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Walt Disney World Monorail System

The Walt Disney World Monorail System is a public transit monorail in operation at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. The resort operates twelve Mark VI monorail trains on three lines of service.[3][4][5] The monorail system opened in 1971 with two routes (Magic Kingdom: Resort and Express) and with Mark IV monorail trains. It was expanded to three lines (Magic Kingdom: Resort and Express, plus Epcot) in 1982, and the rolling stock was updated to Mark VI trains in 1989.[3]

Walt Disney World Monorail System
Monorail Coral traveling on the Epcot Line in April 2009
Overview
OwnerThe Walt Disney Company
LocaleWalt Disney World
Transit typeStraddle-beam Monorail
Number of lines3
Number of stations6
Daily ridership150,000+[1]
Annual ridership~50,000,000
WebsiteDisney Monorail Transportation
Operation
Began operationOctober 1, 1971; 52 years ago (1971-10-01)
Operator(s)Disney Transport
Number of vehicles12
Train length203.5 ft (62.0 m)
Technical
System length14.7 mi (23.7 km)[2]
ElectrificationThird rail600 V DC
Average speed30 mph (48 km/h)
Top speed40 mph (64 km/h)

As of 2016, the system was one of the most heavily used monorail systems in the world, with over 150,000 daily riders.[1][6] It is surpassed by the Tokyo Monorail in Tokyo, Japan, which has over 300,000 daily riders;[7] and by the monorail system run by Chongqing Rail Transit in Chongqing, China, which has over 900,000 daily riders on Line 2 and Line 3 combined.[8] The Walt Disney World system nevertheless remains one of the most famous monorails, along with the Disneyland Monorail System at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA.

Lines, stations, and infrastructure edit

Walt Disney World Monorail System
 
Maintenance facility
(not open to public)
 
 
 
Magic Kingdom
 
 
 
Contemporary Resort
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Grand Floridian Resort
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Transportation and Ticket Center
 
 
 
 
 
Polynesian Village Resort
 
 
 
Epcot
 
 
 
 
Skyliner (at Int'l. Gateway;
via walk through park)
 

 
Express and resort services
 
Resort service only
 
No passengers
 
 
Watercraft transfer

The Walt Disney World Monorail spans 14.7 miles (23.7 km), with around 50 million Disney guests traveling on the monorail each year.[9] The system opened with the rest of the Walt Disney World Resort on October 1, 1971. It initially featured four stations: the Transportation and Ticket Center, Disney's Polynesian Resort, the Magic Kingdom and Disney's Contemporary Resort. The Epcot line and station were added during that park's construction, opening on October 1, 1982. The most recent addition was the Grand Floridian station, which was opened in 1988 along with the resort hotel.[3][4] Since then, no further additions have been made, and no expansions are planned due to prohibitive construction costs, though a legal easement for monorail construction through Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa dating back to 1970 still exists.[10]

There are two distinct routes on the monorail system, with three different services: [11]

  • Magic Kingdom Express: The Express service runs counter-clockwise around the outer loop, providing nonstop service between the Magic Kingdom and the Transportation and Ticket Center.
  • Magic Kingdom Resort: The Resort line runs clockwise around the inner loop, and also services the resorts around the Seven Seas Lagoon with stops at Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, and Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.
  • EPCOT: The Epcot line runs from the Transportation and Ticket Center to Epcot, with trains operating along a single beam on a clockwise loop.
 
The switch track connecting the Epcot line with the Magic Kingdom Express beam at the Transportation and Ticket Center station

A spur track at Magic Kingdom station connects the Express and Resort lines to the maintenance shop. Another spur connects the Epcot and Express lines and is located northeast of the Transportation and Ticket Center.

The monorail beams, which are made of concrete with a special polystyrene core to lighten their weight, came by train from the state of Washington.[11]

Rolling stock edit

Specifications edit

 
 
The old (top) and new (bottom) control systems of the Mark VI. The original control system served from 1989 with the introduction of Mark VI Blue until June 2007 when the final train, Blue, was converted to the new LMCU2 system.

