No spare monorails?

[oopsadaisy]

We were at Magic Kingdom yesterday afternoon and went to take the monorail to Epcot from ticket and transportation. It arrived very slowly and then we were unable to load for at least half an hour while they worked on one of the doors. We were finally able to load. And then last night at Epcot closing it was a long wait for the monorail to arrive and it was the same monorail with the broken door. They had to rope off the are where you would load through those doors and no one could sit in those cars. We were surprised that they didn't seem to have a spare monorail they could put into service to replace the broken one while it could be repaired.

 

[David Daniels]

We were at Magic Kingdom yesterday afternoon and went to take the monorail to Epcot from ticket and transportation. It arrived very slowly and then we were unable to load for at least half an hour while they worked on one of the doors. We were finally able to load. And then last night at Epcot closing it was a long wait for the monorail to arrive and it was the same monorail with the broken door. They had to rope off the are where you would load through those doors and no one could sit in those cars. We were surprised that they didn't seem to have a spare monorail they could put into service to replace the broken one while it could be repaired.

I don't know about spares but I can tell you that the monorail was very unreliable during our trip. (5/1-5/6) we went to Magic Kingdom three times. First time renting a car, and there were issues every time we needed it. Two trips to the park we had to take the Ferry. One trip back we had to take the Ferry. One trip back we had to sit in the middle of the monrail route for 20 mins while they did maintenance on another monorail. This was considered off peak time. I hope they add more to the track for summer.

The biggest takeaway we had was to drive the rental to all parks expect MK and take Disney transportation there. Would've been much quicker.

 

[Missyrose]

Bottom line is this fleet of monorails have been in use far longer than any in history. The cars have become wholly unreliable and have daily issues.

 

[Robo]

Spare monorail?
You mean "Monorail Plaid?"

 

[Networth]

Was down there for a quick trip from April 30th to May 3rd. We were actually in the Monorail (gold) when it was having maintenance issues which halted the whole line.

 

[hakepb]

Is there a spare, anymore?

After that crash in TTC didn't they make 1 monorail out of the remaining good halves?

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

I don't know about spares but I can tell you that the monorail was very unreliable during our trip. (5/1-5/6) we went to Magic Kingdom three times. First time renting a car, and there were issues every time we needed it. Two trips to the park we had to take the Ferry. One trip back we had to take the Ferry. One trip back we had to sit in the middle of the monrail route for 20 mins while they did maintenance on another monorail. This was considered off peak time. I hope they add more to the track for summer.

The biggest takeaway we had was to drive the rental to all parks expect MK and take Disney transportation there. Would've been much quicker.

We must have gotten lucky. We were there the same time and only had an issue once. We were on it first thing Wed morning after the storm went through. They told us the gates were stuck so we were on a modified approach. After passing GF station we started limping along at the slowest pace possible. Go a few feet, stop. Repeat. When we finally made it to MK station the issue was that the gates were stuck open which I think would be a monorail CMs nightmare. MK with all the little kids running around (some of whom are fascinated with monorails) and no way to close the gates. So we totally got why it took so long.

Also a CM at TTC told us why they don't have the Epcot beam back online in time for RD. He said that if they make any changes there is a manditory set of safety tests they need to do to put it back in service so they really do need the time if they make a change.

 

[Skywise]

Spare monorail?
You mean "Monorail Plaid?"

Monorail Chartreuse.

Wikipedia says there are 12 (and I'd assume one is still out from the crash?)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_World_Monorail_System

On NYE I think I counted 4 on the resort line, 2 (3?) on the express and 2 on Epcot.

 

[disnut8]

We boarded a monorail several years ago and it was going to pull out when the driver noticed a mechanical issue or something so decided to have it checked out. It was then discovered that they needed a replacement but one wouldn't arrive for about thirty minutes. We were told we could stay on the monorail and relax or we could get off and do something else and come back. We were in total relaxation mode so decided to just sit and wait on the monorail and were glad we did. The doors were opened so others could exit but the doors remained open and the Cast Members went to each car and talked to the passengers. It did take the full half hour to get things taken care of but we got to talk to the Cast Members and had one very amusing conversation with one. He asked where we were from and we said Georgia and then asked if we had kids and we said one son but he lived in Toledo. The Cast Member then said "oh, he must be in school" when we replied he wasn't, the Cast Member said "why the heck is he in Toledo?!" We laughed and said "a woman" and the Cast Member said, "oh, that makes more sense".

