Monorail Questions

umichigan10

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 6, 2011
Firstly I know there is no realistic chance or a monorail expansion. I was just wondering if the rumor that footings were put down for a potential station to service DHS and beyond was put down by Disney back in the day. I heard this I think on these boards and am merely curious to hear of this was true or not.
 
Firstly I know there is no realistic chance or a monorail expansion. I was just wondering if the rumor that footings were put down for a potential station to service DHS and beyond was put down by Disney back in the day. I heard this I think on these boards and am merely curious to hear of this was true or not.
The rumor of "monorail footers in place in World Showcase" has been repeated over and over. However, I've never read any proof of this story, and I personally do not believe it. It doesn't make sense. Where would such a monorail line go? (The Studios park did not come until the end of the 1980s.) Why would Disney spend the money on expensive foundations in the soggy soil of WDW without actually putting up the pylons and beams?

There's also the rumor that the black squares on the Swan and Dolphin are knock-out panels for the monorail to go through. That story has been thoroughly discredited.
 
Horace Horsecollar said:
The rumor of "monorail footers in place in World Showcase" has been repeated over and over. However, I've never read any proof of this story, and I personally do not believe it. It doesn't make sense. Where would such a monorail line go? (The Studios park did not come until the end of the 1980s.) Why would Disney spend the money on expensive foundations in the soggy soil of WDW without actually putting up the pylons and beams?

There's also the rumor that the black squares on the Swan and Dolphin are knock-out panels for the monorail to go through. That story has been thoroughly discredited.

Well, the well documented plan was to go through world show case and over to downtown. Not sure if they actually laid footers as a part of the construction.
 
I agree that it isn't likely to ever happen--but wouldn't it be wonderful? :banana:
 


Well, the well documented plan was to go through world show case and over to downtown. Not sure if they actually laid footers as a part of the construction.
Please provide a link to the "well documented plan was to go through world show case and over to downtown." If the route through World Showcase is well-documented, it should be easy to provide a link or at least to cite a credible newspaper or magazine article.

A direct monorail route from the front of Epcot to Downtown Disney would not need to go through World Showcase. While the monorail looks good in Future World, it would be at complete odds with the traditional styles of the World Showcase pavilions. It would detract terribly from the feeling of being somewhere else on the globe. It would make no sense.
 
Well, the well documented plan was to go through world show case and over to downtown. Not sure if they actually laid footers as a part of the construction.


1) I have never seen such, but I guess it could be.
2) However, when MK and Epcot were being built, there was no large DTD.
3) It was The Disney Village Marketplace.
. . . today's marketplace
. . . started at Chef Mickey's restaurant (Rain Forest)
. . . shopping and eating in the middle
. . . wrapped-around to Princess Lilly (Fulton's)
4) I don't think today's large Downtown Disney was visualized.

NOTE: Again, I could be mistaken, but the books I have read didn't
include a huge DTD area, so I am wondering if a monorail spur would
have been in the planning.
 
Since we're on the subject, could someone refresh my memory as to why they won't expand the system? Is it a cost and efficiency issue? I don't remember.
 


I d
Please provide a link to the "well documented plan was to go through world show case and over to downtown." If the route through World Showcase is well-documented, it should be easy to provide a link or at least to cite a credible newspaper or magazine article.

A direct monorail route from the front of Epcot to Downtown Disney would not need to go through World Showcase. While the monorail looks good in Future World, it would be at complete odds with the traditional styles of the World Showcase pavilions. It would detract terribly from the feeling of being somewhere else on the globe. It would make no sense.

I dont know about cutting through world showcase but I do know a monorail to downtown (or the Disney village as it was known) was in the works as ive seen models of the mono beams snaking through the village.

Thanks for all the responses too. I find the topic of the monorail, and past plans for the property very interesting. I had also heard a rumor relates to this, that Disney had considered a monorail expansion in the late 90's early 2000's. But due to 9/11 and the tourism downturn it never happened. Don't know how true it is though
 
At some point they will try to do some new "mass transit" type system. That could be the monorail...another rail or PRT system...or a combination of all of the above.

I have no doubt that they kick around the monorail expansion often...and it is always defeated by cost that goes purely to overhead...not to revenue generating units...
I also know that they have to reduce their staffing longterm...and transportation is a huge staff burden.

Their options there are either a. outsource or b. expand automated options
 
Here is a good link. Not sure if be information is accurate, but it's an interesting read.


http://www.yesterland.com/monoraillegends.html
~OMG. I had no idea the Vegas monorail cost $654,000,000, that's $149,000,000 per mile!!! Um, that was almost a decade ago, an opportunity was definitely missed! Who knew things would become this expensive???

~I can't wait for Disney to fix the monorail. I've given up on a monorail expansion, but there is always the option of a surface level light rail, it's way cheaper!

Light_Rail.jpg
 
I'm not sure how far the "planning" went for the WDW monorail system, but there is an easement listed for a monorail right of way that is included n the legal paper work for SSR owners. So at one time, it was surveyed out and legal easement documented as part of the the old Disney Village Resort property. When that property was repurposed as SSR the easement remained part of the legal property. Likely it will never be built, but the easement it still on the books.
 