The trains in use since 1989 are Mark VI trains, built by Bombardier Transportation. Each train is 203 ft 6 in (62.03 m) long (consisting of six cars) and can carry 360 passengers. The trains are driven by eight 113 hp (84 kW) motors which are powered by a 600-volt electrical system running through a busbar mounted on each side of the concrete beam.[12] Each train also has seven inverters on board that convert the 600 V DC to 230 V AC for use by the air conditioners and air compressor, and additionally has a battery-backed 37 V DC low-voltage supply that provides power for the train's electronics. The trains are also equipped with a towing knuckle at each end to allow it to be pushed or pulled by a special diesel-powered tractor if need be.

Maximum speed during normal operations is 40 mph (64 km/h), with several speed zones throughout the system with limits ranging from 15 to 40 mph (24 to 64 km/h). These speed limits are strictly enforced by the train's computer and cannot be overridden without the operator engaging a special lockout. Attempting to drive the train too quickly in a given speed zone will result in an "overspeed stop."

Train spacing is maintained by the Moving Blocklight System (MBS), also known as the MAPO system (for "Mary Poppins," U.S. patent 3,973,746), which establishes a number of "holdpoints" throughout the system. At any given time, there must be at least two holdpoints between a given train and the train ahead of it. When the train detects that there are fewer than two holdpoints between itself and the preceding train, the emergency brakes are immediately applied and cannot be released until sufficient spacing becomes available or the operator overrides the system. Failure to maintain adequate spacing is known as an "overrun," and is treated as an extremely serious offense.[13]

Below is a list of the models of monorails (and their specifications) that have operated on the Walt Disney World Monorail System:

Mark IV Monorail
Manufacturer Martin Marietta
Period of Service 1971 to 1991
Length:
5 cars: 171 feet (52 m)
6 cars: 201 feet (61 m)
Width: 8 feet 10 inches (2.69 m)
Height: 11 feet 7 inches (3.53 m) (6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) above top of beam)
Weight: 5 cars empty: 92,000 pounds (42,000 kg)
5 cars gross: 122,600 pounds (55,600 kg)
6 cars empty: 108,500 pounds (49,200 kg)
6 cars gross: 145,100 pounds (65,800 kg)[14]
Passenger Capacity: 5 cars: 40 per car + 4 in the nose = 204 seated
6 cars: 40 per car + 4 in the nose = 244 seated [15]
Mark VI Monorail
Manufacturer Bombardier Transportation
Period of Service 1989 to Present
Length:
203 feet 6 inches (62.03 m)
Width: 8 feet 4.5 inches (2.553 m)
Headroom: 6 feet 10.75 inches (2.1019 m)
Height (from bottom of skirt to top of shell): 12 feet .5 inches (3.670 m)
Weight: 6 cars empty: 92,000 pounds (42,000 kg)
Passenger capacity: 20 seated passengers - per car
40 standing passengers - per car
360 people - total train[14]

Automation edit

 
Since the implementation of automation, platform attendants use a control panel located on each station platform to operate the monorail.

Starting June 22, 2014, the monorail began operating on a different timetable in order to accommodate work to automate the system. Disney stated that the system would provide a more efficient service with enhanced safety, as well as more frequent dispatch of the trains, faster switching times, and monorail arrival information.[16] Pilots are still seated in the front cab, but only supervise the monorail in case of an emergency. Platform attendants operate a control panel to dispatch and operate the monorail system.

Identification edit

 
Monorail Peach on October 22, 2011, outside Disney's Polynesian Resort.
 
For a while, Monorail Coral featured TRON artwork from Disney's Tron: Legacy.
 
Monorail Black traveling inside Epcot on December 14, 2019.

Each train is identified by a colored stripe, and given a name according to that color.[11] The complete list of colors used is below:

  • Blue *
  • Black *
  • Coral *
  • Gold
  • Green *
  • Lime *
  • Orange *
  • Peach *
  • Pink **
  • Purple **
  • Red *
  • Silver *
  • Teal * [17]
  • Yellow *

* Identifiable by deltas.
** Retired following July 2009 incident

 
An example of the former Lime Delta.

