Details of WDW's High Speed Rail Station

[mousermerf]

Lines? What lines? Do you really expect a train to be there every 10 minutes? I bet the train will only come every 30 minutes or on the hour. By then there will be plenty of people waiting in line. There is a need for a train from the Orlando airport to WDW. They could probably fill a train every 20 min but the train would then need to circle from WDW back to the Airport....but for the train to then continue to Tampa at a cost of further milllions is a waste of money.

Well, if you had bothered to READ anything offered about the system you'd know there were 5 trains, the trip to Tampa only take 45mins, and that they intend to run a shuttle-mode on what is expected to be the busiest route during peak operation (that'd be MCO-WDW).

All that comes down to there being less then 10mins between trains during peak operation and less then 20 during the slower periods.

 

[mousermerf]

Note:

This thread was meant to give people a heads up on planning their WDW vacations in the future with the new system being planned to come online.

It was not meant to be a soapbox for the uninformed to spout off misinformation to further their agendas and spread lies and deceit.

If you're going to post - please have some semblence of a clue as to what you're talking about. Otherwise, it's not welcome and not wanted, keep it to yourself.

 

[nytimez]

Note:

This thread was meant to give people a heads up on planning their WDW vacations in the future with the new system being planned to come online.

It was not meant to be a soapbox for the uninformed to spout off misinformation to further their agendas and spread lies and deceit.

If you're going to post - please have some semblence of a clue as to what you're talking about. Otherwise, it's not welcome and not wanted, keep it to yourself.

You just described a large number of your own posts. But I hope you don't take your own advice and leave, because I want to make it clear that you are welcome here despite that fact that you are uninformed, have an agenda, etc. etc. etc.

 

[KathyTX]

Some reminders:

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Those who do not choose to participate respectfully will be asked to find another soapbox.

Our guidelines can be found by clicking the FAQ link in the header and following the GUIDELINES link.

Back to the thread!

 

[phorsenuf]

Well, if you had bothered to READ anything offered about the system you'd know there were 5 trains, the trip to Tampa only take 45mins, and that they intend to run a shuttle-mode on what is expected to be the busiest route during peak operation (that'd be MCO-WDW).

All that comes down to there being less then 10mins between trains during peak operation and less then 20 during the slower periods.

Well in all fairness if a train isn't coming for 10-20 minutes, then yes, a line will form. So everyone will have to stand around with their luggage and then again have to transfer to another mode of transportation to get to their hotel.
To me it just seems to be a hassle versus how ME is set up.

Also, is it free to take the train from MCO to WDW?

 

[nytimez]

It's a little silly to debate the frequency and schedule of a non-existent train on a non-existent line.

 

[Oglet]

Over the next few years Disney are going to raise the cost of tickets again, dining plan, resort rooms, parking etc etc they can easily factor a few extra dollars in somewhere to offset their "free" service.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Philct: You are right. It will probably be easier just to take the Magic Express from the airport.
Or, drive like we always do

Perhaps this train will BE magical express in the future...

remember that disney pays a third party company to operate magical express...that is an expense they pay on the premise that it will limit money coming from your pockets going to the other places in Orlando to spend money...

they might be going along with this as a part of a future strategy to replace magical express with this down the line.

Magical Express in its current form won't last forever...this we can be fairly certain of...something will be put into place to cut Mears out of the equation

 

[Oglet]

Although I work at Disney in Transportation maybe someone could answer this.

I'm not too sure if it would cheaper than contracting out to Mears over running it themself. You have to staff it, maintain it and insure it. I can't see Disney being able to put in CM's and pay them $8 or $9 a hour especially with the possibility of other unions getting involved driving the cost up even more.

Disney want to keep the Monorail an attraction like system which exempts them from many things, I can't see how they can possibly even try this with their new rail system (providing it ever gets completed)

 

[Lewisc]

It's 100% funded by the tax payer, and quite frankly, many tax payers think it's a waste.

