Monorail enhancements coming soon?

juniorthomas

juniorthomas

Well-Known Member
edwardtc said:
Yup, and it really ruins the magic. If it were just "Disney" stuff it would be one thing, but when you start branching out into ABC, it just removes me from my little "the world is non-existent this week" bubble.

I hate outside influences when I'm at WDW. I don't like seeing cell towers. I don't like seeing commercial development. Heck, going to Downtown Disney is almost too "realistic" for me. But I'm a traditionalist, and I just remember the days when you'd go to Disney World and literally be isolated from the mess of the real world for a little while. But the real world is gradually seeping deeper and deeper into my fantasy world :(
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Well it is just Disney stuff. ESPN and ABC are all part of the family, so they want to expose as many park guests as possible to anything under their umbrella. But I'm with you, those bus rides are one place where commercialism is rampant. It's a huge turnoff (doesn't help that you're stuck on a bus, which is awful anyway)

Sounds like a new thread idea - how could they enhance your bus riding experience? I'm on it -> http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?p=4628860#post4628860
 
C

COProgressFan

Well-Known Member
StageFrenzy said:
They should have ripped out the teal seats and pink liner around the ceiling.
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I know the carpeting was replaced with a hard surface floor a few years back, the middle consoles were removed and replaced with poles, and there were some changes to lighting (I don't know if they did any mechanical maintenance).

The teal seats are in rough shape, as are much of the cabin interiors (pieces of loose trim around the doors, scratched/dented doors and an overall buildup of grime). They definitely are looking rough around the edges.
 
juniorthomas

juniorthomas

Well-Known Member
COProgressFan said:
I know the carpeting was replaced with a hard surface floor a few years back, the middle consoles were removed and replaced with poles, and there were some changes to lighting (I don't know if they did any mechanical maintenance).

The teal seats are in rough shape, as are much of the cabin interiors (pieces of loose trim around the doors, scratched/dented doors and an overall buildup of grime). They definitely are looking rough around the edges.
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How much would a new monorail train cost? Has anyone seen numbers for this?
 
thehowiet

thehowiet

Wilson King of Prussia
juniorthomas said:
How much would a new monorail train cost? Has anyone seen numbers for this?
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I thought I read somewhere that Disney paid Bombardier $6.5 million per train 20 years ago. However, according to The Monorail Society, Disney paid Bombardier $3.5 million per train 20 years ago. $3.5 million seems a little low. Anyone know the correct figures and have an idea what the per train cost would be today?
 
s8film40

s8film40

Well-Known Member
It's hard to find a per train cost because there really isn't one. It's a little more complex than calling Bombardier up and saying how much is a monorail train. The cost is worked out for the whole project and there are a lot of variables, like the number of trains being built and the upgrades needed to the system for the trains. Bombardier also handles the operation of all of their new monorail installations this would also be accounted for in the cost.
 
castevens

castevens

Member
If you're ever bored around WDW, have yourself and some friends put on a suit and take a walkietalkie onto property and start talking about changes
 
M

Mick G.

New Member
I like the idea of updated lighting for the monorail interiors. The Disneyland monorails look great at night. But I don't like the TV idea, because of our tendency to spend all of our time looking at screens, and not at the world around us. Even on the Magical Express, I had to remind myself to look away from the TV, and look out the window at the palm trees and green grass in February. One of the best things about the monorail is the view, and I hate to be distracted from that by a series of commercials.

Yes for lighting, no for TV. My opinion.

Mick
 
juniorthomas

juniorthomas

Well-Known Member
thehowiet said:
I thought I read somewhere that Disney paid Bombardier $6.5 million per train 20 years ago. However, according to The Monorail Society, Disney paid Bombardier $3.5 million per train 20 years ago. $3.5 million seems a little low. Anyone know the correct figures and have an idea what the per train cost would be today?
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Think we could bump it up to $10 million? Seems relatively reasonable (if not high) to get new trains
 
juniorthomas

juniorthomas

Well-Known Member
s8film40 said:
It's hard to find a per train cost because there really isn't one. It's a little more complex than calling Bombardier up and saying how much is a monorail train. The cost is worked out for the whole project and there are a lot of variables, like the number of trains being built and the upgrades needed to the system for the trains. Bombardier also handles the operation of all of their new monorail installations this would also be accounted for in the cost.
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Presumably if they were to replace them, that's exactly what they'd do though - bid it out
 
M

MDenham

Member
juniorthomas said:
Think we could bump it up to $10 million? Seems relatively reasonable (if not high) to get new trains
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Factoring in at least another seven years' worth of inflation (that seven-year figure being "if they want to finish bringing new trains online for the 50th Anniversary" - I have no inside information one way or the other on this), $10M/train is probably right around the correct ballpark.
 
juniorthomas

juniorthomas

Well-Known Member
MDenham said:
Factoring in at least another seven years' worth of inflation (that seven-year figure being "if they want to finish bringing new trains online for the 50th Anniversary" - I have no inside information one way or the other on this), $10M/train is probably right around the correct ballpark.
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So it would indeed be expensive to outright upgrade the entire line, and without a major need to do so, I don't see why they'd go down that route. Far less expensive to put TV screens in, or other small scale fixes.

Now if they added a new stop on the monorail, perhaps DHS or DAK, maybe they could justify the expense.
 
Timon

Timon

Well-Known Member
At whatever date in the future WDW decides to buy new trains, it should be different than any other time in Disney Monorail History. All past monorails were either designed from scratch or a re-body rehab. Next time when Disney buys from Bombardier they would buy a current model for a 26" wide track customize the interior and body to Disney-ize it. You would want the current state-of-the-art chassis, drivetrain and electronics. The turnaround time could be shorter.

I don't see Disney buying from Hitachi because they don't have any current designs (they are taller) which would fit through the tight stations without huge expensive renovations. Granted Hitachi is the world leader in Monorails and they are high priced. (FYI they made the TDL monorail)

I don't see Disney taking the make-it-yourself route like they did with the Mark VII, with their reliability problems which would be a disaster with the high passenger volume WDW does.
 
sod4

sod4

New Member
Mick G. said:
I like the idea of updated lighting for the monorail interiors. The Disneyland monorails look great at night. But I don't like the TV idea, because of our tendency to spend all of our time looking at screens, and not at the world around us. Even on the Magical Express, I had to remind myself to look away from the TV, and look out the window at the palm trees and green grass in February. One of the best things about the monorail is the view, and I hate to be distracted from that by a series of commercials.

Yes for lighting, no for TV. My opinion.

Mick
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I completely agree.

Didn't they recently install TVs in the buses? I know they changed the bus driver spiel to a prerecorded one. It removed some of the magic of learning new things from the bus drivers (even if sometimes the things they said were incorrect). I guess I always liked the intimacy of feeling like someone was taking us on our own private tour of the property when we were just being ferried from place to place.
 
Minnie1976

Minnie1976

Well-Known Member
I like the monorails they way they are. I don't need any entertainment. Just enjoy looking at the views on the main monorail line and then the one to Epcot.
 

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