To help visually identify Green from Lime, Pink from Coral and Blue from Teal, the Lime, Teal, and Coral stripes have trapezoidal "deltas" within the color stripe in between the passenger doors on each car. Originally, Monorail Lime's deltas (and those of the older Mark IV Lime) were painted a dark blue in homage to the original Walt Disney World monorail cast's costume colors (lime and blue), but the colors were changed when the entire monorail fleet was repainted in the early 2000s. In mid December 2018, Monorail Lime's white delta was repainted to the original dark blue scheme following a refurbishment; these were retained following another refurbishment in 2022.[18] Monorails Coral and Teal have white deltas to differentiate them from Monorails Pink and Blue, respectively. Although Monorail Pink was retired from service following its crash with Monorail Purple in July 2009, Monorail Coral retained its White deltas until October 21, 2021.

In November 2009, Disney put Monorail Teal into service. Monorail Teal was built using the undamaged portions of the two trains involved in the July 5, 2009 crash.[4][17] The colors of the two trains involved, Pink and Purple, were retired from service.[4] The twelfth train, Peach, was placed into service on October 7, 2011, to restore the resort's fleet back to twelve trains.[19][20] It was assembled using the undamaged center cars from the Purple train, but with new end cabs replacing the damaged sections from the Pink and Purple trains.[20]

Special liveries edit

In March 2010, Disney debuted Monorail Coral in TRON livery on the Epcot line as part of a marketing plan for Tron: Legacy.[21]

Since the Tron paint scheme in 2010, there have been several other monorail wraps. On March 31, 2012, Monorail Red was converted into a special scheme commemorating the release of The Avengers, similar to the previous promotion for Tron: Legacy.[22] The monorail ran on the Magic Kingdom line and sometimes on the Resort line as the Epcot line loops through the park itself, since Disney is not able to feature specified Marvel characters inside its Florida parks due to Marvel Entertainment's license agreement with Universal Destinations & Experiences that was in place prior to the purchase of Marvel in 2009.

In March 2013, Monorail Black was given a similar conversion to promote the release of Iron Man 3.[23] In April 2013, Monorail Teal was converted into a special scheme commemorating the release of Monsters University.[24] In November 2015, Monorail Black was decorated in Star Wars designs commemorating the release of Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens.[25] In February 2016, Monorail Orange was decorated in Zootopia designs and was named the Zootopia Monorail System to reflect the Zootopia Transit Authority, commemorating the release of Zootopia.[26] In June 2018, Monorail Orange was decorated in Incredibles designs to promote the release of Incredibles 2.[27] A year later, Monorail Yellow was decorated with Toy Story characters to promote Toy Story 4.[28] In September 2021, Monorail Gold debuted with a wrap for the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary.[29]

Refurbishment edit

 
Entrance to the express TTC platform
 
Sign above the entrance to the Epcot platform

Beginning in 2019, all of the monorails were refurbished with new brakes, a new interior, and repainted exterior. Monorails Silver, Green and Black were the first to be refurbished between June and December 2019, and monorail Lime was the last in August 2022. The vast majority of monorails also had deltas added; it is unknown why this was done, since there are no Monorails that are similarly colored, other than Blue and Teal, and Green and Lime.

A simpler list of dates is below:

  • Monorail Silver: Returned on June 30, 2019, with black deltas.[30]
  • Monorail Green: Returned on October 2, 2019.[31] Received black deltas in July 2023.[32]
  • Monorail Black: Returned on December 6, 2019, with red deltas, the same color used for the outlines.[33] Underwent a second refurbishment in December 2022, and repainted with a red pinstripe outline.[34]
  • Monorail Peach: Returned July 14, 2020.[35] Black deltas were added in April 2024.[36]
  • Monorail Blue: Returned on October 29, 2020, with silver deltas.[37]
  • Monorail Red: Returned on February 12, 2021, with black deltas.[38]
  • Monorail Orange: Returned on May 17, 2021, with black deltas.[39]
  • Monorail Gold: Returned on August 15, 2021.[40]
  • Monorail Coral: Returned on October 21, 2021, with teal deltas.[41]
  • Monorail Yellow: Returned on December 15, 2021, with black deltas.[42]
  • Monorail Teal: Returned on May 28, 2022, with black deltas.[43]
  • Monorail Lime: Returned on August 11, 2022.[44]

