Monorail Expansion

[Tom]

As a Construction Engineer, I'll bore all of you to tears with some real info on the lack of monorail expansion.

You are all right in saying that it is solely because of money. The cost of one section of track, including 2 beams (one each way) and a column and a foundation would cost between $500,000 and $1 Million to install, not including the trains.

All of Walt Disney World is built on a gigantic swamp. That's why Walt and company were able to acquire it so cheaply. The land had no value. To build the parks that are there now, they had to haul fill dirt, and compact it like mad to make it stable.

The foundations for the current monorail loops are very substantial, and at some points, they are at sizes up to 10 feet by 10 feet by 10 - 20 feet deep. In order to hit stable soils (to keep the track from sinking) they had to keep pouring concrete until they hit it. Disney could operate 10 times the number of busses they have now, for MANY years, before they could pay off a monorail loop to any other park or resort. I've confirmed with 2 tour guides and a person in the Disney Construction Department that additional monorail loops are not on the drawing board - but perhaps another form of transportation (still a secret).

 

[bamboo7]

Originally posted by edwardtc
As a Construction Engineer, I'll bore all of you to tears with some real info on the lack of monorail expansion.

You are all right in saying that it is solely because of money. The cost of one section of track, including 2 beams (one each way) and a column and a foundation would cost between $500,000 and $1 Million to install, not including the trains.

All of Walt Disney World is built on a gigantic swamp. That's why Walt and company were able to acquire it so cheaply. The land had no value. To build the parks that are there now, they had to haul fill dirt, and compact it like mad to make it stable.

The foundations for the current monorail loops are very substantial, and at some points, they are at sizes up to 10 feet by 10 feet by 10 - 20 feet deep. In order to hit stable soils (to keep the track from sinking) they had to keep pouring concrete until they hit it. Disney could operate 10 times the number of busses they have now, for MANY years, before they could pay off a monorail loop to any other park or resort. I've confirmed with 2 tour guides and a person in the Disney Construction Department that additional monorail loops are not on the drawing board - but perhaps another form of transportation (still a secret).

All very good points. Plus, busses are much more flexible. If a monorail breaks down, the whole beam is down, for a while, till the train can be towed off. If a bus breaks down, it doesnt effect any other busses, and a replacement bus can be deployed to fill in for the bus that broke down.

Busses are also much faster. waiting for trains and transfer times add up!

Don't get me wrong, i love monorails to death, and I use the existing ones whenever i can. I love the monorails we have now, but i realize that we dont need more. Monorails are great, but they are not the future of WDW.

 

[raven]

Originally posted by edwardtc
... I've confirmed with 2 tour guides and a person in the Disney Construction Department that additional monorail loops are not on the drawing board - but perhaps another form of transportation (still a secret).

Swamp boats? :lol:

 

[bamboo7]

Re: Re: Monorail Expansion

Originally posted by raven
Swamp boats? :lol:

ROFL!!! :lol:

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Re: Re: Monorail Expansion

Originally posted by bamboo7
Monorails are great, but they are not the future of WDW.

Shame - We love the monorail

 

[Tom]

Re: Re: Re: Monorail Expansion

Originally posted by CAPTAIN HOOK
Shame - We love the monorail

I love them too! But I'd rather take a bus than have ticket prices jump higher than they already do, HAHA!

Actually, in the last 3 years, I've been once a year, and stayed at the PO Riverside Resort. The bus system was a dream come true. I just walk up to a stop in the morning, get one, and get off at my destination, right at the front gates. Then, when I want to jump to another non-monorail park, I hop on another direct bus.

The only time they're not perfect is at park closing - but we would just leave a 1/2 hour early to avoid that. We encountered it once when we stayed for Illuminations. It was the day after they had re-opened French Quarter, and had not adjusted the Bus Route properly yet, and the 2 resorts were still combined on one route - BAD NEWS!!! They fixed that by the end of the week though.

 

[Bill]

Ugh. :brick: They see no potential.

 

[chernabog_ca]

Does anyone know if they're still considering the idea of adding light rail to the resort?

 

[Calamar]

Originally posted by edwardtc
I've confirmed with 2 tour guides and a person in the Disney Construction Department that additional monorail loops are not on the drawing board - but perhaps another form of transportation (still a secret).

Fascinating information, Edward. While I can see the advantages of a grand monorail system connecting all the parks, it would also be very tedious with respect to the current situation. If a monorail expansion would share tracks with the current monorails, the wait between origin and destination would be much greater, obviously. I also appreciate the great variety of options available to guests -- you can access the parks by car, by bus, by foot, by boat, and by monorail. Consider all the options: land, sea, air (well, almost). Just like the end of the former Disney attraction, Horizons, eh! Hence it follows that the secret mode of transportation will take us into space, of course!

