Will the monorail ever be expanded?

[skier_pete]

The other factor is that most major corporations are capital expenditure adverse. The reason being that expenses come over years and years, and capital hits the books immediately - even though it is written down over years. But company's don't want to do things that are economical in the long run - they only do things that make money NOW or SOON, because that's all stockholders care about. So, a monorail might even be cheaper over the next 20 years than a bus fleet, but because of how the money looks, they STILL wouldn't do it.

 

[Markstudy]

I'm just looking for a few miles of new beam *

I think you could do so much for the monorail system just by linking-up the Boardwalk and Disney Studios. (Didn't the Swan Dolphin have a structure already built to be part of a new station?).

I'm trying to look at what can be accomplished for the smallest investment (best bang for the buck) and this seems like the most logical expansion if there ever was one?

*(and I understand all the other issues... new trains, new staff, new mechanics, new maintenance shed..... on and on)

 

[CanadianGuy]

I think you could do so much for the monorail system just by linking-up the Boardwalk and Disney Studios. (Didn't the Swan Dolphin have a structure already built to be part of a new station?).
and this seems like the most logical expansion if there ever was one?

*(and I understand all the other issues... new trains, new staff, new mechanics, new maintenance shed..... on and on)

The Swan/Dolphin thing is a debunked rumor. I don't have the post handy but it was pretty well desconstructed on here a while back.

 

[doconeill]

The Swan/Dolphin thing is a debunked rumor. I don't have the post handy but it was pretty well desconstructed on here a while back.

The part about the black squares being removable so the monorail could run through the buildings was false - good explanation here:

http://www.yesterland.com/monoraillegends.html

Whether there is any sort of accommodation or easement for a monorail I'm not sure...never heard of it. As far as i know, the only location that has an easement for monorail is Saratoga Springs - not that it is ever expected to happen. It was part of the original plans for the Village and it was written in to the real estate documents for DVC.

 

[CanadianGuy]

I actually thought they put that boilerplate on easements into each DVC property ... sort of as a matter of course.. (more so than any real plans.. )

Just Saratoga tho eh? Interesting.

 

[seashoreCM]

... have never been to the reedy creek facility to investigate but I do see it as possible that Disney is producing it's own natural gas. All I have to go on is some weak photographic evidence and knowlege of the production of natural gas. Either way they can use gas to produce electricity or power some of the buses if they would like to.

You mean wells and well drilling equipment as opposed to a pipeline terminal and storage tanks?

... Disney buys about 75% of their total energy needs (peak load about 200 MW) and generates about 25% or 53 MW on their own... it's a fascinating look just at the pictures of all the switching plants for the electricity that are contained in the PowerPoint.

Regardless the 25% that's generated on site is done with a natural gas powered co-generation plant. That co-generation plant is so named because it generates electricity and also heat for things like hot water and.. well.. duh - heating of certain buildings or operations.x

Still, Disney finds it more economical to buy most of the power rather than generate it. Most entities that operate cogeneration plants use them as a more efficient way to provide heat and hot water compared with individual building furnaces, with electricity as an added bonus.

Blending the generated power with purchased power to meet the changing demands each hour requires skilled persons operating substation equipment as sophisticated as power utilities use to monitor power flow over the power grid.

... 40 years ago the Monorail was a perfect example of what Walt was all about. The fact that we haven't been able to add another mile of track since... well that's just sad.

Maybe we should be asking the question of city planners worldwide, not asking Disney. Walt had monorails, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, etc. built as demonstrations and models for others to emulate.

 

[skiingfast]

You mean wells and well drilling equipment as opposed to a pipeline terminal and storage tanks?

No I don't mean mining gas, I said producing it.

 

[DCTooTall]

You wanna know what Transportation option I REALLY miss? I miss getting to ride the parking lot tram at high speed from the MK to the TTC at park close.

I don't know why, But I remember enjoying that ride back to the TTC much more than the monorail or Ferry back in the day. Maybe it was the feeling of the wind in my hair.... or because I just enjoying being able to ride "under water" since it was the only reason I ever had to go under the water bridge.