Pre-recorded announcements edit

The monorail system uses a set of pre-recorded announcements to instruct and entertain passengers. Prior to departure when the pilot closes the doors, an announcement asks guests to "Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas." One of the most well-known phrases within the resort, it was recorded by Jack Wagner, who was known as "the Voice of Disneyland." During the system's early years, the trains featured Wagner's narration of the sights and scenery along the way, as well as information on special events, the resort, and the monorail system itself.[45] Although his narration has since been replaced, Wagner can still be heard today as the "Please stand clear of the doors" phrase remains with his voice, partly because it is installed on a separate system.

In 1988 following the construction of the Grand Floridian Resort stop, Kevin Miles replaced Jack Wagner as the voiceover. Miles worked in Epcot as part of the 'Voices of Liberty' in the American Adventure pavilion at World Showcase. Sometime before 1998, Disney employee Matt Hanson replaced Kevin Miles, and in 2004 Hanson was replaced by Joe Hursh.[46] Hanson is still with the Walt Disney Company.[45] On April 13, 2012, at around 5:00 EDT, Disney activated a newer version of the spiel on the monorails that features Tom Kane as its new narrator.[47]

Maintenance edit

 
Monorail Shop (roundhouse)

Monorail Shop ("Shop" for short) is Disney's monorail maintenance facility located a short distance northeast of the Magic Kingdom, and provides space for up to ten of the twelve Mark VI trains on its upper level, while the bottom level houses the four steam locomotives and passenger cars of the Walt Disney World Railroad in the Magic Kingdom on its west side, and a road vehicle maintenance facility on the east side.[48] On any given night, two to five monorail trains are parked at various stations on the system. On nights where the temperature drops below freezing, two trains will be parked inside the Contemporary Resort; but in practice, trains can be left in any station (even on the express side of a resort station). Trains typically only spend one night out of shop, since routine maintenance is performed nightly. During busy seasons, some trains may be in service for over 24 hours at a time.

The Monorail Shop also has a painting room located on Beam 10 that is elevated 25 feet (7.6 m) off the ground and has a lift mounted on the wall for the painters. It takes anywhere between three and six weeks to paint a monorail train. To access the wheels and underside of the monorail, a portion of Beam 1 inside Shop is removable, primarily used to change load tires.

 
Monorails Teal and Peach parked in the Contemporary Resort for Hurricane Ian.
 
Monorail tow and maintenance vehicles parked in the Contemporary Resort for Hurricane Ian.

Severe Weather Protocol edit

On nights before hurricanes and other severe weather events are predicted to affect the Walt Disney World Resort, three monorails and two service tractors will be left out on the system in case issues occur as a result of the weather. Two trains and a work tractor will be parked inside the Contemporary Resort with the storm doors closed. One train will be parked at Epcot and the work tractor normally stationed on the Epcot Spur will be parked at the Epcot platform of the Transportation and Ticket Center. This way, if any of the switch beams were to go offline, a maintenance team would be able to fix any issues and there would be at least one monorail to transport guests. Monorail service must cease whenever sustained winds are expected to exceed 39 miles per hour (63 km/h) or greater.[49]

Towing edit

 
The Green work tractor tows Monorail Green on the maintenance access beam.

