How about this for a new transportation system

[toefungus]

I took what everyone said and tried to make a new plan. The black line is the existing monorails. The Epcot line will need to have another line added to it. One would go directly to Epcot from the TTC, and one would stop at the TTC2 and then Epcot. One would be the express Epcot monorail. The green line is a TTA type system that will move resort guests to TTC2. The red line is the 2nd monorail line that wil go from TTC2, to Disney-MGM Studios, to Animal Kingdom, then back to TTC2. There will be 2 lines, one going in each direction.

http://64.194.228.37/wtransportation.jpg

[Banzai]

Now if only Disney would not be so cheap!

[YoHo]

Toefungus, what's the advantage of looping around, why not make a Dogbone much like the way the current Epcot line is? That way you only build half the track.

[toefungus]

Yeah, I was thinking aobut that. I guess we could get rid of one side, have it go from TTC2 to Disney-MGM studios then to AK, look back around and go back.

[Jackie H.]

What about the Wilderness Lodge? Isn't it considered a Deluxe Resort? Wouldn't they have a hard time justifying puting DxL & PO on the monorail and not putting on WL? Just curious.

I would dearly love to see them put EVERY disney resort on the monorail including the all-stars!

Just a thought - and I might be totally off base here - but would it work to have a monorail line going from the resorts in each area to the nearest park and then you would change to go to another park? Like now if you are at a MK resort, you ride the monorail to TTC then change monorails to go to EPCOT. So there would be a TTC near each park. Maybe that wouldn't work at all...thinking out loud here....maybe that would be too many rails and stations.....hmmmm

[YoHo]

Toefungus' plan doesn't put any new resorts on th emonorail. all resorts would need to have a secondary form of transport, either Light rail, bus, or in the case of the Seven Seas resorts monorail to a TTC Wilderness lodge would need to have something built.

[toefungus]

It would be out of the way to try and connect WL by monorail. It has boats and busses, and that works out fine.

[lisapooh]

Ah, leave WL and FtW as second class citizens again. And they may have boats for the able bodied those boats are not accessible to handicapped guests unless they use a folding wheelchair so are worthless as far as I'm concerned. Dump the boats and put them on a monorail line too.

[DOPEY44]

Toefungus - How did you get the map and put extra lines on it, then attached it to your post?

[toefungus]

Dopey-I used Fireworks to draw on the map. YOu can also use paint, photoshop, or any other program like those. Then you have to upload it to the internet and link to it. It's pretty easy. :)

[YoHo]

WL/FW would hardly be second class citizens. I disagree with Toefungus in that I would put in either light rail, or I'd retry the steaam engine

[Jackie H.]

Oh! I like the steam engine idea!

Of course, I like the monorail too. But I really hadn't thought of the steam engine. Thank you YoHo:pinkbounc

[toefungus]

The Steam engine's a pretty good idea. I hope they never build a light rail system!! Take a look at this: http://www.monorails.org/tMspages/MonoVs.html

[dvcdudes]

Forget about monorail, steam engine, or light rail... Go with hovercraft!:D

[JeffJewell]

Go with hovercraft And subject the transportation CMs to the onslaught of "My hovercraft... is full... of eels," complaints?

Jeff

[JeffH]

MONTY PYTHON RULES!!!!!!

[DOPEY44]

Toefungus: OK I've got the map but how do you upload it to the internet?

[Captain_Nemo]

A very interesting design.

Creating a "dog bone" track configuration won't save you track; that is unless you want to have a single rail that only one Monorail can use at a time. Instead I would suggest using paired rails sharing a single heavy duty pylon. You still save money by having fewer pylons (even though they will be heavier duty), but you can have 2 way traffic simultaneously.

Monorails are good for large, predictable passenger volume over moderate to long distances, but for short hops they are not efficient or convenient. Imagine a railroad train that stopped in every town along the way. This is why they have light rail. There are a lot of possibilities for cool light rail transportation. For example, the boats on the Sasagoola (sp?) river are, light duty transportation! The volume of passenger traffic from the resorts on your green line probably would be better served by light rail.

In planning a public transportation system you have to pay attention to where the greatest number of people are going to/from. The EPCOT line was intended to offset parking demand between EPCOT, the lagoon resorts, and the magic kingdom. While Animal kingdom, MGM, and even Downtown Disney have huge parking lots at their respective locations so they don't need it as much (if at all).

All that being said, the monorail is a big favorite of mine and I never miss taking a ride. Unfortunately at a million dollars a mile (or whatever the true cost is), the people at Disney have to be practical.

Kaptain Nemo :bounce:

[DC7800]

Originally posted by Captain_Nemo

Monorails are good for large, predictable passenger volume over moderate to long distances, but for short hops they are not efficient or convenient.