LOL.... Down with the Busses! Bring Parking Lot trams as a full-on transportation method! The capacity of a train, with the flexibility of a bus!

 

[Tekneek]

I wish Disney wanted to expand the monorail. I wish they also built out the peoplemovers as Walt discussed in the EPCOT planning he had completed before his death.

They don't seem interested in any of that. Yet, they go around the globe building new copies of Disneyland, new DVC resorts, and new cruise ships. Today's Disney is short on visionary and leadership positions and heavy on MBA management types, it seems.

 

[ChrisFL]

I wish Disney wanted to expand the monorail. I wish they also built out the peoplemovers as Walt discussed in the EPCOT planning he had completed before his death.

They don't seem interested in any of that. Yet, they go around the globe building new copies of Disneyland, new DVC resorts, and new cruise ships. Today's Disney is short on visionary and leadership positions and heavy on MBA management types, it seems.

It's difficult to be creative looking only at numbers and graphs

 

[tjkraz]

I wish Disney wanted to expand the monorail. I wish they also built out the peoplemovers as Walt discussed in the EPCOT planning he had completed before his death.

They don't seem interested in any of that.

I think the fact that nobody has followed-up on Walt's vague 45 year old concepts--either within TWDC or otherwise--says at lot about its viability. Urban planning has evolved a great deal over that time and recent history has shown that the public is unwilling to embrace the type of reliance on mass transportation that Walt proposed.

Frankly I think Walt's EPCOT could have been the failure that tarnished his entire legacy. We all know how much Walt loved futuristic stylings. Financial concerns aside, we have also seen how poorly those futuristic designs hold up. Witness all of the updates that have been necessary to Tomorrowland and the Contemporary over the years.

If Walt had lived to follow through with his plans, it could have financially destroyed the company. And 40 years later we could be left with an outdated, decaying mass of concrete, steel and plexiglass in the middle of central Florida.

The only certainty is that Walt would not have built four theme parks, two waterparks and two dozen hotels on the Florida land.

Yes, Disney does take a more measured approach to theme park development these days. Kinda makes you nostalgic for Michael Eisner, doesn't it? He's the one who championed Resort-wide growth in the 80s and 90s.

 

[ChrisFL]

I think the fact that nobody has followed-up on Walt's vague 45 year old concepts--either within TWDC or otherwise--says at lot about its viability. Urban planning has evolved a great deal over that time and recent history has shown that the public is unwilling to embrace the type of reliance on mass transportation that Walt proposed.

So goes the pessimistic view.

Walt's EPCOT plans were actually quite viable, and are still viable today, and we're finally seeing the possible uses of his ideas in plans like Masdar.

I recall hearing that a lot of people said Disneyland would be a complete failure and no one would go for it either, but guess what happened.

The problem with Walt's plans is that they were still all being worked out, then he passed away and they didn't have the vision anymore. He had the pull, however to get sponsors and companies working with him, that was going to help fund the project.

I think too many people draw conclusions about the city plan without really taking in the details, or just assuming it would be a disaster. Other than the cost of it, I don't see why.

Currently, there are several residences being used by Disney's CM's, plus all of the hotels, etc. and they're using buses, ferry boats and monorails. So those work ok, but the EPCOT city plan wouldn't? Other than a very smart radial design with better transportation options, what would have been the big disaster?

Frankly I think Walt's EPCOT could have been the failure that tarnished his entire legacy. We all know how much Walt loved futuristic stylings. Financial concerns aside, we have also seen how poorly those futuristic designs hold up. Witness all of the updates that have been necessary to Tomorrowland and the Contemporary over the years.

Frankly I think quite the opposite. I think the idea was just like Disneyland, to consistently update and add new technologies as it became available...an entire separate part of the city was to be devoted to the top companies in America as a test bed.

Walt had all of the right pieces, he had the monorail, he had the peoplemover and he had tested all of them with live tourists!!

If Walt had lived to follow through with his plans, it could have financially destroyed the company. And 40 years later we could be left with an outdated, decaying mass of concrete, steel and plexiglass in the middle of central Florida.

Or we could have had the city design that revolutionized every other urban planning design since then...and wouldn't be worrying about huge gulf oil spills