MG

 

[Lewisc]

The current system sorts the luggage in a rented cargo hanger. The luggage goes on trucks where it's delivered directly to the resort.

You're suggesting Disney is going to transport the luggage via train, sort it at some location at WDW then truck it to our resorts?

Which system is more efficient? Train cruisetours in Alaska truck the luggage. Tourists go via train and luggage goes via truck.

You can forget about your 2 minute stop if significant amounts of luggage have to be handled, either by Disney or by passengers.

I'm not so sure about Mears getting cut out of the equation. Disney will need to transport guests from the rail station to the resorts. Some guests will have luggage. You might need fewer DME buses, since each bus run will be a little shorter.

I don't see much (any) time savings if DME is changed from the present direct bus from MCO to a train ride followed by a bus ride.

Some people may not have read all the posts. The proposed route is going to go N from the airport to the convention center then go S to Disney and continue to Tampa. That means trains between Disney and MCO will stop at the convention center. The projected travel time is 16 minutes. Bus time from MCO to WDW is under 30 minutes. We may have to wait longer for a train and the transfer from train to bus will take time. The time savings will be insignificant.

Luggage? Handled the same as Magical Express now, but also probably put into a train car dedicated to the bulk of luggage transport - just like how Magical Express has luggage on it's own truck from the airport. OMG, there are even airports like Denver that move people's luggage on trains once it's checked to load/unload all day. Trains with people on them going from point A to point B.

Then you arrive at WDW station and transfer to the internal system. Buses to certain stops, certainly, but Disney has the option of extending other systems to the station too - it's 5 years out and Disney hasn't commented on what they plan to do with the station they intend to OWN and OPERATE.

Sometimes the mindset of people on this forum just baffles me.

Good luck taking Magical Express buses in 2015 when they cease to exist.

 

[Lewisc]

I made the mistake of taking some of the posts at face value. From page 21 of the pdf file (Disney's letter):

While many details are still yet to be be worked out, we think this project makes sense for out community and will complement out current guest bus service between the airport and Walt Disney World Resort--Disney's Magical Express.

That statement leaves open the possibility of Disney continuing to run DME exactly the way it's run today. Disney doesn't say the rail will replace DME.

 

[doconeill]

I made the mistake of taking some of the posts at face value. From page 21 of the pdf file (Disney's letter):



That statement leaves open the possibility of Disney continuing to run DME exactly the way it's run today. Disney doesn't say the rail will replace DME.

But "guest demand" will cause them to shut down DME within a year and go with the train instead

 

[nytimez]

But "guest demand" will cause them to shut down DME within a year and go with the train instead

I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that guests will demand an extra step in their trip from the airport to their hotel.

A bus will take you right to your resort. The train, assuming it's built, would require a transfer at the WDW train station to a bus to the resort. The train would have a certain novelty factor at first, but that will wear off. Then, it'll be all about convenience and hassle.

I love trains and hate buses. But if my trip is going to involve a bus anyway, I'd rather just get on one bus and not have to do a thing until I arrive at my resort, especially if the time difference is negligible.

 

[doconeill]

I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that guests will demand an extra step in their trip from the airport to their hotel.

A bus will take you right to your resort. The train, assuming it's built, would require a transfer at the WDW train station to a bus to the resort. The train would have a certain novelty factor at first, but that will wear off. Then, it'll be all about convenience and hassle.

I love trains and hate buses. But if my trip is going to involve a bus anyway, I'd rather just get on one bus and not have to do a thing until I arrive at my resort, especially if the time difference is negligible.

You seem to have missed the humor of my post. Everything Disney cuts back is due to "guest demand".

If the train is cheaper for Disney to utilize than DME, "guest demand" will cancel DME.

 

[Lewisc]

I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that guests will demand an extra step in their trip from the airport to their hotel.

A bus will take you right to your resort. The train, assuming it's built, would require a transfer at the WDW train station to a bus to the resort. The train would have a certain novelty factor at first, but that will wear off. Then, it'll be all about convenience and hassle.

