Driver killed in monorail crash....

[es45]

We have been planning our first trip for the past couple of months and worrying about getting ADRs and how to manage the July/August heat. Hearing something like this really puts things into perspective for me. My prays go out to the CM's family.

My thoughts, exactly.

 

[Lynn5700]

I just saw this on the news!!!! OMG how upsetting

 

[cmurray234]

I still can't understand how this could have happened. There must have been a catastrophic system failure. How dreadfully sad for this man's family.

 

[Leota]

How terrible! Thank God that not more people were killed....when I think about how many people could have been involved......

My prayers to all affected by this tragedy.

 

[MegKate]

So sad! My prayers are with the family of the CM, just horrible!

 

[WilsonFlyer]

What happens if a monorail driver falls asleep at 2am?

Exactly.

Probably the end of us riding up-front too.

 

[goofy4tink]

Exactly.

Probably the end of us riding up-front too.

My dh mentioned that as well...wondered if there would be a change to that in the future. Can you imagine if there had been a family riding up there??

 

[DreaGirl]

I really wonder if there was a malfunction with the automatic controls. I hope for the families sake that it was not driver fault that caused the accident.

I too think this will end the ability for families to ride in the front car.

My sympathy goes out to the family of the CM.

 

[Lamandpercy]

Thoughts are with the families of those involved

 

[MinnieGirl33]

I had posted this on another thread but since the discussion seems to be here...

Like many, I had always been under the impression that there would be a computer override if the trains got too close?

From another forum:

How do you keep from crashing into each other?

On the beamway at certain points there are transmitters.
These MAPO transmitters send an electrical signal through the
track. When a train is on the track, it blocks that signal.

These transmitters correspond to locations on the beam called
Holdpoints. The holdpoints are located at certain numbers,
which must all be committed to memory (your memory, not the
train's)

Each train has a receiver that can tell how many of these
signals it is receiveing. Say Monorail Red is driving behind
Monorail Blue. If there are four transmitters between the
trains, Red will only get four signals, because all the signalls
ahead of Blue are blocked by that train's presense.

If Red gets within two holdpoints of Blue, the train's MAPO
receiver will say "Hey, you're gettin' close buddy!" and turn on
an amber light on the console with a beeping alarm. At that
point the driver consults his super-keen monorail-intellect and
figures out where the next holdpoint is. He then stops there
and tells all the passesngers that the train is "waiting for
further traffic clearance."

If Red doesn't stop at that holdpoint? When he passes over
the transmitter at that holdpoint, and his MAPO is then only
receiving ONE signal, the train will automatically assume the
driver is insane: "Hey this idiot is tryin' ta dent my nose!"

The train puts on 85-90 psi air brakes and stops on a dime,
then you get canned. Well actually you're allowed three
"overruns" (the term for crossing the line). If however you do
something that is really dangerous, Good Bye. Three overruns is
the limit for your entire career. They never go away.

More interesting info about monorail operation can be found here http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=426366&highlight=mapo and here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_World_Monorail_System

I'm sure there will be tons of speculation but think of the odds of a simulataneous driver error & system malfunction?

Sympathies to the family.

 

[MagicMe]

My thoughts and prayers are with the driver's family.

 

[zeroed]

Probably the end of us riding up-front too.

You can count on that one. As paralyzed as Disney has become by their attorneys we'll be lucky to get to ride in the back!

 

[WilsonFlyer]

You can count on that one. As paralyzed as Disney has become by their attorneys we'll be lucky to get to ride in the back!

Sad, yet true.

 

[HonnyDipp]

such a sad story. My prayers go out to all involved

 

[bartleby1]

I had posted this on another thread but since the discussion seems to be here...

Like many, I had always been under the impression that there would be a computer override if the trains got too close?

From another forum:

How do you keep from crashing into each other?

On the beamway at certain points there are transmitters.
These MAPO transmitters send an electrical signal through the
track. When a train is on the track, it blocks that signal.

These transmitters correspond to locations on the beam called
Holdpoints. The holdpoints are located at certain numbers,
which must all be committed to memory (your memory, not the
train's)

Each train has a receiver that can tell how many of these
signals it is receiveing. Say Monorail Red is driving behind
Monorail Blue. If there are four transmitters between the
trains, Red will only get four signals, because all the signalls
ahead of Blue are blocked by that train's presense.

If Red gets within two holdpoints of Blue, the train's MAPO
receiver will say "Hey, you're gettin' close buddy!" and turn on
an amber light on the console with a beeping alarm. At that
point the driver consults his super-keen monorail-intellect and
figures out where the next holdpoint is. He then stops there
and tells all the passesngers that the train is "waiting for
further traffic clearance."

If Red doesn't stop at that holdpoint? When he passes over
the transmitter at that holdpoint, and his MAPO is then only
receiving ONE signal, the train will automatically assume the
driver is insane: "Hey this idiot is tryin' ta dent my nose!"

The train puts on 85-90 psi air brakes and stops on a dime,
then you get canned. Well actually you're allowed three
"overruns" (the term for crossing the line). If however you do
something that is really dangerous, Good Bye. Three overruns is
the limit for your entire career. They never go away.

More interesting info about monorail operation can be found here http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=426366&highlight=mapo

I'm sure there will be tons of speculation but think of the odds of a simulataneous driver error & system malfunction?

Sympathies to the family.

Wow. Sounds like it would be highly unlikely for an accident like this to happen. I wonder if maybe something happened with the braking system and the driver could not stop the train?

How awful. Thank goodness it wasn't during primetime with full trains. So sad for the poor driver. My thoughts and prayers go out to all involved.

 

[TheAngelForever]

Very sad news indeed. Thank goodness the monorail was empty. Must say that the monorail system as a whole is amazing since this is the first accident in the history of WDW. Thoughts and prayers are with the family of the driver.

 

[Disneytwinz]

We just heard the news and I immediately came to the Dis. Very sad news. My heart goes out to the drivers family.

 

[NALA 24]

A Florida News station reported that a tourist said that earlier last night a monorail operator said that the monorail was "acting up." They were unsure if this was on the same monorail.

 

[PrincessKida]

Deleted

 

[sbell111]

... this is reportedly the first accident the monorail system has ever had at WDW and pending the investigation results, the one incident shouldn't cast dispersions on the performance of the hundreds of daily successful runs for decades.

Actually, this isn't the first accident. OnValentines Day in 1974, Blue ran into the back of Red at the MK station. Of course, that was the old old monorail trains and many safety features have been installed since. (The driver of Blue was transferred from monorail to watercraft ops, where he crashed a boat.)