The diesel-powered "work tractors" are the tow trucks of the system, and can tow a train to Monorail Shop, located around the bend from Space Mountain. Monorail Operations at the Walt Disney World resort has three separate tractors (Red, tagged '1'; Blue, tagged '2'; and Green, tagged '3') that allow for the simultaneous towing of three different monorails. In the event of a power failure on one of the monorail lines, the tractors are still operational, as they are powered by on-board diesel engines. When not in use, two of the work tractors will usually be parked at the shed while the third is parked on a small 62 foot (19 m) maintenance spur approximately 1,300 feet (400 m) along the Epcot beam from the Transportation and Ticket Center to allow for faster access to any issues on that part of the system.

Safety edit

Train safety edit

Safe train spacing is maintained via a moving blocklight system, referred to as MAPO, installed in the cab of each train.[11] MAPO appears in the top center of the pilot's console and looks similar to a horizontal stop light. There are three lights—green, amber, and red—and a push-button labeled "Override". The term "MAPO" itself comes directly from Walt Disney, who formed a new company to deal with Disneyland's transportation system directly from the profits made by Mary Poppins.[50]

Each monorail beam is divided into blocks based upon pylon numbering. The currently illuminated MAPO color indicates how far ahead the leading train is currently located. A green MAPO shows that the leading train is three or more blocks ahead, amber means two blocks ahead, and red indicates that the next train is in the very next block. A block is roughly between 500 and 1000 feet (about 150 and 300 m) long, although this varies. The start of each block is called a "hold point", as pilots may need to hold their trains at that location until the train ahead moves away. Guests riding in the front cab of a monorail can identify hold points by the yellow reflective tape around a pylon's number and by two yellow reflectors attached to the top outside edges of the monorail beam at that pylon.

For safety, trains must be kept at least two blocks apart during normal operation. A red MAPO indicates that train spacing has become unsafe. When a red MAPO occurs, the train's on-board computer locks out the pilot's propulsion control and applies emergency brakes. The pilot cannot resume control of the train until either the MAPO clears or the pilot presses and holds the MAPO override button.[11]

It is the pilot's responsibility to avoid a red MAPO during normal operation. When the MAPO switches from green to amber, this indicates that the monorail is approaching the train ahead. The pilot must stop the train before crossing into the next block of beam way and hence before the MAPO switches to red. Should a pilot cross the hold point and receive a red MAPO, this counts as a safety demerit against the pilot. If a pilot accumulates three demerits on his/her record within a two-year period, then they will be transferred out of the monorails department and into a different role at Walt Disney World.[51]

Safety tests are performed daily to ensure that the MAPO system is working properly on each train. At the direction of the monorail station conducting the test, each train will intentionally overrun a hold point to verify that a red MAPO occurs and that the emergency brakes activate. Pilots perform tests in forward and reverse when bringing a train onto the system for the first time that day. The indications are called into Monorail Central with the emergency brake pressures.

A red MAPO will also occur when the pilot approaches a section of un-powered beam, a spur line, or a switch beam thrown in the direction of a spur line. Pilots must engage the MAPO override when moving trains through a switch to the spur line. Red MAPOs occurring due to safety tests, switching, or beam power loss do not count as demerits against the pilot. [citation needed]

COVID-19 precautions edit

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Walt Disney World installed plastic dividers to the monorail to isolate guests from potential exposure to COVID-19 and to safely increase monorail capacity. The dividers were placed into four sections capable of sitting about two adults. The plastic was made up of material that was modified to fit onto the existing handrails with zip-ties.[52]

Emergency evacuation edit

Emergencies requiring train evacuation will be handled differently depending upon the location of the train and the nature of the emergency.

If a train is stopped at a station platform or at the work platform along the Epcot beam, guests can exit the train onto the platform. Exiting a train is possible even when the doors of the train cars are closed. The large rectangular window in the middle of each car is an emergency exit and can be removed from the interior of the car. A cast member outside the car can also manually open the rightmost door panel of the car by releasing the air pressure holding that panel closed. The air pressure release is a handle beneath the rectangular center window that is similar in appearance to a car door handle.

