New Monorail Fleet for WDW

[PeterAlt]

I'm curious what points beg to be linked. Looking at the property map, existing transportation structure, etc I don't see anything that would make sense for them to build a monorail from/to.

The theme parks, hotels, minor theme parks, retail centers. I no longer think monorail is the way to connect them, but light rail might be the answer.

 

[TimeTrip]

Wow, is this an old conversation, but since you brought it up from the dead...

What I mean is that there are dozens of central points that beg to be linked together.

Dozens of points scattered haphazardly. Hardly a transit planner's dream. Maybe it would be a dream if they were hired to fix it "no expenses spared with commission" which would result in a bloated, convoluted, inefficient fixed rail system. But I don't think that's what you were intending with the "transit planner's dream" statement.

 

[danlb_2000]

Dozens of points scattered haphazardly. Hardly a transit planner's dream. Maybe it would be a cream if they were hired to fix it "no expenses spared with commision" which would result in a bloated, convoluted, inefficient fixed rail system. But I don't think that's what you were intending with the "transit planner's dream" statement.

I would think this would be a transit planners dream. Unlike in a city you don't have people spread out evenly across a huge area, everyone in concentrated in small areas that are walking distance to a potential station. In and around a city you have to figure out the optimum places to put stations, how to people will get to those stations, where they will park when they get there, etc.

 

[TimeTrip]

I would think this would be a transit planners dream. Unlike in a city you don't have people spread out evenly across a huge area, everyone in concentrated in small areas that are walking distance to a potential station. In and around a city you have to figure out the optimum places to put stations, how to people will get to those stations, where they will park when they get there, etc.

But at WDW you essentially have pseudo-hubs and random things "spread out evenly across a huge area", manifesting the same problem. If they were smart about everything and for example. kept everything equidistant from the TTC, or maybe had all the parks in a row, then there's something to talk about. However, IMO, its just a mess of things dropped in random places that happens to have SOME clustering. Not conducive to a good fixed rail system except in very few places.

 

[OKSTATE99]

The theme parks, hotels, minor theme parks, retail centers. I no longer think monorail is the way to connect them, but light rail might be the answer.

Full disclosure I'm a Bus Driver..

Light rail strart up cost would be what $50 million?

Bus fleet, Maintence and training already set up paid for and budgeted.

And road are zero cost to Transportation Department budget. So would have to add cost of rails, bridges and rail crossings. Plus building new rail depots at each theme park and resort.

Sorry for thread hijack.. On a related note to this thread topic. Ive heard a new Monorail train costs $12 million no way to verfy that. By comparesion a new bus costs around $300K (forty foot standard bus).

 

[monorail81]

Not entirely accurate. Although the system governs manual acceleration, it has known to be pretty lenient during natural acceleration. So if you're piloting on the resort beam down ramp from the Contemporary... you can get the things up to around 50 before you need to slow it down.

Yup. Usually it was about 47 in a 40 mph zone going down that hill. The drivers that know how to drive correctly know how to speed in places - down the hills, into the stations, etc. it is not hard at all to blow through one of the stations on the Express Beam. Yes, the trains have speed monitoring. But, the good drivers know how to manipulate things in their favor.

 

[cw1982]

Yup. Usually it was about 47 in a 40 mph zone going down that hill. The drivers that know how to drive correctly know how to speed in places - down the hills, into the stations, etc. it is not hard at all to blow through one of the stations on the Express Beam. Yes, the trains have speed monitoring. But, the good drivers know how to manipulate things in their favor.

At the risk of sounding naive, do we really want people driving monorails who are proud of their ability to ignore the rules about speeds to be followed? I'm assuming those rules are in place for safety reasons. The idea that some drivers would be bragging about manipulating that system scares me just a tad.

 

[Admiral01]

Full disclosure I'm a Bus Driver..

Light rail strart up cost would be what $50 million?

Bus fleet, Maintence and training already set up paid for and budgeted.

And road are zero cost to Transportation Department budget. So would have to add cost of rails, bridges and rail crossings. Plus building new rail depots at each theme park and resort.

Sorry for thread hijack.. On a related note to this thread topic. Ive heard a new Monorail train costs $12 million no way to verfy that. By comparesion a new bus costs around $300K (forty foot standard bus).

Real questions, not sarcasm: What is the 30 year fuel costs for a bus compared to the 30 year electricity costs for a monorail? How are the maintenance costs different over 30 years? Does WDW still have buses from 1990?

 

[landauh]

Not entirely accurate. Although the system governs manual acceleration, it has known to be pretty lenient during natural acceleration. So if you're piloting on the resort beam down ramp from the Contemporary... you can get the things up to around 50 before you need to slow it down.

Sorry but as an ex-pilot I hit the over speed trip point at 42 on that section of track in different trains. The monorail will not reach 50 at anytime.

