Mine Ride Construction Update

[DrewmanS]

And you won't until you realize there are no technical hurdles that require more time. It's all about budgeting. That's all. If I say I'm going to spend $100 this week on my kitchen remodel and $100 next week, that's not a technical barrier, it's a financial decision.

You also have to consider for any project, there is the most economical timeline. Anything quicker increases cost, sometimes exponentially. Doubling the workforce on a project might only decrease the time by 20-40%. There are lead times for parts. There may be constraints on resources (e.g. rock artists or imagineers to design and build animatronics). Financing also plays a factor. Extending a project also increases costs as you tie up resources and cash.

If you wanted to remodel your kitchen, you might get a low cost quote of $20,000 and take 2 months from go ahead. If you want it done in 1 month, the cost might be $30,00. If you want it done in one week, the cost is $80,000. If you only want to spend $5000 a month, it might take 5 months ($25,000) as resourses have to be scheduled around other projects. So, if you have a huge event planned at your house soon, you might pay the extra money. But, if the kitchen is the 3rd of several renovations on your home and you plan to live there for another 10-20 years, why pay the extra money if you can live without the kitchen for 2 months.

Uni had to build Pottersville quicky in order to capitalize on the excitement of the movies. It seems phase 2 is moving at a slower pace since the final movie has already been released. The Empire State Building was designed to be built quickly, in fact construction on the lower floors began before the design of the upper floors were compete. Building of new roads and bridges takes years, but after the LA quakes new overpasses were built in record time but at much higher costs.

The timeline of any construction project boils down to whether or not there is a business need to increase the cost of the project (or compromise the design/details) to speed up construction. Baring a legitimate need, then the project is completed at the optimal pace.

Could the Mine Train have been built quicker to open with the rest of New Fantasy Land? Maybe. Was there a business need considering that several other areas would still open? Probably not. Was there a risk that even trying to compress the Mine Train schedule that it would not be ready in time and potentially hold up the opening of the entire area. Yes (assuming an expedited schedule would have required greater access to the construction site.). So why do it?

 

[RonAnnArbor]

Just as an update since nobody is going to go back and read 29 pages of updates...
The Mine Ride is progressing as expected. Its on schedule (and looks it) to open in late spring 2014 -- it absolutely won't be open this year -- basically it is still one big open muddy pit with facing just beginning to make its appearance -- they are working on the interior and there are photos available of some of the "rooms" elsewhere -- its still just one big dirty noisy muddy construction site right now.

 

[JT3000]

You also have to consider for any project, there is the most economical timeline.

There's being economical, and then there's being stingy. One could argue that the most economical option for a major theme park with no shortage of money is to get your new attractions open as quickly as possible so as to reap the benefits. A construction site does nothing for the park.

Uni had to build Pottersville quicky in order to capitalize on the excitement of the movies. It seems phase 2 is moving at a slower pace since the final movie has already been released.

It's moving faster, not slower. The movies are irrelevant. The attraction itself is a cash cow.

Mine ride vehicle in the backlot tour area at DHS:

https://twitter.com/Kryptonlogic/status/330788414129569794/photo/1

That looks awfully small...

 

[danlb_2000]

That looks awfully small...

You're right, it does. Maybe it's just a prop for the ride instead of one of the actual vehicles.

 

[Donald96]

They had a red track tester on the tracks today! Looks pretty interesting:

 

[bsiev1977]

You're right, it does. Maybe it's just a prop for the ride instead of one of the actual vehicles.

I looked at the pic, and I agree with you. Looks more like a prop than anything else.

 

[doctornick]

I looked at the pic, and I agree with you. Looks more like a prop than anything else.

Maybe they'll have a "take your picture in a mine train vehicle" photo op in front of the ride. Do they have any of those at WDW? They have one for Toad and the Teacups (I think) at DL.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

According the link I posted above from the Disney parks blog from March 2010, the Pixie Hollow version of the project was set to be finished in 2013, BoG, Little Mermaid, and the Double Dumbo, were finished on that original schedule. The Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty M&Gs would have opened last year as well and Pixie Hollow would have been finished this year 2013

The fact that they changed the plans for the site after they started construction, and the fact the Mine Train main was developed after wards and had to be built amongst the existing construction site, is main reason the Mine Train is taking until 2014.
The money they would have spent on Pixie Hollow and the Cinderella/Sleeping Beauty M&G buildings was reallocated to finance the Mine Train

Umm, no. The only reason the FLE is taking 4.5 years is Disney wants it to take 4.5 years. They could have had the whole thing done in 2.5 years, but they wanted it to take 4.5 years. There is NO reason it takes 3 years to repurpose a dark ride into a meet and greet except that Disney wants it to take 3 years.