If a train is stopped on an open beam, then guests evacuate through emergency exits located in the roof of the train. Guests open roof hatches by first removing decorative plastic from the ceiling above a bulkhead footstool and then by lifting open a hinged hatch that will flip across the bulkhead dividing two train cars. Guests evacuate to the roof by climbing through the open hatch onto the top of the train. The bulkheads separating cars are designed as firewalls that will contain a fire within a car to just that car. The open hatch allows guests in the affected car to transfer to an adjacent car where they can safely wait for evacuation by fire response crews.

If the emergency affects the entire train, then guests are evacuated to the surface of the beam. Guests again open the emergency roof hatches, but do not simply move to the adjacent car. Instead, they use a small handrail present along the top of each train car to move all the way to the front of the train. The train's pilot can attach a knotted rope to both the top and the base of the windscreen, and guests use the rope to shimmy down the windscreen to the surface of the beam. They finally start walking along the beam away from the train.

Reedy Creek Emergency Services provides fire response and rescue for the Walt Disney World Monorail System and maintains an all-wheel-drive fire truck specially designed for monorail rescue.[53]

Security checks edit

Since April 2017, bag searches and walk through metal detector checks have been systematically performed on guests before they board the monorail, including at the Transportation and Ticket Center and the three resort monorail stops. The security cordon extension was put in place to reduce congestion at the entrance to Magic Kingdom.[54] Until late 2019, guests taking the monorail to Epcot would need to go through security again at the Epcot entrance, but this was eventually fixed in late 2019 by the relocation of Epcot's main entrance checkpoints.[55]

Platform safety edit

 
Platform Controls at Magic Kingdom Station.

The Express station at the Transportation and Ticket Center, and both stations at the Magic Kingdom have remotely opened or automated gates that bar riders from approaching the guideway (and, thus, any approaching or departing train) until the operators have determined that it is safe to allow people to board the train.[56] The cast member at the station gives the riders instructions on how to board. The other stations have manually operated gates to serve this function.

All platforms are ADA-accessible. Because the train level is higher than the platform level, a portable ramp must be used to load and unload guests with disabilities at all stations. For many years, the Contemporary Resort station did not have ADA access, but an elevator has since been added to the platform.

Incidents edit

There has only been one fatal incident in the history of the Walt Disney World Monorail System. On July 5, 2009, an operator was killed after Monorail Pink and Monorail Purple collided on the Epcot line near the Transportation and Ticket Center.[57] Before the collision, up to four guests could sit in the front cabin with the operator. After the incident, no passengers are allowed in the operator's cabin.

See also edit

References edit

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  54. ^ "PHOTOS - Magic Kingdom security checkpoints move to the Transportation & Ticket Center and resorts". April 3, 2017.
  55. ^ "Epcot Monorail Station "Double Security Screening" Annoyance to be Fixed Soon". October 20, 2019.
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External links edit

  • "Monorail Express". monorailexpress.com. Retrieved August 2, 2006.
  • "Disney World Monorail". NYCSubway.org. Retrieved August 2, 2006.
  • "Disney's Monorail". WDWHistory.com. Retrieved August 2, 2006.
  • "WDW Monorail via BFC". bigfloridacountry.com. Retrieved August 2, 2006.
  • Walt Disney World Monorail System - WDWMagic.com (Unofficial WDW Site)

