Monorail line repairs at EPCOT today

msteel

Well-Known Member
Build a modern adaptation of a people mover:
Utilize many small capacity vehicles so routing can be essentially point to point without transfers.
Make the travel pathways redundant so a failure in a single location does not bring the entire system down.
Have each unit it carry its own energy supply to avoid the need for expensive power supply infrastructure.
Intelligently route the individual vehicles to safely and efficiently use all available travel pathways.





I just described self driving automobiles wedded to an Uber-like central routing system.
 

rucifee

Well-Known Member
Exactly!

Dive into the Meg Crofton window thread.

Oh, I have no interest in that thread or I'd already be there. For me the buck stops with the man at the top. All of the people under him are his responsibility and he owns their failures.

The rest was just wrapped in Mickey speak.
 

Creathir

Premium Member
Personally I think they need to look into setting up a personal rapid transit system which carries 1-7 people and is destination based. It would mean completely new infrastructure but the cost should be much less than the current monorail as the weight requirements would be much less, at least per car.

Hop in, tap the screen for your hotel, away you go.

Completely electric so it is green, and very efficient. You can even structure it so it's still the form of a monorail (above street grade) as to remove traffic intersections and still offer a "third line" which could be used by traffic in the even of a breakdown. All sorts of possibilities.

They still could operate the monorail in very high traffic areas (the lagoon for instance) or TTC/MK, but for the rest of the park, a PRT system would be ideal in my opinion.
 

dstrawn9889

Well-Known Member
so you want to replace 462 buses (capacity of ~40 people per --18,480) with 8 passanger PRT(that would be 2310 units)? not only that, you want it to run those 2300 units on a COMMON Rail? that is lunacy. the Resort is NOT structured for a loop type of setup, so it would have to be spoke or a star pattern, the logistics of routing so many individual cars is mind-boggling
 

Creathir

Premium Member
so you want to replace 462 buses (capacity of ~40 people per --18,480) with 8 passanger PRT(that would be 2310 units)? not only that, you want it to run those 2300 units on a COMMON Rail? that is lunacy. the Resort is NOT structured for a loop type of setup, so it would have to be spoke or a star pattern, the logistics of routing so many individual cars is mind-boggling
Yes, I think it would be best.
The best thing about a PRT is the cars can switch tracks, so you don't need hub/spoke or a loop. You have central arteries (down World Drive for instance and individual lines could peel off for the various destinations.

You're not talking about million dollar vehicles either, and given the quantity, cost per unit should decrease substantially. They would need a new support facility to handle the repairs and such, but I honestly think it would be the best solution to all this mess, and miles beyond better than a 1000 vehicle bus fleet. Take a look at the satellite imagery around the major resorts or parks. Look how much real estate is wasted on all those bus parking zones... It's astounding really.
 

rucifee

Well-Known Member
I wouldn't mind seeing an adaptation of the people mover, which would line up with Walt's vision of Epcot. A constantly moving conveyor based transportation system with room for 8 per car where they could step on at Magic Kingdom and step off at TTC or any of the resorts / parks. Unfortunately with the current design, it would take close to a half an hour to reach Magic from the TTC with that design so it would need significant modification, I wonder if it would be possible.
 

dstrawn9889

Well-Known Member
i dont see where you can justify the price tag on all new right of way and infrastructure for a PRT system, when any person with more sense than money can see that with buses the infrastructure is already in place, and at 460k/pc replacement buses are cheaper to replace when one reaches EoL.

and lets throw some other numbers in the mix ----

monorail pricing for new installation (las Vegas)
Bombardier MVI
$88 million/mile in 2004
Las Vegas Monorail
(7 stations/4 miles)
 

Creathir

Premium Member
The system would probably be about 25-30 Km of track. Just going off of estimates from the lead vendor of PRT (Ultra who made the system for Heathrow's T5 terminal) it would cost around $7-$15 Million per Km including track, station, command and control, and trains. So for around $350 mil, Disney could have a VERY flexible, green, futeristic system which would have lots of growth potential and solve almost all of their issues with their current transportation system.

You could even integrate the system into the Magic Band system and put some stations in the park... Opening up direct drop offs to the World Showcase or Fantasy Land for instance, in the park. Since its computer driven, only guests with a ticket for that park or park hopper would even be offered those options.

Even make it smart. "I see you have reservations at Be Out Guest for 7:30, would you like to be dropped off at the Fantasyland Station, or are you wanting to go somewhere else this evening?"

All sorts of possibilities...
 

Creathir

Premium Member
i dont see where you can justify the price tag on all new right of way and infrastructure for a PRT system, when any person with more sense than money can see that with buses the infrastructure is already in place, and at 460k/pc replacement buses are cheaper to replace when one reaches EoL.

and lets throw some other numbers in the mix ----

monorail pricing for new installation (las Vegas)
Bombardier MVI
$88 million/mile in 2004
Las Vegas Monorail
(7 stations/4 miles)

RoW is a non issue for Disney. They own it all.
PRT is no where near $88 million/mile, more like $30, tops. Certainly much more attainable than expanding the current monorail system, and offers WAY more flexibility.
 

MonorailLover

Well-Known Member
If it weren't so ridiculously priced, Maglev tech would replicate the monorail system, while removing a buss bar OR an overhead wire if an alternative was some sort of HSR(High speed Rail). Essentially, the onboard power is conducted with coils both in the train and in the track. They could replicate the beam system to keep it raised, while also bringing back the system into the 21st century.

We are talkin' billions, though.....
 

halltd

Well-Known Member
We are talkin' billions, though.....
Didn't another recent project reportedly cost billions? I'd take a completely revamped transit system that was actually efficient over MyMagic+ ANY day. It'd make my vacations much more enjoyable than a Magic Band.

I will add that arguably, both systems could be justified as being profitable in my eyes the same way MM+ is. An efficient transit system gets people into the parks (and other profit centers) quicker so they are able to spend money for longer durations. If they're not sitting on or waiting for a bus, they could be spending money in the parks. Plus, if people are waiting less for transit, they're happier travelers, which means they are more likely to return/spend money. Finally, if people were more easily able to get between all the resorts and theme parks, the crowds would theoretically be spread out more. To me, spending billions on transportation would see a return, just not directly from the transit.
 
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Nubs70

Well-Known Member
The system would probably be about 25-30 Km of track. Just going off of estimates from the lead vendor of PRT (Ultra who made the system for Heathrow's T5 terminal) it would cost around $7-$15 Million per Km including track, station, command and control, and trains. So for around $350 mil, Disney could have a VERY flexible, green, futeristic system which would have lots of growth potential and solve almost all of their issues with their current transportation system.

You could even integrate the system into the Magic Band system and put some stations in the park... Opening up direct drop offs to the World Showcase or Fantasy Land for instance, in the park. Since its computer driven, only guests with a ticket for that park or park hopper would even be offered those options.

Even make it smart. "I see you have reservations at Be Out Guest for 7:30, would you like to be dropped off at the Fantasyland Station, or are you wanting to go somewhere else this evening?"

All sorts of possibilities...
Alright, how exactly does electric equate with green??
 

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