As for myself, I prefer accessing the Magic Kingdom by Monorail or boat, Epcot on foot (we park at the Beach club if necessary), and MGM by car or boat (again, depending on whether we're staying at a nearby resort).

In closing, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas.

 

[AkEverestAK]

what about those other transportation systems that are similar to a monorail system but are cheaper and newer? there was discussion about them on these forums a little while ago, but i forget the name of them. any ideas anyone?

 

[crazydaveh]

I like the monorail. In my opinion, a trip to Disney isn't complete without a ride on the monorail. I go out of my way to ride it, though I do enjoy the busses and boat transportation from the hotels.

I'd like to see them add to the monorail system, but if it's as expensive as listed above, I understand why they don't do it!

This mystery top secret transportation thing sounds interesting...

 

[Tom]

Light Rail

Originally posted by crazydaveh
I like the monorail. In my opinion, a trip to Disney isn't complete without a ride on the monorail. I go out of my way to ride it, though I do enjoy the busses and boat transportation from the hotels.

I'd like to see them add to the monorail system, but if it's as expensive as listed above, I understand why they don't do it!

This mystery top secret transportation thing sounds interesting...

Well, this "secret" is really something along the lines of Light Rail, or Magnetic Propulsion trains, similar to the TTA technology, only MUCH faster and effecient. Its on the long-term drawing boards.

I agree on not missing a monorail ride!

 

[SIR90210]

This has nothing to bo with the topic, but the word "buses", as in the form of transportation, is spelled "buses", "busses" are kisses.

 

[SirNim]

Shhh!

Don't tell anybody.

I'm gonna put this in silver text so you only can read it if you want to know a spoiler.

Disney IS developing a new form of transportation. It operates cheaply, efficiently, and can be developed within the existing infrastructure of the Walt Disney World® Resort. It is called:...

Wonkavator

:lookaroun

 

[Tim G]

Originally posted by SirNim
Shhh!

Don't tell anybody.

I'm gonna put this in silver text so you only can read it if you want to know a spoiler.

Disney IS developing a new form of transportation. It operates cheaply, efficiently, and can be developed within the existing infrastructure of the Walt Disney World® Resort. It is called:...

Wonkavator

:lookaroun

Copyright (C)2002 by: Willy

 

[SirNim]

Originally posted by Corrus
Copyright (C)2002 by: Willy

ROFL! :lol:

 

[no2apprentice]

I would be very, very surprised if Disney went to any type of Light Rail development in the next, oh, let's say 50 years. I base this on two major hurdles.

1. Existing roadways. Any light rail system put in place is probably going to have to go under or over existing roadways (assuming, of course, that the rail system is on grade). Go under, and you have problems with the water table. Go over, then you have concerns about building a strong enough structure to deal with the bad soil. It can be done, but with big bucks (not as much as a monorail, but still significant). This brings it back to the bucks for a fixed rail system or bucks for a decent bus system.

2. As Tyler has pointed out in numerous posts, a fixed rail system is not the best system for a theme park, especially one the size of WDW. The logistics of it will bog the system down, making for unhappy guests. Same problem as the monorail: one car goes down, the whole line is frozen.

If they invest in anything, I hope it is something that is as flexible as the bus, but can still provide that "wow" value of the monorail. I think if anyone can come up with something, Disney can. But at what expense to the guest?

 

[Tom]

Originally posted by no2apprentice
I would be very, very surprised if Disney went to any type of Light Rail development in the next, oh, let's say 50 years. I base this on two major hurdles.

If they invest in anything, I hope it is something that is as flexible as the bus, but can still provide that "wow" value of the monorail. I think if anyone can come up with something, Disney can. But at what expense to the guest?

Yeah, at OUR expense, that's for sure! I didn't say the idea was a good idea, I just said it was on the drawing board to come up with new transportation methods, and that was one of them, HEH HEH. You make very good points - the idea seems as if it would have the same setbacks as a monorail loop.

Oh well, I'm sure they'll shock us all!

 

[bamboo7]

Originally posted by no2apprentice
2. As Tyler has pointed out in numerous posts, a fixed rail system is not the best system for a theme park, especially one the size of WDW. The logistics of it will bog the system down, making for unhappy guests. Same problem as the monorail: one car goes down, the whole line is frozen.

So true, and such a BIG factor.

 

[twilight mitsuk]

do they burst of buildings?