By this standard, a monorail line which ran around the Seven Seas Lagoon and made stops at the Magic Kingdom, TTC, and all three resorts would be impractical (very short trips). I don't totally disagree with your statements (Light-Rail does have a place in WDW), but I think this assertion applies more to conventional rail (Amtrak, various commuter agencies, Norfolk Southern, etc) than it does to the WDW monorail design. Actually, the mark VI monorails would make an inefficient intercity transportation design, with a top speed of only 40 mph and a much higher cost per mile than conventional railroad track (this in no way precludes a redesigned intercity monorail - mark VII anyone). But in WDW, the monorail is a much more efficient means of moving passengers than the alternatives. Besides, Disney is about a "magical" resort experience, and which conveys that picture better - monorial, bus, or light rail (trolley).

[airlarry!]

Seems like I've read one of the goals at Disney was to link up the resorts with Downtown Disney. And we know that attendance is down at Animal Kingdom.

So...

Link Downtown Disney with AK through the Epcot and MGM monorail line. A loop that covers all four areas, with monorail service to:

Downtown Disney
Boardwalk
MGM
Epcot
Animal Kingdom
Both water parks (if needed)

So, a guest would grab a bus to the TTC2, where they choose to take a monorail over to the Magic Kingdom or a monorail over to the above sites.

Short bus ride. Two choices, easy transportation, and it focuses on moving people to AK or MGM or Boardwalk and DD.

Getting home is so easy, too. Now you just need buses back and forth from the resort to the TTC2. No more multiple buses to multiple routes.

Heck you could add the Institute and convert the MK - Epcot line to a loop that replaces the fast track 2nd loop at the TTC1.

Picture to come shortly.

[WorknFires]

Wow ToeFungus!! what a great link with great information! I have to agree with airlarry! tho. I really like the idea of a loop connecting MGM, AK, EpCot(where you change to the existing monorail to the TTC), DD (I'd only put 1 stop on the north side of DD and 1 on the West Side more than that would be too much) I felt there were too many stops on your green line and I'd hate to see the monorail (red line) cut thru (was it cutting thru or is it supposed to go completely around?) AK. Don't get me wrong that would be some really great views of the animals but would detract from the "savannah" appearance. And I wouldn't care if it didn't connect to any hotels. Mostly because you wouldn't have long bus rides anylonger, you'd simply go to the nearest park and catch the monorail. But I think you're onto something... and even at a million $$$ a mile, I have to believe that it would be well worth the initial outlay of cash. I know this is gonna sound stupid but I'd schedule an extra trip just to go ride the monorail if they built it. Maybe you should forward your ideas to the powers that be.

Cheryl :bounce:

[toefungus]

Thanks WorknFires! I know that everyone would have thier own opinions on what to do, so I just threw mine out there to see what everyone else had to think. Everyone has a lot of good ideas! Keep them coming.....

[Panthius]

I love monorail expansion talk, but what are the chances that a monorail expansion will occur? I at first thought that the chances were quite low that this would never happen, but the more I think about it, the more I feel that it is inevitable that something will happen with the monorails due to necessity if not anything else. I was reading some posts here a while back and somebody mentioned that the monorail lines and pylons will have to be refurbished soon. Would this refurbishment be an opportune time for Disney to expand the monorail lines? I do not know what goes into the refurbishment, but if my memory is working today, from the sounds of what I read, this refurbishment is going to be quite a job needing the replacement of actual monorail lines and pylons.

Can anybody either confirm or deny the need to refurbish the exisiting monorail lines soon (or even better the expected life of the existing type of monorail lines) as well as what would need to go into refurbishing these lines? If a lot of work and money would have to go into this, Disney would find no better time to either alter the present setup to provide more monorail service or to do something drastic and more financially motivated such as stop monorail service and just remove the lines (which if this happens I will never go to any Disney park again!).

Panthius

[Captain_Nemo]

DC7800,

I think they built the Lagoon loop in part because, since they already had the pylons up for the TTC1/Magic Kingdom route, so it didn't take as much $$ to install paired tracks and create the inner loop. Also it is a great perk for the luxury resorts and helps to give them distinction.

By the way, the MK-VI Monorails are actually designed to be capable of a much higher speed. Disney had them specially modified to reduce their top speed to 40mph (no need to temp the drivers ;-)) I'll leave comparison of monorail vs. 2-track for the Monorail group (which I am a member of, so I am kind of biased). :D

Toefungus! Thanks for the topic! I can chat monorails all day, but I promise I won't. :crazy:

Another couple of good links:

http://www.naples.net/~saturn/monorail/

http://WaltsToyTrains.railfan.net/

[YoHo]

Capt. Nemo, the dogbone I suggested, would in fact use primarily two tracks on one pylon, except at the ends. that is why it save track.

[Wes]

The green loop is TTA. What is TTA?

[toefungus]

The green loop is TTA. What is TTA?

Do you know the Tommrowland Transit Authority in MK? That's what it is. I was thinking of making a bigger version of the TTA to move resort guests. :)

[YoHo]

I'm wondering how viable the WEDway people mover (The real name for TTA) is in an open marshy environment. Would the tracks have to be covered the entire way? remember the mechanism in Cali that had uncovered tracks is not as high-tech as the one in florida.