Monorail rumor

[DisFanDad]

I’m torn on this. Only because I want new monorails but the design they have now is so iconic. Yeah the design in Disneyland is super sleek and pretty but I don’t have the same “iconic” stance with it.

Knowing my luck this is just for the doors and I just blabbed too much

n
See that's funny. I think the ones at Disney Land look MORE Iconic. I think the ones at WDW look like a second hand knock off... even though I clearly know they are more "original" than the ones at DL, the ones at DL just look like the real thing to me

 

[Lee Matthews]

If the theatre in Magic Kingdom was also scrapped to move th money towards new monorails then I’d be happy with that although I can see a new fleet of monorails costing a lot more than a theatre.

I believe they really need replacing before the 50th otherwise they are doing to look dire compared to the skyliner

 

[WDW_Ding]

Now if they could only do something about the tracks...

Like extend them all over the property?

 

[lovin'fl]

Like extend them all over the property?

This would be sweet.

 

[RRB]

I think that Disney would love to have more monorails. Unfortunately they are price prohibitive. Based on a limited amount research I have done, the are the second highest cost public transit system out there. Second only to subways.They can't add buses, there are too many as it is. In my opinion, that's why the Skyliner is being installed. Take traffic off the streets for a reasonable cost.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

If the theatre in Magic Kingdom was also scrapped to move th money towards new monorails then I’d be happy with that although I can see a new fleet of monorails costing a lot more than a theatre.

I believe they really need replacing before the 50th otherwise they are doing to look dire compared to the skyliner

true, but I am sure they spend a lot on upkeep of the existing monorails, so that annual cost vs the ammortized cost of a new fleet might not be that much of an increase

 

[Phicinfan]

I am sorry, but I don't see any reason to expect them to expand the current monorail system. IF that were the case, do we honestly think they would have gone with the Gondola system they are putting in now? I am pretty sure I read somewhere that monorail is just to expensive, and as they are looking to eventually eliminate as much as possible bus traffic, monorail didn't make sense to use. Thus we have Gondolas, and still some faint rumors of some other type transportation to tie to Ak at some point.

As for the current system, I think @rteetz has stated some rumors on Disney talking to different companies to update existing cars.

 

[rteetz]

As for the current system, I think @rteetz has stated some rumors on Disney talking to different companies to update existing cars.

Yep, updates and or brand new trains.

 

[umichigan10]

I am sorry, but I don't see any reason to expect them to expand the current monorail system. IF that were the case, do we honestly think they would have gone with the Gondola system they are putting in now? I am pretty sure I read somewhere that monorail is just to expensive, and as they are looking to eventually eliminate as much as possible bus traffic, monorail didn't make sense to use. Thus we have Gondolas, and still some faint rumors of some other type transportation to tie to Ak at some point.

As for the current system, I think @rteetz has stated some rumors on Disney talking to different companies to update existing cars.

I’m honestly fine with the idea of gondolas as a workhorse transportation system. Provided it handled crowds well, it seems like a cheap and fun alternative

 

[jade1]

I’m honestly fine with the idea of gondolas as a workhorse transportation system. Provided it handled crowds well, it seems like a cheap and fun alternative

And might be more private for some bigger groups, or smaller groups even when it's slow.

 

[RRB]

I’m honestly fine with the idea of gondolas as a workhorse transportation system. Provided it handled crowds well, it seems like a cheap and fun alternative

Trying to imagine poles, cables and gondola cars throughout WDW.

 

[lovin'fl]

Trying to imagine poles, cables and gondola cars throughout WDW.

yes. and trying to imagine how gondolas can manage such a crowd level and in a quick manner. also imagining how my BWV (where i own DVC) will be affected. how my beloved IG will be ruined. sigh.

 

[umichigan10]

Trying to imagine poles, cables and gondola cars throughout WDW.

I don’t think it’s that different from the monorail beams tbh. Just one mans opikion

 

[Princess_Lisa]

Considering the express monorail was down at least twice yesterday for extended periods and how many issues they have had, the trains need replacing. It should have been done years ago, but late is better than never.

I think that Disney would love to have more monorails. Unfortunately they are price prohibitive. Based on a limited amount research I have done, the are the second highest cost public transit system out there. Second only to subways.They can't add buses, there are too many as it is. In my opinion, that's why the Skyliner is being installed. Take traffic off the streets for a reasonable cost.

I don't see why MGM couldn't get a short spur off the Epcot line. Its not that far and it would connect the first three parks (MK, Epcot, and MGM). It would have been a nice addition with TSL and SWGE opening, but its probably too late now. As for being expensive, I can't think of any reason a monorail is more expensive other than it being in the sky, so any other solution would have to be at ground level. I just don't see Gondolas as a viable long term solution. Perhaps, they could do a train and just build bridges where it has to cross streets. That would keep it off the roads and reduce the cost since it isn't all elevated.

 

[rteetz]

I don't see why MGM couldn't get a short spur off the Epcot line. Its not that far and it would connect the first three parks (MK, Epcot, and MGM). It would have been a nice addition with TSL and SWGE opening, but its probably too late now. As for being expensive, I can't think of any reason a monorail is more expensive other than it being in the sky, so any other solution would have to be at ground level. I just don't see Gondolas as a viable long term solution. Perhaps, they could do a train and just build bridges where it has to cross streets. That would keep it off the roads and reduce the cost since it isn't all elevated.

