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.

 

[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 YoHoinkbounc

 

[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!

 

[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

 

[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.