Rumor New Monorails Coming Soon?

[jpeden]

Bombardier is now the owner of the technical designs for the Mark VI monorail, being the basis of the INNOVIA 200. It doesn’t make sense to copy Bombardier work and then try to sell it to them for fabrication.

I don’t think they’d sell it if they made modifications to the Mark VI. They might trade it for discounts/incentives, but I’m sure that the design will be something somewhat new and not a direct copy of the Mark VI.

 

[tirian]

I remember walking past signs for Spain, Israel and.... Lebanon!!! I wondered if they were gonna shell each other for the fireworks display... sometimes its lucky plans fell through (Like the proposed Iran pavillion)

You made me actually laugh out loud.

 

[msg7]

Put it this way, if Boeing can produce a 737 in 8 days, Bombardier can produce a monorail in 10 years....

 

[lazyboy97o]

I don’t think they’d sell it if they made modifications to the Mark VI. They might trade it for discounts/incentives, but I’m sure that the design will be something somewhat new and not a direct copy of the Mark VI.

I don’t understand the point you are trying to make.

 

[monothingie]

So based on the analyst interpretation of their backlog, there is a 3 yr delay in delivery. Are you adding design to get to 10 yrs? Otherwise the 3 yr timing seems in line with many other changes.

Bombardier is just getting around to delivering NYC transit cars ordered 10 years ago. Disney is a small customer that will require a very customized Innova type train. I’d be happy to see it in a three year timespan, but I think you will be lucky to get it in a decade.

 

[monothingie]

Put it this way, if Boeing can produce a 737 in 8 days, Bombardier can produce a monorail in 10 years....

For customers that ordered them in 2008.

 

[Kman101]

I’d bet my left MagicBand TouchPoint it won’t be 10 years. Something will force the issue before then. I suspect Bombardier would work with the scheduling needs of a company like Disney.

Yeah, I have a hard time imagining 10 years too. I guess it depends how far along in the process they really are and what is realistically possible. But if things can be expedited that would be the best thing ... it's long past time

 

[imarc]

If you think monorails look futuristic now, just wait to how they look in 2028!

 

[s8film40]

I suspect that Disney would already have a specific design in mind and on paper. All Bombardier has to do is build them.

It’s never that simple. There’s always going to be various unique details to a new set of trains. There will be lots of back and forth compromises and adjustments.

 

[Goofyernmost]

It’s never that simple. There’s always going to be various unique details to a new set of trains. There will be lots of back and forth compromises and adjustments.

For sure, however, it would be far less complicated then if I went to them and just said, I want a Monorail Train. The track is 2.5 ft. wide, build it and I'd like it in three weeks please. Disney knows what they want and what they need. They hire outside companies to build it. Sure they are going to be times and items that are up for question and adjustment, but, not all that much. Disney is pretty good about supplying specs.

 

[s8film40]

For sure, however, it would be far less complicated then if I went to them and just said, I want a Monorail Train. The track is 2.5 ft. wide, build it and I'd like it in three weeks please. Disney knows what they want and what they need. They hire outside companies to build it. Sure they are going to be times and items that are up for question and adjustment, but, not all that much. Disney is pretty good about supplying specs.

Actually your simple request would probably be easier and quicker for them. It’s the fact that Disney knows exactly what they want that creates a lot of issues. Disney isn’t really supplying specifications they’re supplying requests that Bombardier then has to work into the design. If something doesn’t quite work they then have to go back to Disney and give them options to proceed with. Then that comes with adjustments to pricing, negotiating and further adjusting.

 

[lazyboy97o]

For sure, however, it would be far less complicated then if I went to them and just said, I want a Monorail Train. The track is 2.5 ft. wide, build it and I'd like it in three weeks please. Disney knows what they want and what they need. They hire outside companies to build it. Sure they are going to be times and items that are up for question and adjustment, but, not all that much. Disney is pretty good about supplying specs.

Disney does not do all design work in house. They would not just hand over completed drawings.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Disney does not do all design work in house. They would not just hand over completed drawings.

