News Monorail Red in motion with guests on board and doors open

Incomudro

Well-Known Member
Except there are other people on the train...it wasn't like the person recording suddenly took over, said "Stand back! I got this!", whipped out a phone and everybody cheered...They all have brains and any one of them could have made the call.

I can't help but to believe that your actual beef is that this situation was captured on video, and that you'd prefer it wasn't.
 

Andrew C

You know what's funny?
I can't help but to believe that your actual beef is that this situation was captured on video, and that you'd prefer it wasn't.

Could capture on video AND use the emergency intercom.

Also, the fact that the guest(s) were somewhat ridiculous doesn't change the fact that Disney has a serious issue on their hands here that must be dealt with appropriately.
 

JediMasterMatt

Well-Known Member
How much you wanna bet someone engaged a bypass because of the problem closing the door. Thinking they got it secure... but maybe sensor wasn't showing... so they engage bypass. Then... later.. door pops open. It's possible the new control system didn't implement the operating with bypass the same as the old system.

This is probably a training/policy failure more so than having 3-4 system failures. Policy failures like running the train with passengers in a cabin that had the safety system bypassed... etc.

As someone with a bit of unfortunate insight into amusement park mishaps and the mechanics (pun somewhat intended) of how they work, you are most probably correct in your assumption. The vast majority of accidents at parks are directly attributable to human error. Of those, that majority is usually then related to times when operators or maintenance manually circumvent safety measures or established practices.

Without providing the usually gruesome details, most tracked ride collisions are attributable to someone overriding the automation and running things in a manual mode.

Case in point... the last time the WDW monorail fleet made national news.

The accident at the TTC was caused by the nighttime parking operations of getting the fleet transferred back to the barn. During this time, the normal automation is circumvented because of the need to transfer to the spur line and unfortunately a series of bad events resulted in the tragic accident.

While we don't know what caused the door to either open while the monorail was in motion yet, I can guarantee that the first place the investigation will start will be with the last time that door was brought under scrutiny (which was likely just before it headed out to EPCOT based on the accounts of the passengers if someone was working on the door). Whether it was someone overriding a sensor intentionally or it was simply a failure, if the door was just inspected prior to departure and that departure was delayed and required Cast Member assistance to resume normal operations - a checks and balance system should be in place to make sure that RV was ready for guests and that should include a maintenance sign off and likely complete test cycle to ensure the issue was resolved. There should be a log of who did what and when it was last checked and that will likely be very helpful to the investigation.

I know that I've had the thought of "what if" and those doors go through my head many times on a crowded monorail when you get jostled into them while standing.

The good news is that nobody got hurt and there is still time to fix the underlying issues with the monorail fleet. The real problem of the age of the fleet has to be addressed at some point. Maintenance hours have been reduced in manpower, then increased in curtailed service hours to the line; but, there is only so much you can do to stop the need to eventually replace an aging line. The amount of maintenance they need will only increase over time and during a time when the hours they are needed to be in service continue to increase.

For this incident, they won't be so lucky as to simply close off the "increased risk" cabins in question to make the problem go away.
 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
Could capture on video AND use the emergency intercom.

Also, the fact that the guest(s) were somewhat ridiculous doesn't change the fact that Disney has a serious issue on their hands here that must be dealt with appropriately.
The issue is using words like “ridiculous” to describe their actions. They stayed calm and still. The driver was not in a position to anything more than stop and wait for Reedy Creek Emergency Services and that is still predicated on the variable of the driver believing the guests and not the computer.
 

Bender123

Well-Known Member
I can't help but to believe that your actual beef is that this situation was captured on video, and that you'd prefer it wasn't.

I never said that. I said that the priority in a dangerous situation is crisis mitigation. Pulling out a phone and laughing at it either means they were not taking the danger seriously or they did not feel there was danger.
 

Andrew C

You know what's funny?
The issue is using words like “ridiculous” to describe their actions. They stayed calm and still. The driver was not in a position to anything more than stop and wait for Reedy Creek Emergency Services and that is still predicated on the variable of the driver believing the guests and not the computer.
Uh huh.
 

becca_

Well-Known Member
Per the DIS...

According to WESH 2 News, a Disney spokesperson responded to the incident saying, “We regret that this occurred. Safety is our biggest concern. We immediately removed that train from service and have taken steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again.” Due to this incident Disney was prompted to install signage above the monorail doors that now reads, “Caution: Do Not Lean Against Door.”
WESH 2 also had the opportunity to talk to the passenger who took the video of the incident. She told them, “The passengers in the car were all adults with the exception of two young children riding on parents’ laps. Several of the people in the car took charge, reminding everyone that we were unharmed and that if nobody moved and we were calm we would reach the station safely.”
 