walt, disney, world, monorail, system, confused, with, disneyland, monorail, public, transit, monorail, operation, walt, disney, world, resort, lake, florida, near, orlando, resort, operates, twelve, mark, monorail, trains, three, lines, service, monorail, sys. Not to be confused with Disneyland Monorail The Walt Disney World Monorail System is a public transit monorail in operation at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake Florida near Orlando The resort operates twelve Mark VI monorail trains on three lines of service 3 4 5 The monorail system opened in 1971 with two routes Magic Kingdom Resort and Express and with Mark IV monorail trains It was expanded to three lines Magic Kingdom Resort and Express plus Epcot in 1982 and the rolling stock was updated to Mark VI trains in 1989 3 Walt Disney World Monorail SystemMonorail Coral traveling on the Epcot Line in April 2009OverviewOwnerThe Walt Disney CompanyLocaleWalt Disney WorldTransit typeStraddle beam MonorailNumber of lines3Number of stations6Daily ridership150 000 1 Annual ridership 50 000 000WebsiteDisney Monorail TransportationOperationBegan operationOctober 1 1971 52 years ago 1971 10 01 Operator s Disney TransportNumber of vehicles12Train length203 5 ft 62 0 m TechnicalSystem length14 7 mi 23 7 km 2 ElectrificationThird rail 600 V DCAverage speed30 mph 48 km h Top speed40 mph 64 km h As of 2016 update the system was one of the most heavily used monorail systems in the world with over 150 000 daily riders 1 6 It is surpassed by the Tokyo Monorail in Tokyo Japan which has over 300 000 daily riders 7 and by the monorail system run by Chongqing Rail Transit in Chongqing China which has over 900 000 daily riders on Line 2 and Line 3 combined 8 The Walt Disney World system nevertheless remains one of the most famous monorails along with the Disneyland Monorail System at Disneyland in Anaheim CA Contents 1 Lines stations and infrastructure 2 Rolling stock 2 1 Specifications 2 1 1 Automation 2 2 Identification 2 3 Special liveries 2 4 Refurbishment 2 5 Pre recorded announcements 3 Maintenance 3 1 Severe Weather Protocol 3 2 Towing 4 Safety 4 1 Train safety 4 2 COVID 19 precautions 4 3 Emergency evacuation 4 4 Security checks 4 5 Platform safety 4 6 Incidents 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksLines stations and infrastructure editvteWalt Disney World Monorail System Legend nbsp Maintenance facility not open to public nbsp nbsp nbsp Magic Kingdom nbsp nbsp nbsp Contemporary Resort nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Grand Floridian Resort nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Transportation and Ticket Center nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Polynesian Village Resort nbsp nbsp nbsp Epcot nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Skyliner at Int l Gateway via walk through park nbsp nbsp Express and resort services nbsp Resort service only nbsp No passengers nbsp nbsp Watercraft transfer The Walt Disney World Monorail spans 14 7 miles 23 7 km with around 50 million Disney guests traveling on the monorail each year 9 The system opened with the rest of the Walt Disney World Resort on October 1 1971 It initially featured four stations the Transportation and Ticket Center Disney s Polynesian Resort the Magic Kingdom and Disney s Contemporary Resort The Epcot line and station were added during that park s construction opening on October 1 1982 The most recent addition was the Grand Floridian station which was opened in 1988 along with the resort hotel 3 4 Since then no further additions have been made and no expansions are planned due to prohibitive construction costs though a legal easement for monorail construction through Disney s Saratoga Springs Resort amp Spa dating back to 1970 still exists 10 There are two distinct routes on the monorail system with three different services 11 Magic Kingdom Express The Express service runs counter clockwise around the outer loop providing nonstop service between the Magic Kingdom and the Transportation and Ticket Center Magic Kingdom Resort The Resort line runs clockwise around the inner loop and also services the resorts around the Seven Seas Lagoon with stops at Disney s Contemporary Resort Disney s Polynesian Village Resort and Disney s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa EPCOT The Epcot line runs from the Transportation and Ticket Center to Epcot with trains operating along a single beam on a clockwise loop nbsp The switch track connecting the Epcot line with the Magic Kingdom Express beam at the Transportation and Ticket Center station A spur track at Magic Kingdom station connects the Express and Resort lines to the maintenance shop Another spur connects the Epcot and Express lines and is located northeast of the Transportation and Ticket Center The monorail beams which are made of concrete with a special polystyrene core to lighten their weight came by train from the