Horace Horsecollar said:
Please provide a link to the "well documented plan was to go through world show case and over to downtown." If the route through World Showcase is well-documented, it should be easy to provide a link or at least to cite a credible newspaper or magazine article.

A direct monorail route from the front of Epcot to Downtown Disney would not need to go through World Showcase. While the monorail looks good in Future World, it would be at complete odds with the traditional styles of the World Showcase pavilions. It would detract terribly from the feeling of being somewhere else on the globe. It would make no sense.

Plenty of resources already provided. But, as I said, not sure if they actually laid any footers.
 
Plenty of resources already provided. But, as I said, not sure if they actually laid any footers.
Plenty? Any?

What "resources already provided" show a monorail through World Showcase to Downtown Disney?

Either I'm missing something, or there's not real such proof here.

The Yesterland article includes a photo of a model with elevated tracks and small monorails or some sort of new People Mover on those tracks. But there's nothing about a route through World Showcase.
 
I'm not sure how far the "planning" went for the WDW monorail system, but there is an easement listed for a monorail right of way that is included n the legal paper work for SSR owners. So at one time, it was surveyed out and legal easement documented as part of the the old Disney Village Resort property. When that property was repurposed as SSR the easement remained part of the legal property. Likely it will never be built, but the easement it still on the books.

I noticed that too...i actually read the damn thing when i bought it.

I think that's in ALL DVC contracts...definitely OKW and Boardwalk...and if i remember the story correctly...the reason they didn't bump it over to wilderness lodge was beyond stupid: built as a moderate and the peasants weren't paying enough for the choo choo

They have always kept that option open. the epcot expansion does make it an enticing concept...as most of the "center" property development is tightly clustered...

but the rubber always meets the road and they back down for cost.

It should go like this:

Disney gets US DOT or FLA to give grants or bonds so they can rework their bridge systems and allow for ground rail. Tie in solar power, mag lev, or some other electrical system that makes it a pilot program.

Disney install ground rail to compliment monorial and boat service.

disney eventually goes entirely to ground rail when nobody cares about monorails and boats anymore (they may not too much now...actually)



The main problem with my theory is that animal kingdom makes this plan almost impossible...huge habitats with rhinos and tigers everywhere and no really way to go through.

come to think of it...they should shut animal kingdom and knock it down...too many problems.
and you can never see the lions on the safari ride anyway.:hyper:


I could see them putting a spur over to wilderness/ft wilderness...not to big of a gap to cover...
and they would be wise to put saratoga and perhaps okw on the epcot line if at all possible...saratoga is going to be a continual occupancy problem for DVC...because it was a tremendously stupid idea on a failed site.
monorail negates that - but at a steep cost.
 
disney eventually goes entirely to ground rail when nobody cares about monorails and boats anymore (they may not too much now...actually)
I think I speak for a good portion of people when I say I would shed actual tears if the Monorail disappeared. I wouldn't miss the boats, but with so much water connecting pieces of the property it would be foolish to lose them.
 
Horace Horsecollar said:
Plenty? Any?

What "resources already provided" show a monorail through World Showcase to Downtown Disney?

Either I'm missing something, or there's not real such proof here.

The Yesterland article includes a photo of a model with elevated tracks and small monorails or some sort of new People Mover on those tracks. But there's nothing about a route through World Showcase.

Then you are correct. There isn't any.
 
Firstly I know there is no realistic chance or a monorail expansion. I was just wondering if the rumor that footings were put down for a potential station to service DHS and beyond was put down by Disney back in the day. I heard this I think on these boards and am merely curious to hear of this was true or not.



I always laugh when I read the same thing over and over....the Monorail is to *expensive*...................In the last 5 years the costs of monorials have come down big time..........certantly in the range of presenting the possibleity of extending a line to some more resorts and DHS and AK. The monorail is a WDW icon and when factoring in the cost, the crowd draw must be added in. Just read the noise and complaints when its down and the popularity at the MK.........Many of us Disney veterans may look at the monorail as *been there done that*, but to thousands of new guests and families, its still a very big deal1.


Now all that said...I see a new light rail pod system before a extension of the monorail. JMHO.

As to the construction work now going on and since to my knowledge there has been no Disney officail news..........it really could be anything.

AKK
 
My memory is an almost, or at a least sometimes, reliable place (Screamscape?) had information that parts of EPCOT were being "held" for possible use for monorail support. Not that actual footers were installed but the location was surveyed and was reserved for future use. My memory of the rumor was one of the constructions (Mission Space? Soarin ?) was evidence those plans were completely dead as the construction was over part of the reserved space.

One of the costs of a monorail is the cost to support the elevated track in what's basically swamp land. Should Disney ever see the need to expand rail I suspect we'd see light rail on ground level with elevated sections as needed to go over roadways. I think the technology to teleport guests instantly from any location to any other location will be perfected long before Disney expands the monorail system.

One option I read, really nothing more then speculation, was Disney building large garages near DTD. Offsite guests would pass through DTD and would take rail to a theme park. Sort of doing what Unviersal did.
 

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