So, a delay in a monorail might be bad for your immediate plans but that conversation with that Cast Member is brought up a lot in our family because our son married that wonderful woman and we know have three grandkids. And they are coming up on 15 years of marriage.

 

[joelkfla]

Is there a spare, anymore?

After that crash in TTC didn't they make 1 monorail out of the remaining good halves?

IIRC, both were replaced. They initially spliced together the 2 undamaged halves to make Teal. They then repaired and rebuilt the damaged parts, making monorail Peach a year or so later.

 

[OKW Lover]

Basically the monorail fleet at WDW is fully utilized. In addition to those actually on the rails with guests, you'll usually find one or two in the roundhouse getting periodic overhauls. I doubt there is a "spare" monorail just standing by.

Also, in the case of an Epcot monorail, there's a fair amount of switching that takes place to move a monorail from that line to the MK express line and then to the spur to the roundhouse. That process takes a lot of time which disrupts operations inconveniencing a lot more people than just the amount that would fit into one monorail compartment.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

This is why we no longer stay at monorail resorts. They are just far too unreliable to make the premium price worth it. We now stay almost exclusively at EP resorts. There are far more buses in service and we can always walk to EP and DHS.

 

[Micca]

The monorail trains are probably a big concern for Disney. With all the new attractions coming and the 50th anniversary on the way, there are going to be some record setting crowds at WDW and the monorail is going to get a lot of use. They face a lot of negative PR if they have breakdowns with all those people on the property, Disney needs to address this soon.

 

[croach]

The spare got shipped to Shanghai. I kid, I kid.

 

[11290]

There are "spare" monorails normally available however, "opening" any Disney attraction (starting up a monorail) takes quite a bit of time to go through the checklists and getting the sign-off on all of the paperwork. You would be surprised at all the paperwork required (I had no idea until I cross-trained on one of the attractions) to "open" an attraction, even the simplest of ones.

 

[zaccaglin]

Thing to remember about the monorails, the system itself is 45 years old. The trains average about 26 years old. The trains run 365 days a year, upwards of 20hrs a day. They don't get much rest. Technical issues do happen, and when they are door related it's generally because people feel they can lean on the doors while riding or hold them open while they are closing. This causes the door sensors to be put out of spec, when this happen the train registers a fault and will not let the train move. Out of the 12 trains two are back for refurbishment, one is getting the "works" so to speak, paint, flooring, rewired, tires, etc. the other is getting thr newer fire suppression and alarm system most of the fleet is now running.

Bottom line is this fleet of monorails have been in use far longer than any in history. The cars have become wholly unreliable and have daily issues.

Not true, http://www.seattlemonorail.com/

Monorail Chartreuse.
Wikipedia says there are 12 (and I'd assume one is still out from the crash?)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_World_Monorail_System
On NYE I think I counted 4 on the resort line, 2 (3?) on the express and 2 on Epcot.

Correct, 12 trains in the fleet. 2 built by WDI in 2009 and 2011, the other 10 built by bombardier in 1989-1991. Resorts can run a maximum of 4 trains, express a maximum of 4, and Epcot has ran as many of 5. Epcot generally only runs 2 due to guest demand and number of people boarding doesn't justify more. Express can run anywhere from 2-4 depending on the day, the transportation pencil pushers decide how many trains will run at a given time. Resorts always runs 4 about 90% of the time.

The spare got shipped to Shanghai. I kid, I kid.

Yes it did, they'll repo the beams next week!

 

[zaccaglin]

Basically the monorail fleet at WDW is fully utilized. In addition to those actually on the rails with guests, you'll usually find one or two in the roundhouse getting periodic overhauls. I doubt there is a "spare" monorail just standing by.

Also, in the case of an Epcot monorail, there's a fair amount of switching that takes place to move a monorail from that line to the MK express line and then to the spur to the roundhouse. That process takes a lot of time which disrupts operations inconveniencing a lot more people than just the amount that would fit into one monorail compartment.

You got it! A Epcot switch to shop causes a minimum 15minute downtime for the Epcot line, and a minimum 35minute downtime for the express line.

 

[Missyrose]

Not true, http://www.seattlemonorail.com/

Sorry, I was talking about any monorail fleet in *Disney's* history. But thanks for the technicality.

 

[disnut8]

x

 

[mom2rtk]

I believe the fleet is already past its expected lifespan. Rather than replace it, they are babying it along.