We'll make it happen.

 

[jt04]

A few might do that. And in reverse.

All those forms of transport (*) arrive at all 4 of the parks, In which case all parks are a transportation hub by the same definition. Which is fine, now that we know what the definition of a hub is.

(*) All except Minnie Vans though, they’re no longer running. They might come back, noone’s sure.

I was hoping the internal bus service from park to park trial would have lasted. I think many did not want to pay for what they thought should be free. But the added convenience is significant. And if it had been publicized properly may have taken off.

 

[LAKid53]

Pretty sure it was a vlog put I'm positive I heard it and recently. Monorail might have been down and they forgot to mention it.

A vlog..... And the vlogger failed to mention that the monorail was down. Were the ferries running?

You know, some of us actually visit WDW. Frequently. Like 5-7 times a year. Stay on property. Heavily use all modes of Disney transportation.

 

[LAKid53]

I was hoping the internal bus service from park to park trial would have lasted. I think many did not want to pay for what they thought should be free. But the added convenience is significant. And if it had been publicized properly may have taken off.

When park hopping wasn't available or is limited as it is now, bus service wasn't necessary. But it was quite popular pre-COVID, based on bus traffic I've witnessed.

 

[LAKid53]

?????? How is that even an answer?

It's not.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Tampa/Orlando definitely needs an inter-city rail service.

I agree, but they don't need a high speed one. The distance is way to short. A regular speed train would work fine.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I must disagree. Tampa to Orlando is heavily traveled. And Central Florida is where the state is experiencing a population boom. And not just because of Disney.

Again it does need a train just not a high speed train. They would spend all their time in the shop getting new brakes. Train yes, high speed cool, but not necessary. To many stops along the way. High speed works great in lengthy runs, otherwise it is an energy sap of the stopping and starting.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Ah. You’re up.

I’ve been trying to arrange a meeting for years. I’m open to meeting anyone from here (and frequently have) including yourself. Even @Goofyernmost and I have mussed it over.

This one would knock your socks off:

View attachment 549698

There are a couple of things that have hindered our meeting. The first being that since you live across the big pond it is tough to call you up and say I'll be there tomorrow morning at opening. Meet you there! The second largest for me is that we waited to long to make it happen and now my age and health dependability is questionable so I sometimes hesitate to commit to a trip. Are you one of the screened or unscreened faces? Or are those just random unsuspecting guests?

 

[lazyboy97o]

The state is too small? It's the 3rd most populous state at nearly 22 million residents. 250K new residents between July 2019 and July 2020. With nearly 1K moving here daily. Nearly 600 miles long from Pensacola to Miami.

The Tampa to Orlando corridor is a heavily traveled route. Central Florida is experiencing a population boom. The I-95 corridor includes the densest populated counties in the state.

Interstates have become not only travel routes between cities, but within cities in this state. Just look at I-4 and I-95 at rush hours and certain segments of I-10.

Yes, I agree, some think the solution to increasing congestion on major arteries between cities is to widen those. Rail is an excellent alternative.

The physical size of the peninsula east to west is not a great distance. The travel distances get shorter when you add stops.

Tampa-Orlando is a heavily traveled two lane highway. It does not support other routes. High speed rail is a top level premium service that exists along with highways, conventional rail and often air travel. It’s something you build later, not first. It’s also not a commuter service so it will do nothing to alleviate congestion during rush hour. It should tell you something about travel within the state along I-95 that Even when it was part of Florida East Coast Railroad, what is now Brightline opted to cut west and build new tracks to Orlando instead of continuing along their existing tracks to Jacksonville. Even now, continuing to Jacksonville is a possible future phase of development.

Florida absolutely should be investing in rail within and between its cities, but it is/was not going to work by jumping straight to high speed rail. Build out local and inter-city service with an eye towards the future so that high speed is an option in the future.