 

[OKSTATE99]

Real questions, not sarcasm: What is the 30 year fuel costs for a bus compared to the 30 year electricity costs for a monorail? How are the maintenance costs different over 30 years? Does WDW still have buses from 1990?

This is like inside baseball not too interesting. The budget comes from Wdw resort hotels mainly. They dont have deep pockets like theme parks or operations. They will always pick the cheapest upfront options. They worry about this years budget not saving money in 2027.


Secondly about monorail drivers speeding if they go over the speed limit too often they get a repermanded. And 42 is the Max.

 

[DonaldDude23]

That's where they started losing me too. *sigh* I suppose no one would actually be able to confirm this even if they were actually in the know, since doing so would cause them to lose their "cred" if the plan were to fall through. I'd say talks at a board meeting are just that, talks. But as much as the current monorails break down, certainly SOMEthing needs to be done!

Hey, if they just add FP+ to the monorail, the problem would be fixed in Disney's eyes!!!

 

[Kman101]

$60 monorail dessert packages for everyone!

 

[jboggs]

After visiting Tokyo Disney last Summer & Fall it would be great to have monorails like theirs.... automated, roomy and EFFICIENT!

 

[ABQ]

Real questions, not sarcasm: What is the 30 year fuel costs for a bus compared to the 30 year electricity costs for a monorail? How are the maintenance costs different over 30 years? Does WDW still have buses from 1990?

This is like inside baseball not too interesting. The budget comes from Wdw resort hotels mainly. They dont have deep pockets like theme parks or operations. They will always pick the cheapest upfront options. They worry about this years budget not saving money in 2027.


Secondly about monorail drivers speeding if they go over the speed limit too often they get a repermanded. And 42 is the Max.

I've always wanted to know how much the monorails spend in new tires. Last I recall, and I could be very, very wrong, they chewed through tires like no tomorrow. Wasn't there a big old pile of spend rubber out by the monorail maintenance facility? Sure, the buses use lots of rubber too, but I'm thinking the beamway appears to be rougher on rubber than the roads the buses ride on.

 

[dstrawn9889]

Michelin XTE2 445/65R22.5 1100.00-1300.00 per tire Retail

 

[dadddio]

They won't replace the fleet until it absolutely becomes necessary . Take Disneyland as a example, their fleet was down to one train and they finally redid the trains and all they did was put a whole new inside and underneath assembly and redid the shell in the front and back to make it look retro. We can only dream of a new fleet but it costs $ $. I'm 34, I actually remember being on the original Disney world monorails lol with the swing open doors.

new 'underneath' assembly, new inside, new front and back. This seems like a lot.

 

[Admiral01]

This is like inside baseball not too interesting. The budget comes from Wdw resort hotels mainly. They dont have deep pockets like theme parks or operations. They will always pick the cheapest upfront options. They worry about this years budget not saving money in 2027.


Secondly about monorail drivers speeding if they go over the speed limit too often they get a repermanded. And 42 is the Max.

I figured as much. This is where an organization like Disney can shoot itself in the foot - care about this year instead of the next 10, and you might be costing yourself much more money.

As a private company, with lots of cash in the bank, Disney can afford to spend more up front, especially if that means saving more on the back end.

 

[lazyboy97o]

new 'underneath' assembly, new inside, new front and back. This seems like a lot.

But they still were not 100% new. The chassis were from the Mark IIIs and the bodies, except the noses, from the Mark Vs. The Mark VIs do not have to be entirely scrapped for the system to overcome present difficulties.

 

[ABQ]

I figured as much. This is where an organization like Disney can shoot itself in the foot - care about this year instead of the next 10, and you might be costing yourself much more money.

As a private company, with lots of cash in the bank, Disney can afford to spend more up front, especially if that means saving more on the back end.

Well they aren't a private company, but they do have lots of cash. If they spend more up front they'll have to convince the street that's the right thing to do. One would think that would be easy, but investors who aren't park guests may say otherwise. And they've already duped the street recently with the MM+ boondoggle. Those folks would just say "why spend more money when we're making boat loads already by doing nothing?"

 

[MonorailMan]

Logically thinking, could Disney afford the millions it would cost to build new monorails? Yes. Could Disney afford to expand the monorail to the other parks on property and spend many millions more? Likely yes. I am an optimistic person, but I see the monorail system being fully upgraded (automation, new trains, etc.) by the year 2018. Disney is in the middle of a lot of big projects right now, but once those are finished, what will they do? Rivers of Light is opening in 2015, Avatarland is opening in 2017, Disney Springs and Downtown Disney to be completed in the next year or so... After these projects finish up, I don't see where Disney could do any more additions to any of the parks or Downtown Disney for a while, so the circle of life would bring them around to the monorail system.