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
I cannot fathom how people are finding fault with the actions of the passengers in the video.
They did not use the emergency intercom because there was no emergency- no one was injured, dead, or in any way needed emergency asistance, and the situation, while shamefully dangerous, was not one that threatened to cause immediate harm to anyone.
As the train pulls into the station, you can clearly see one of the passengers signaling for attention from the train personnel to draw their attention to the door issue.
 

asianway

Well-Known Member
I cannot fathom how people are finding fault with the actions of the passengers in the video.
They did not use the emergency intercom because there was no emergency- no one was injured, dead, or in any way needed emergency asistance, and the situation, while shamefully dangerous, was not one that threatened to cause immediate harm to anyone.
As the train pulls into the station, you can clearly see one of the passengers signaling for attention from the train personnel to draw their attention to the door issue.
I wouldnt have called, but definitely would have videoed
 

Incomudro

Well-Known Member
I never said that. I said that the priority in a dangerous situation is crisis mitigation. Pulling out a phone and laughing at it either means they were not taking the danger seriously or they did not feel there was danger.

They realized that they and others around them were no in immediate danger, since the train was not crowded and there weren't little kids running around or pressed up against the door.
So, they recorded the situation and shared it.
I believe that was the best course of action in their situation.
 

captainmoch

Well-Known Member
Complaining that the guest got a video instead of "going for the emergency intercom" is absolutely silly.
  • If you were there, you'd also be pretty damn fixated on the opened door on the vehicle moving 30mph at heights of 30 feet.
  • What would you do if you were in a vehicle moving at 30mph at heights of 30 feet.... stay seated in the utmost secure fashion, trying to move as little as possible in this vehicle that, for all we know, could stop or lurch or turn at any moment... or turn around and try to reach for a phone within a compartment?
  • Nobody would believe this happened and this would be absolutely shunned if there were no video footage. The fact that they got video is absolutely proving that this happened in the first place, making it a known issue that Disney can't just ignore.
  • 99% of guests don't even know that the phone exists. Most people don't go out of their way looking for something that they don't know exists. Yes, it's marked "Emergency Intercom," but if you don't know that exists in the first place, you're not going to think to reach for one, especially when in a weird and potentially scary situation like this!
  • News flash: people don't exactly think straight when in a scary and potentially dangerous situation. That's something completely natural. Some of you are acting high and mighty about this, but I'd like to see you act oh-so smart if YOU were in this situation.
And this is all assuming that she DIDN'T call the intercom. For all we know, she DID call and started filming afterwards, or someone else called while she was filming, etc. You all are making some pretty wild assumptions off something we know very little about.
 

crxbrett

Well-Known Member
As someone with a bit of unfortunate insight into amusement park mishaps and the mechanics (pun somewhat intended) of how they work, you are most probably correct in your assumption. The vast majority of accidents at parks are directly attributable to human error. Of those, that majority is usually then related to times when operators or maintenance manually circumvent safety measures or established practices.

Without providing the usually gruesome details, most tracked ride collisions are attributable to someone overriding the automation and running things in a manual mode.

Case in point... the last time the WDW monorail fleet made national news.

The accident at the TTC was caused by the nighttime parking operations of getting the fleet transferred back to the barn. During this time, the normal automation is circumvented because of the need to transfer to the spur line and unfortunately a series of bad events resulted in the tragic accident.

While we don't know what caused the door to either open while the monorail was in motion yet, I can guarantee that the first place the investigation will start will be with the last time that door was brought under scrutiny (which was likely just before it headed out to EPCOT based on the accounts of the passengers if someone was working on the door). Whether it was someone overriding a sensor intentionally or it was simply a failure, if the door was just inspected prior to departure and that departure was delayed and required Cast Member assistance to resume normal operations - a checks and balance system should be in place to make sure that RV was ready for guests and that should include a maintenance sign off and likely complete test cycle to ensure the issue was resolved. There should be a log of who did what and when it was last checked and that will likely be very helpful to the investigation.

I know that I've had the thought of "what if" and those doors go through my head many times on a crowded monorail when you get jostled into them while standing.

The good news is that nobody got hurt and there is still time to fix the underlying issues with the monorail fleet. The real problem of the age of the fleet has to be addressed at some point. Maintenance hours have been reduced in manpower, then increased in curtailed service hours to the line; but, there is only so much you can do to stop the need to eventually replace an aging line. The amount of maintenance they need will only increase over time and during a time when the hours they are needed to be in service continue to increase.

For this incident, they won't be so lucky as to simply close off the "increased risk" cabins in question to make the problem go away.


Yes, that's all very true. And sadly a lot of airline accidents have been due to error in judgement by humans, whether it was mechanics, pilots or whomever.

Like you said, the great news is that nobody was hurt and that hopefully Disney recognizes the issue and addresses it and makes sure it will never happen again.


-
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom