Disney making changes to bus and monorail operation

[zulemara]

http://attractionsmagazine.com/blog/2012/09/06/disney-world-making-changes-to-buses-monorails-and-roadways-to-meet-increasing-growth/

I knew about the 3rd bus loop, which will also reportedly take guests directly from MK to the other parks without the need to go to the TTC, but wasn't aware about the monorail changes.

 

[mcd2745]

If it can help them better manage the lines at MK closing after Wishes, that would be great. But one would think just a person on the ground with a walkie-talkie could do a much better job than what you see most nights. All other times, I think Disney Transportation does a great job overall. But MK closing can be a nightmare sometimes and it always seems like the same resorts have the huge lines - CBR chief among them.

 

[zulemara]

If it can help them better manage the lines at MK closing after Wishes, that would be great. But one would think just a person on the ground with a walkie-talkie could do a much better job than what you see most nights. All other times, I think Disney Transportation does a great job overall. But MK closing can be a nightmare sometimes and it always seems like the same resorts have the huge lines - CBR chief among them.

I understand what you're saying(I think). During closing, buses stack up on the road coming into MK and are deployed manually by a coordinator at the entrance to the bus loops. I think the hope is they can open up the traffic congestion to get the buses deployed and into the loop faster.

I haven't posted about it, but for guests headed to the TTC after fireworks, they have also been loading 2 ferryboats at MK immediately following the fireworks and allowing a double drop off at TTC. However, due to the design of the TTC, it's one way traffic so guests coming into MK have to take the resort monorail. But it has reduced wait time significantly. Pilots are given free reign to come into whatever slip is open, either the main slip or temp slip on both sides. It usually only lasts the first hour after fireworks, but it saves easily 6-7 minutes off the wait time by having one boat ready to load right after the last one. It also means no more waiting to be dropped off, so the boats are more or less in constant movement. Now if they would spend the money to reconfigure the docks so that could be done all the time, we'd be in good shape

 

[Disco]

LOL,
How much downtime do you need to keep the monorails properly maintained? They've like doubled the amount of down time and it doesn't seem to do any good.

 

[arthuruscg]

It looks like the changes being made are to increase efficiencies or existing operations. And should provide a goof bang for their buck.

Being able to switch tracks without shutting the entire system down is a very big deal. This should allow the trans to quickly enter/ leave service to better fit the number of trans to passengers.

 

[mcd2745]

I understand what you're saying(I think). During closing, buses stack up on the road coming into MK and are deployed manually by a coordinator at the entrance to the bus loops. I think the hope is they can open up the traffic congestion to get the buses deployed and into the loop faster.

Not exactly what I meant.


I know they get stacked up a little coming into MK and "supposedly" there is some kind of coordinator/dispatcher telling each bus which resort they are to go to. But that doesn't explain why you'll see 4-5 buses come for the same resort that has hardly any line at all before even 1 bus comes for a resort that has a huge line - sometimes with 3 bus loads worth of people. So what is this coordinator/dispatcher seeing and doing?

 

[DCTooTall]

LOL,
How much downtime do you need to keep the monorails properly maintained? They've like doubled the amount of down time and it doesn't seem to do any good.

If you drove your car all day every day for 20+ years, How much maintenance would you need for your car? The Current trainsets are getting old and past due to be replaced. It's not quite like your local mass transit rail system either which have a LOT more trainsets available than what is regularly used.



I did notice on that article someone mentioned the compressed gas trams used at Disneyland should be used in Florida since they'd get rid of the gas smell of the parking lot trams.

Personally... I'm wondering if that's a viable option. I seem to recall something about the parking Lot trams at WDW had to be redesigned a bit from the original plans when the MK first opened due to them not having enough power to pull a fully loaded payload up the hill at the TTC. I'd bet that would still be an issue, if not moreso with the growing weight of the guests coming to the parks. Would compressed gas be able to provide the needed power? while It could in theory work for the other 3 parks, The advantage of Disney's current trams is that they can be moved between the parks if needed for any reason.