 

[Tom]

They had a red track tester on the tracks today! Looks pretty interesting:

Cool pic. Testing alignment and spacing of the track, probably along with ensuring all the designed bank angles were met.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

The red thing is a clearance test.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Just as an update since nobody is going to go back and read 29 pages of updates...
The Mine Ride is progressing as expected. Its on schedule (and looks it) to open in late spring 2014 -- it absolutely won't be open this year -- basically it is still one big open muddy pit with facing just beginning to make its appearance -- they are working on the interior and there are photos available of some of the "rooms" elsewhere -- its still just one big dirty noisy muddy construction site right now.

It should look very nice by the end of the year at least--much less like a construction site. And Prince Eric's Village should be open for shopping and who knows what else. Fruit? DVC? Hidden E-Ticket?

 

[WDW97]

Maybe they'll have a "take your picture in a mine train vehicle" photo op in front of the ride. Do they have any of those at WDW? They have one for Toad and the Teacups (I think) at DL.

There'a one at the new Dumbo.

 

[Jake Wilson]

I was not a fan of this project at first, now I am loving it more and more everyday. It may not be an E-ticket ride, but I can deffinately see it being an instant classic!

 

[tl77]

They started construction on the Mine Trian LAST YEAR, it's a 2 year, phase 2 project

 

[Turtle]

They started construction on the Mine Trian LAST YEAR, it's a 2 year, phase 2 project

wrong. they did not start in 2012. they started in 2011.

 

[danlb_2000]

wrong. they did not start in 2012. they started in 2011.

Yep, first evidence of the mine ride construction in the aerials was October 3rd of 2011.

 

[Badger Brent]

It would be nice to have it open when we get there the 1st week of January. If not, I only hope that the area isn't walled up and looking like it does now. I just want my 1st view of FLE area to wow me, not say "in progess".

 

[Prock3]

Whoever is saying its taking this long because Disney wants it to take this long is right. I spent a lot of time looking over at the construction site during my CM days and the vast majority of the work up until october or so was taking place at night, with the exception of the cranes which were mostly used during the day. Most days you wouldn't hear anything or see anything move until around 4 or 5pm at the earliest. Not to mention it would go through cycles of not being worked for nearly a week then 4 days of heavy work then nothing for almost another week. It was also hardly ever worked on during the weekends.

Its also a horrible site for construction during peak season since they have to close off its one exit to backstage due to flow problems for the forest, meaning no work gets done during the day because nothing can get in or out of the site.

It is a complex attraction, its not like they are building an empty show building then putting a ride into it. They have to build the show building with the coaster going in and out of it, the last time they did this was with everest so hopefully they are building it right this time. Thinking they could build this attraction in a year or just over a year would be unreasonable, thats just not possible unless you've built it many times before or you work on it 24 hours a day, even then it would be a push. 2 years would be a reachable timetable, its taking 3 years because they want it to. Weather its to spread out the cost (probably) or to try and get people to come back and see phase 2 (wouldn't surprise me, maybe both) is unknown.

 

[JungleTrekFan]

Building of new roads and bridges takes years, but after the LA quakes new overpasses were built in record time but at much higher costs.

I agree with everything else you said except this part. The main reason road or transportation projects in general take so long and cost so much money is because they are hugely political. Now if engineers had it there way they could design it in a few months (or sooner) and build it to create the best efficient system, which they do in emergency situations. But transportation (and waste water) are the only engineering fields that are more government based and less private business based, which inflates the time and money exponentially. I was reading an article the other day on how Europe is able to do similar projects that the US has done in less time and almost half the money due to being less political and more economical with transportation projects.

 

[djkidkaz]

Any updates? Haven't had a chance to get over there while the suns out.