Large Piece Falls off Monorail - Being Evacuated

[21stamps]

Same here. Though that's the "cheap" part. I rode the green line in Boston for years, ancient crappy subway line, used to despise getting the really old trolleys in summer as it was nasty hot and humid and often filled with drunk Red Sox fans, sometimes that was me. Still, this is a transit system run by an organization that claims to lose more and more money every year, the MBTA. So, ok, if the train was dirty, I get it, as long as I get from Park Street to Riverside in one piece. However, if I'm boarding the monorail at Epcot with some tipsy gang on a hot day that just drank their way around the world, that monorail ought to be clean, comfy and efficiently operating as WDW's revenue numbers are insane compared to the MBTA. Just saying that they can afford to roll some fantastic stock, not just adequate rolling stock.

Maybe they allocate certain time frames for it?
I think the boats were all repainted last year..perhaps a cosmetic monorail revamp will be next.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

"We have to ride these rides to failure to save money." That is Disney's own history. It has already happened before and there is nothing inherent to stop it from reoccurring.

Maybe, but that's a separate conversation. I'm talking specifically about safety-related failure, not Br'er Rabbit getting his eyes stuck closed.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Maybe, but that's a separate conversation. I'm talking specifically about safety-related failure, not Br'er Rabbit getting his eyes stuck closed.

That edict was related to safety. A guest died as a result. It's a big reason why CalDOSH assumed so much oversite of fixed amusements.

 

[Andrew C]

"We have to ride these rides to failure to save money." That is Disney's own history. It has already happened before and there is nothing inherent to stop it from reoccurring.

Those guys are all gone now....so I don't think it is really fair to connect that with current management. 14 years since BTM accident.

 

[21stamps]

"We have to ride these rides to failure to save money." That is Disney's own history. It has already happened before and there is nothing inherent to stop it from reoccurring.

https://blooloop.com/features/amusement-parks-former-disneyland-president-matt-ouimet-reflects/amp/

Q: Tell us about a challenging leadership experience you faced at Disney.

A: The biggest challenges are always where Guests or Cast are injured. While rare, there were a few incidents that occurred on my watch. I believe that in each case the leadership team took the appropriate actions and instinctively exercised the empathy that is so important at such times. We often talked about putting our own children and family on the attractions. This standard made safety vividly personal.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Those guys are all gone now....so I don't think it is really fair to connect that with current management.

So? The fundamental changes to the business model have all remained in place with the same pressures to reduce costs.

 

[Andrew C]

So? The fundamental changes to the business model have all remained in place with the same pressures to reduce costs.

And you know that how?

and again...14 years since BTM.

 

[lazyboy97o]

https://blooloop.com/features/amusement-parks-former-disneyland-president-matt-ouimet-reflects/amp/

Q: Tell us about a challenging leadership experience you faced at Disney.

A: The biggest challenges are always where Guests or Cast are injured. While rare, there were a few incidents that occurred on my watch. I believe that in each case the leadership team took the appropriate actions and instinctively exercised the empathy that is so important at such times. We often talked about putting our own children and family on the attractions. This standard made safety vividly personal.

So what? There are reasons Ouimet was loved.

 

[nace888]

The monorails HAVE been getting cosmetic facelifts. They've been getting fresh carpet, fresh paint (the paint shows, it's all crooked on some trains). I'd imagine in the sight of SAFETY, they try to keep those trains going well. Imagine, they've got a budget of money for the monorails, the money will go to safety before cosmetic work, I'd think.

 

[21stamps]

So what? There are reasons Ouimet was loved.

So he was the last person to care about safety?

 

[lazyboy97o]

So he was the last person to care about safety?

Didn't say anything close to that. Ouimet didn't say "We have to ride these rides to failure."

 

[natatomic]

So? The fundamental changes to the business model have all remained in place with the same pressures to reduce costs.

That incident is single-handedly responsible for the implementation of the "unusual condition" policy. The cast members on duty during that incident said that the train was making a weird noise, but they didn't really know what to do about it.. That's why today, one of the basic procedures taught to cast members during training is what to do in an unusual condition. The answer is "stop ride motion, call a manager." I know it sounds like a vague question with a vague answer, but that's the point. That procedure is there to cover anything that could potentially happen that's not listed in the operational guide, which every trainee is required to read.
Regardless, I just wanted to be clear that cast members are not taught to keep operating as normal until something catastrophic happens when something seems out of the ordinary. We are taught to stop the vehicle, of whatever attraction it is, no matter how inconvenient it may be, and then report it immediately.
So I would say some changes definitely took place after that incident.

ETA: don't believe me, go up to any attractions or transportation cast member, and ask them what they would do in an unusual condition.

Also, I have never before been accused of being a pixie duster. I'm usually fairly critical of the company, and I've done nothing but defend them on this thread. Listen, no company is 100% perfect, no company is 100% safe. But For all its faults, Disney does take safety very seriously.

 

[21stamps]

Didn't say anything close to that. Ouimet didn't say "We have to ride these rides to failure."

You said that the same culture exists as when that comment was made. But there is nothing to back up your claim. I think Ouimet became president after that, correct? And nothing has shown that his successor or anyone else is taking safety risks.

 

[larryz]

Oh no. Not you too.

Meeting-

"We need to increase profit margins."

Guy 1- "let's add a new dining package for x parade"

Guy 2- "let's raise ticket prices by $10"

Woman 1 "Let's have one less employee at each X kiosk"

Guy 3 "Let's cut safety procedures. Stop maintaining our attractions and monorail."

Woman 2 "let's raise the price of Mickey bars by 1 dollar"


Which one appears to be out of place?

Submit that to your Creative Writing teacher.

With things are falling off the monorail and attractions keep going down with great regularity, I suspect they're holding down maintenance costs by extending time between maintenance periods and deferring PMI replacements until something breaks.

 

[larryz]

Nope not proof that maintenance has been reduced. Just proof something fell off.

Regular and thorough inspections can detect cracks in fiberglass and rust on metal parts. I suspect nobody looked at that part lately.

 

[RustySpork]

Regular and thorough inspections can detect cracks in fiberglass and rust on metal parts. I suspect nobody looked at that part lately.

WRONG, lots of people looked at it once it was all over the internet!

 

[peter11435]

Regular and thorough inspections can detect cracks in fiberglass and rust on metal parts. I suspect nobody looked at that part lately.

But the part itself may not have even been flawed. Nobody on here knows that to be true or not.

The fact that monorail service resumed quickly on the MK loops with the Epcot loop remaining closed the following day indicated that there may have been a problem with the bus bar itself and not the shoe.

 

[nace888]

I'd almost guess though that if they've been checking the monorail with the mentality of cracks etc in the fiberglass and they found nothing, then the shoe was ripped off by the bus bar. There's been a couple of people state that enough force can come from that and rip the thing off. Blue lost 3 and yellow lost 1... It happens. Storms down there happen, and debris blows around, which can result in a bent up bus bar.

 

[nace888]

Come to think of it, it almost seems as though it's a safety feature in place. Those shoes can easily be ripped off so as to not snag the train, or cause electrical issues... It makes sense to me, at least.

 

[21stamps]

Submit that to your Creative Writing teacher.

With things are falling off the monorail and attractions keep going down with great regularity, I suspect they're holding down maintenance costs by extending time between maintenance periods and deferring PMI replacements until something breaks.

You don't believe that they do safety checks daily?