 

[zulemara]

Not exactly what I meant.


I know they get stacked up a little coming into MK and "supposedly" there is some kind of coordinator/dispatcher telling each bus which resort they are to go to. But that doesn't explain why you'll see 4-5 buses come for the same resort that has hardly any line at all before even 1 bus comes for a resort that has a huge line - sometimes with 3 bus loads worth of people. So what is this coordinator/dispatcher seeing and doing?

believe me, there is someone there deploying buses because I have gotten stuck in the watercraft van behind all those buses waiting to be deployed. Idk why one load zone seems to get more attention than another though. I can only theorize that the coordinator isn't doing the job very well.

The same thing happens with the boats, they'll send an extra boat to the gold route just because it's the gold route with the GF and poly when it's absolutely not needed while the line for Wilderness Lodge is backed up. Thankfully, that's not my job, I just do what I'm told to do...most of the time

 

[zulemara]

If you drove your car all day every day for 20+ years, How much maintenance would you need for your car? The Current trainsets are getting old and past due to be replaced. It's not quite like your local mass transit rail system either which have a LOT more trainsets available than what is regularly used.



I did notice on that article someone mentioned the compressed gas trams used at Disneyland should be used in Florida since they'd get rid of the gas smell of the parking lot trams.

Personally... I'm wondering if that's a viable option. I seem to recall something about the parking Lot trams at WDW had to be redesigned a bit from the original plans when the MK first opened due to them not having enough power to pull a fully loaded payload up the hill at the TTC. I'd bet that would still be an issue, if not moreso with the growing weight of the guests coming to the parks. Would compressed gas be able to provide the needed power? while It could in theory work for the other 3 parks, The advantage of Disney's current trams is that they can be moved between the parks if needed for any reason.

they did have to be redesigned, Bob Gurr created the big wheel design they currently have. I'm not sure about the engine though, perhaps the big wheel is what you were thinking of though,.

 

[zulemara]

LOL,
How much downtime do you need to keep the monorails properly maintained? They've like doubled the amount of down time and it doesn't seem to do any good.

the downtime originally was also for the beams. They needed to replace busbar and patch up the beams in places. It takes monorails approx 2 hours to cycle all the trains to the point where work tractors can come out so it really does make a difference. For a while they were giving us updates every now and then on how many feet of bus bar have been replaced but I haven't seen an update for a while.

Also for reference, the bus bar is what keeps the connection. a part of it fell off the beam on a major holiday last year and prompted monorails to be down all day. There was a string of major holidays where monorails were down and it caused a lot of unhappy guests.

 

[DCTooTall]

they did have to be redesigned, Bob Gurr created the big wheel design they currently have. I'm not sure about the engine though, perhaps the big wheel is what you were thinking of though,.

Nope... I distinctly remember reading about how the trams had an issue getting up the hill under the bridge connecting the MK Parking lot with the TTC. I just don't remember where I read the details.


A Quick Google search wasn't that helpful. The only reference I cold find was in this blog post during last year's 40th with an opening day cast member remembering how the trams didn't have enough power for the arrival. http://thedisneyblog.com/2011/10/04/walt-disney-world-cast-members-share-opening-day-memories/

I could've sworn I remembered reading something a bit more detailed on it though, but don't remember where or if I can even find it again.

 

[zulemara]

Nope... I distinctly remember reading about how the trams had an issue getting up the hill under the bridge connecting the MK Parking lot with the TTC. I just don't remember where I read the details.


A Quick Google search wasn't that helpful. The only reference I cold find was in this blog post during last year's 40th with an opening day cast member remembering how the trams didn't have enough power for the arrival. http://thedisneyblog.com/2011/10/04/walt-disney-world-cast-members-share-opening-day-memories/

I could've sworn I remembered reading something a bit more detailed on it though, but don't remember where or if I can even find it again.

yeah that's true, because they added an additional car to the tram, making it too long and thus heavy for the engine to make it up the hill. I guess I know where I got the info - Charlie Ridgeway was a speaker on Podcast Cruise 2.0