I love trains and hate buses. But if my trip is going to involve a bus anyway, I'd rather just get on one bus and not have to do a thing until I arrive at my resort, especially if the time difference is negligible.

The poster you quoted had a in his post. I think he agrees with you.

I can see Disney offering "high speed rail" as an up charge to basic (free) DME.

One stop rail connecting with a bus to your resort vs Direct bus service. Existing bus service is likely to be faster.

The Disney stop is likely to a money losing proposition.The Disney offer has Disney controlling all parking and concessions (food, car rental, taxis etc). That means none of that revenue will go to the rail system. It's entirely possible the Disney offer was only for PR and will be rejected. Disney will likely demand a pricing that's lower then what Disney is paying Mears. I'm sure Disney will want the total cost from MCO to resort to be the same (or less) then what they're paying Mears. That suggests the rail portion will have to be less then what Disney is currently paying Mears.

 

[nytimez]

You seem to have missed the humor of my post. Everything Disney cuts back is due to "guest demand".

If the train is cheaper for Disney to utilize than DME, "guest demand" will cancel DME.

The poster you quoted had a in his post. I think he agrees with you.

Ah, I see it now. I thought the smiley might have meant happiness over the train replacing the bus -- but I misinterpreted, sorry.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

But "guest demand" will cause them to shut down DME within a year and go with the train instead

ballgame....

look...nothing about this is forgone at this juncture...but if i were to wager - the concept that this could perhaps shut down the third party bus service and shift its passengers to a publically run system to do the same work is certainly in the mouse's thinking here. If you have to say one thing about Disney's dealings in florida...you can definitely say that they use the public sector to their advantage and never shut the door on something that could one day yield possibilities to trim fat or cost...

 

[Faldred]

The current system sorts the luggage in a rented cargo hanger. The luggage goes on trucks where it's delivered directly to the resort.

You're suggesting Disney is going to transport the luggage via train, sort it at some location at WDW then truck it to our resorts?

Which system is more efficient? Train cruisetours in Alaska truck the luggage. Tourists go via train and luggage goes via truck.

Quite likely the current luggage system will be kept. On the other hand, which is more expensive -- renting a cargo hangar at an airport, or running your own warehouse/hangar on the copious amount of property you already own?

You can forget about your 2 minute stop if significant amounts of luggage have to be handled, either by Disney or by passengers.

If there is a luggage car, it can be at the end of the train and simply decoupled during the scheduled stop. Ditto,in reverse, for coupling a luggage car going the opposite direction. Plus, I can see the WDW station being an endpoint for many trains during peak arrival/departure time -- not every train has to go all the way to Tampa.

I'm not so sure about Mears getting cut out of the equation. Disney will need to transport guests from the rail station to the resorts. Some guests will have luggage. You might need fewer DME buses, since each bus run will be a little shorter.

If I were in charge, I'd provide a "universal" resort check-in desk at the rail station. Allow people to drop off their remaining luggage, if they like, for transfer to their room, and then proceed straight to the parks rather than have to go to the resort first.

At the very least, activate park tickets and/or dining plans (if applicable), and provide some option for dealing with carry-on bags.

I don't see much (any) time savings if DME is changed from the present direct bus from MCO to a train ride followed by a bus ride.

Time isn't the only factor. There's cost, which is hard to estimate unless and until contact details are known (plus any benefit Disney would recoup by running their own station, but also additional costs).

There's also the "green" issue. If the rail line is going to use less energy and create less pollution, then Disney gains an "intangible" benefit that may not necessarily show up directly in the bottom line, but is important for PR and community relations purposes.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

An interesting thing to note is that the "Disney Transport" buses do not operate off-property at all.

DME and DCL buses are owned and operated by Mears.

The bus service for CPs between the off-property housing areas and various locations on property is operated by CoachAmerica on regularly scheduled routes (plus on-call for strange park hours).

If the station is actually on Disney property, or even if the bus terminal portion is on Disney property they may use Disney buses rather than contract out.