Screamscape has new monorail expansion rumor

PeterAlt

PeterAlt

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
From screamscape...

Monorail System News - (4/5/12) I’ve heard this rumor countless times before… but a good source claims that Walt Disney World may be taking another long hard look at expanding the resorts iconic Monorail system once again in order to cut back on their reliance on bus transportation and move towards a functional mass transit network that would service all of the theme parks and bigger attractions eventually. Stay tuned.

Anyone have any idea if this is for real or is Screamscape just blowing a lot of hot air?
 
J

Jim Handy

Active Member
They are well aware of the condition of the current monorail fleet as well as other modes of transportation resort wide. I don't see a monorail expansion on the horizon, however.
 
C.FERNIE

C.FERNIE

Well-Known Member
it could just be new monorail trians after the accident and not exactly an expansion i mentioned recently on a thred that i wondered if they would start thinking again about an expansion with the new hp train at universal.... i get a bit tirred of the busses to be honest i prefer boats monorails or trains lol hope this rumour is true but as was said before it is screamscape so it could be hit or miss also wdc has said it aint going to spend big money on its theme park so who knows! :)
 
WDW1974

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
This is about as reliable as that old urban/CM/fanboi myth about the dark spaces on the Swan and Dolphin being places that were removable so the monorail extention could go through. ... Boy, I loved having to shout that one down about 765,432 times.
 
wdw71fan

wdw71fan

Well-Known Member
I believe this when the current bus fleet is really old, needs replacement.. and sight line balloons have been spotted near the TTC and World Drive...

Oh wait.. ;)


I'm not going to tell you I told you so when it does happen, because I'm not sure... but studies are being done... that doesn't me ANYTHING will be built, but the feasibility study has begun..
 
J

Jim Handy

Active Member
wdw71fan said:
I believe this when the current bus fleet is really old, needs replacement.. and sight line balloons have been spotted near the TTC and World Drive...

Oh wait.. ;)


I'm not going to tell you I told you so when it does happen, because I'm not sure... but studies are being done... that doesn't me ANYTHING will be built, but the feasibility study has begun..
Click to expand...
I have high doubts that they would use the Venetian Hotel plot for a transportation hub. That particular plot would be a fantastic location for a hotel plot. Any hotel there would be located on the monorail loop, as well as on the shores of Seven Seas with MK views. That's a location they would love to use for a hotel, and for some reason they haven't been able to. I don't know if it has to do with environmental factors, as the land could be rather wet. If that's the case, I don't think it could even support a transport hub or monorail pylons further to the shore than those already existing.
 
flavious27

flavious27

Well-Known Member
As with the another thread where this was discussed on, it is doubtful that disney is going to expand the footprint of the monorail system. There is a large per mile cost that will continue to keep it at the 3 lines.

And if the rumor is about ditching buses for a lower cost, well that doesn't make sense. It will cost anywhere from $50 - $100 million per mile for a monorail. To replace all of the buses with hybrid diesel, it would cost less than $150 million.

The only other transportation mode that comes close to the buses in terms of cost and operating cost would be prts, personal rapid transit. For novices, which I doubt could be responding to their thread, a prt is a system that uses small electric vehicles on a closed track. They have an advantage over monorails in that they are not on a fixed track, so those stopping at a station will not backup others down the track. Because the prt pods can hold 4 or so people, the experience is more personal than a bus and you can pick a destination instead of waiting for a specific pod. The disadvantage is that it will take about 90 prts pods to equal the capacity of one monorail train, if the pod holds 4 people.

With how the beancounters in burbank are, it is doubtful that disney is going to be spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a new monorail line or billions to implement a park wide system.
 
Tip Top Club

Tip Top Club

Well-Known Member
Current attitude in transportation management is that buses are the way to go. I would expect more of the double buses to make their way on the streets and not much else in transportation news.

Unless they've been overridden by a higher power, I wouldn't expect any expansion and we can chalk this up to wishful thinking.
 
alissafalco

alissafalco

Well-Known Member
flavious27 said:
As with the another thread where this was discussed on, it is doubtful that disney is going to expand the footprint of the monorail system. There is a large per mile cost that will continue to keep it at the 3 lines.

And if the rumor is about ditching buses for a lower cost, well that doesn't make sense. It will cost anywhere from $50 - $100 million per mile for a monorail. To replace all of the buses with hybrid diesel, it would cost less than $150 million.

The only other transportation mode that comes close to the buses in terms of cost and operating cost would be prts, personal rapid transit. For novices, which I doubt could be responding to their thread, a prt is a system that uses small electric vehicles on a closed track. They have an advantage over monorails in that they are not on a fixed track, so those stopping at a station will not backup others down the track. Because the prt pods can hold 4 or so people, the experience is more personal than a bus and you can pick a destination instead of waiting for a specific pod. The disadvantage is that it will take about 90 prts pods to equal the capacity of one monorail train, if the pod holds 4 people.

With how the beancounters in burbank are, it is doubtful that disney is going to be spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a new monorail line or billions to implement a park wide system.
Click to expand...

I like rumors like this...its fun to imagine...I just don't understand why the monorail would be so grossly expensive? I know things like this are very expensive, but with todays technology they can't figure out a more cost effective way to build this?? Does anyone know what drives the price of this so astronomically high?
 
bhg469

bhg469

Well-Known Member
People are using those figures from monorail projects like the one in las vegas or the one that is being built in Brasil. no one here has a real clue what the costs are but they wont be that high since disney owns the land they are building on. Its funny to hear 50million a mile and not think that number is grossly inflated.
 
wdw71fan

wdw71fan

Well-Known Member
the area near the venetian would NOT become a transport hub.. the balloons near that area were for the expected height of a 'fly-over' beam that would cut across towards wilderness lodge and wrap back past downtown, then towards studios, and spur near world to go back towards the TTC, or continue towards the AK area.... The alternative transportation that others (as well as myself) had mentioned for Downtown, would carry guests from downtown to Typhoon lagoon...

Again.. it's a study.. not a guarantee.
 
bhg469

bhg469

Well-Known Member
Would this lead to checking resort id? i would think parking downtown to avoid parking fees would be an issue.
 
wdw71fan

wdw71fan

Well-Known Member
Downtown Disney parking is likely to (regardless of this study) shift to the model used in Disneyland.. You are allowed a few hours of 'free' parking.. unless you have a receipt showing a purchase, meal purchase, or other within downtown Disney.. then that will be extended.. for more info, look a thte policies for DLR's DtD parking...

Meanwhile.. this is my understanding of the initial design for the flyover beam that will wrap around and stop at wilderness lodge.... and continue on as stated above..

As support for my claims on this.. Note that soil studies, and reinforcement work has already been performed in 2 location on either side of project area.. With the eastern side being completed about 2 months ago... You may have noticed the booms in the water near the water bridge, as well as the construction wall that was there for a period of time..

tHCqd.jpg
 
djkidkaz

djkidkaz

Well-Known Member
Couple things to consider:

1. With Obama recently announcing at the MK no less about how he plans to make it much easier for people to travel to America, Disney is definitely looking to make sure they don't run into a transportation problem if people start coming in droves.

2. We've seen the sightline balloons going up recently, there is talk of building another resort on Bay Lake which Disney would definitely want to have attached to the monorail. So if there going to start looking into monorail expansion for a new resort, they could probably get a better deal to just add in other areas of property they want to expand too.
 

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