Monorails are incredibly more expensive that other forms of travel.

 

[umichigan10]

Considering the express monorail was down at least twice yesterday for extended periods and how many issues they have had, the trains need replacing. It should have been done years ago, but late is better than never.



I don't see why MGM couldn't get a short spur off the Epcot line. Its not that far and it would connect the first three parks (MK, Epcot, and MGM). It would have been a nice addition with TSL and SWGE opening, but its probably too late now. As for being expensive, I can't think of any reason a monorail is more expensive other than it being in the sky, so any other solution would have to be at ground level. I just don't see Gondolas as a viable long term solution. Perhaps, they could do a train and just build bridges where it has to cross streets. That would keep it off the roads and reduce the cost since it isn't all elevated.

Monorails are incredibly more expensive that other forms of travel.

I don’t know the full lowdown on the price discrepancy. But looking at gondolas you have the towers and cables. It seems a lot more cost efficient than a monorail where you have to pour concrete for the beams, drive them into the ground until you hit bedrock (if you read about the Disney monorail they had to use 3 of these footers in some cases to hit bedrock). And that pattern goes on much more frequently than a gondola, which uses metal for one, and has less towers than a monorail has beams

 

[jknezek]

Here is an incredible article on Jacksonville's pathetic monorail and it's future.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/feat...orail-makes-way-for-the-robot-bus-of-tomorrow

Why post it here? Because of this paragraph buried about 3/4ths of the way down the article:

"A public review of modernization options presented several non-starters. Extending the elevated track would cost up to $100 million per mile. Replacing the aging trains would cost at least $4 million each. Ending the service or tearing down the tracks would trigger repayment obligations that JTA officials estimate to be roughly $50 million."

Now, the Jacksonville monorail is a 2 car system. So essentially it is $2MM per car, for cars smaller than Disney's. With 9 cars per train, and 12 trains, WDW has 108 cars. So replacement costs can be estimated based on this somewhere around $200-$225 million. I'd put the accuracy of that estimate as +/- 50%, so probably somewhere in the $100-$350 million range to buy new monorails for WDW.

Now you want to know why Disney doesn't extend the monorail? There are 100 million reasons per mile. I've seen estimates for gondolas costing $3-$12 million per mile.

It's kind of fascinating when you get down into the details.

 

[Princess_Lisa]

Here is an incredible article on Jacksonville's pathetic monorail and it's future.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/feat...orail-makes-way-for-the-robot-bus-of-tomorrow

Why post it here? Because of this paragraph buried about 3/4ths of the way down the article:

"A public review of modernization options presented several non-starters. Extending the elevated track would cost up to $100 million per mile. Replacing the aging trains would cost at least $4 million each. Ending the service or tearing down the tracks would trigger repayment obligations that JTA officials estimate to be roughly $50 million."

Now, the Jacksonville monorail is a 2 car system. So essentially it is $2MM per car, for cars smaller than Disney's. With 9 cars per train, and 12 trains, WDW has 108 cars. So replacement costs can be estimated based on this somewhere around $200-$225 million. I'd put the accuracy of that estimate as +/- 50%, so probably somewhere in the $100-$350 million range to buy new monorails for WDW.

Now you want to know why Disney doesn't extend the monorail? There are 100 million reasons per mile. I've seen estimates for gondolas costing $3-$12 million per mile.

It's kind of fascinating when you get down into the details.

http://www.yesterland.com/monoraillegends3.html

São Paulo, Brazil is getting a 27-km (16-mile) Bombardier INNOVIA Monorail 300 system for $800 million. That’s $50 million per mile. The automated system includes 17 stations and 54 seven-car trains (a total of 378 cars). The beams are slightly larger than the beams at Walt Disney World. The trains allow riders to walk between cars, unlike Disney’s.

https://www.worldofwalt.com/monorail-expansion-makes-financial-sense.html

Here is an interesting take on it. An expansion that went to YCR/BCR, Swolphin, and MGM would be about half the length of the proposed POR, OKW, CBR, and MGM expansion here, but Disney doesn't own the Swolphin and YCR/BCR probably couldn't raise their rates as much as POR, OKW, and CBR. I believe Disney could easily command $100+ more for these resorts compared to his $30 figure, especially once SWGE opens. Sure, other options are cheaper. I just don't see Gondolas being that popular, especially the first time one has to be evacuated.

 

[jknezek]

https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/saopaulomonorailsyst/

That line is 5 years behind schedule and we'll over $1.6 billion at this point, cresting the $100 million per mile posted above. It simply can't be done for much less.

 

[Kainsel]

https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/saopaulomonorailsyst/

That line is 5 years behind schedule and we'll over $1.6 billion at this point, cresting the $100 million per mile posted above. It simply can't be done for much less.

Doesn't this include the trains and the stations in the 1.6 billion. 378 cars and 17 stations would be a significant part of the cost. 2 million a car is 756 million and stations is anyone's guess, say 5 million each, so total for cars and stations is about half the cost of the extension. So that leaves 15 miles at 800 million or about 53 million a mile.