Couldn't say, I never had a Monorail Train built, but, what I do know is that you don't award a construction contract with bids, etc. without specifics. One doesn't even do that with a simple building. Disney has specifications, they need a certain amount of power, a certain amount of passenger capacity, need to fit through the Contemporary with only slight modifications to the building, certain specific safety backups. There is a good chance at this point that much of that is just standard design on any train, but, even the outside appearance has to line up with what Disney wants for design. They may buy off the shelf for a lot of things, but, something as "in your face" as the Monorail system in WDW would be highly specific and accounted for with the original specs. That does create a slower process then say a normal city transit system that can be purchased off the shelf in many ways. But, as I said, I have never ordered one so the details are just speculations on my part, but, it only seems logical that Disney is going to want what they want and yes, that will lengthen the time for production.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Couldn't say, I never had a Monorail Train built, but, what I do know is that you don't award a construction contract with bids, etc. without specifics. One doesn't even do that with a simple building. Disney has specifications, they need a certain amount of power, a certain amount of passenger capacity, need to fit through the Contemporary with only slight modifications to the building, certain specific safety backups. There is a good chance at this point that much of that is just standard design on any train, but, even the outside appearance has to line up with what Disney wants for design. They may buy off the shelf for a lot of things, but, something as "in your face" as the Monorail system in WDW would be highly specific and accounted for with the original specs. That does create a slower process then say a normal city transit system that can be purchased off the shelf in many ways. But, as I said, I have never ordered one so the details are just speculations on my part, but, it only seems logical that Disney is going to want what they want and yes, that will lengthen the time for production.

All of that information regarding constraints on size, needed capacity and even appearance are not enough information to build anything. Those are design parameters, not a completed design.

And Disney does award construction contracts without bids and specifications. Hiring a contractor up front before design work is completed is part of project delivery methods employed by Disney, namely fast-track and integrated project delivery.

 

[BalooChicago]

Doesn’t Bombardier have a Chinese JV? I wonder if they could get a deal on two fleets - one for WDW and one for Shanghai...

 

[jbeechuk]

Rumor is there will be an additional charge to ride the monorail coming soon. The bean counters are hungry for more revenue. I suppose $2 per person per ride isn’t too bad, but the $5 I’m hearing is excessive. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Rumor is there will be an additional charge to ride the monorail coming soon. The bean counters are hungry for more revenue. I suppose $2 per person per ride isn’t too bad, but the $5 I’m hearing is excessive. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen.

What is the source of that rumor?

It seems unlikely that after collecting a parking fee at the TTC that WDW would then charge an extra $2 to get to the park entrance. Are they going to charge for the ferry, too?

Also unlikely that they'd charge $2 per ride for the folks already paying an outlandish premium for a monorail resort.

 

[Disone]

Rumor is there will be an additional charge to ride the monorail coming soon. The bean counters are hungry for more revenue. I suppose $2 per person per ride isn’t too bad, but the $5 I’m hearing is excessive. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen.

This is not rumor. I have never heard this until you posted it. Does not seem logistically possible.

 

[WEDwaydatamover]

Disney dabbled with monorail charges in the late 80s/ early 90s if I'm not mistaken. Or transportation charges...

It might have been only for the TTC/ Epcot loop. It was very brief.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

I have no recollection of Disney charging for transportation in the 90s. Visited quite frequently between 1991 and 1997.

This is not rumor. I have never heard this until you posted it. Does not seem logistically possible.

It would certainly create an efficiency nightmare, payment transactions would cause tremendous line backups. I assume a hypothetical paid transportation system would see them try to automate the transaction process by encouraging people to use their magic bands. Though this would still be incredibly slow.

But (regardless of the backups, reduced efficiency and very annoyed guests) if Disney thought there was decent money to be made on such a model then unfortunately I think they'd try it anyways. I'm very glad that people are rebutting this "rumor" as false. But the basic concept doesn't seem like it would be particularly far-fetched for Disney to consider at the very least. It seems like something they'd try to pull.