state of Washington 11 Rolling stock editSpecifications edit nbsp nbsp The old top and new bottom control systems of the Mark VI The original control system served from 1989 with the introduction of Mark VI Blue until June 2007 when the final train Blue was converted to the new LMCU2 system The trains in use since 1989 are Mark VI trains built by Bombardier Transportation Each train is 203 ft 6 in 62 03 m long consisting of six cars and can carry 360 passengers The trains are driven by eight 113 hp 84 kW motors which are powered by a 600 volt electrical system running through a busbar mounted on each side of the concrete beam 12 Each train also has seven inverters on board that convert the 600 V DC to 230 V AC for use by the air conditioners and air compressor and additionally has a battery backed 37 V DC low voltage supply that provides power for the train s electronics The trains are also equipped with a towing knuckle at each end to allow it to be pushed or pulled by a special diesel powered tractor if need be Maximum speed during normal operations is 40 mph 64 km h with several speed zones throughout the system with limits ranging from 15 to 40 mph 24 to 64 km h These speed limits are strictly enforced by the train s computer and cannot be overridden without the operator engaging a special lockout Attempting to drive the train too quickly in a given speed zone will result in an overspeed stop Train spacing is maintained by the Moving Blocklight System MBS also known as the MAPO system for Mary Poppins U S patent 3 973 746 which establishes a number of holdpoints throughout the system At any given time there must be at least two holdpoints between a given train and the train ahead of it When the train detects that there are fewer than two holdpoints between itself and the preceding train the emergency brakes are immediately applied and cannot be released until sufficient spacing becomes available or the operator overrides the system Failure to maintain adequate spacing is known as an overrun and is treated as an extremely serious offense 13 Below is a list of the models of monorails and their specifications that have operated on the Walt Disney World Monorail System Mark IV Monorail Manufacturer Martin Marietta Period of Service 1971 to 1991 Length 5 cars 171 feet 52 m 6 cars 201 feet 61 m Width 8 feet 10 inches 2 69 m Height 11 feet 7 inches 3 53 m 6 feet 6 inches 1 98 m above top of beam Weight 5 cars empty 92 000 pounds 42 000 kg 5 cars gross 122 600 pounds 55 600 kg 6 cars empty 108 500 pounds 49 200 kg 6 cars gross 145 100 pounds 65 800 kg 14 Passenger Capacity 5 cars 40 per car 4 in the nose 204 seated 6 cars 40 per car 4 in the nose 244 seated 15 Mark VI Monorail Manufacturer Bombardier Transportation Period of Service 1989 to Present Length 203 feet 6 inches 62 03 m Width 8 feet 4 5 inches 2 553 m Headroom 6 feet 10 75 inches 2 1019 m Height from bottom of skirt to top of shell 12 feet 5 inches 3 670 m Weight 6 cars empty 92 000 pounds 42 000 kg Passenger capacity 20 seated passengers per car 40 standing passengers per car 360 people total train 14 Automation edit nbsp Since the implementation of automation platform attendants use a control panel located on each station platform to operate the monorail Starting June 22 2014 the monorail began operating on a different timetable in order to accommodate work to automate the system Disney stated that the system would provide a more efficient service with enhanced safety as well as more frequent dispatch of the trains faster switching times and monorail arrival information 16 Pilots are still seated in the front cab but only supervise the monorail in case of an emergency Platform attendants operate a control panel to dispatch and operate the monorail system Identification edit nbsp Monorail Peach on October 22 2011 outside Disney s Polynesian Resort nbsp For a while Monorail Coral featured TRON artwork from Disney s Tron Legacy nbsp Monorail Black traveling inside Epcot on December 14 2019 Each train is identified by a colored stripe and given a name according to that color 11 The complete list of colors used is below Blue Black Coral Gold Green Lime Orange Peach Pink Purple Red Silver Teal 17 Yellow Identifiable by deltas Retired following July 2009 incident nbsp An example of the former Lime Delta To help visually identify Green from Lime Pink from Coral and Blue from Teal the Lime Teal and Coral stripes have trapezoidal deltas within the color stripe in between the passenger doors on each car Originally Monorail Lime s deltas and those of the older Mark IV Lime were painted a dark blue in homage to the original Walt Disney World monorail cast s costume colors lime and blue but the colors were changed when the entire monorail fleet was repainted in the early 2000s In mid December 2018 Monorail Lime s white delta was repainted to the original dark blue scheme following a refurbishment these were retained following another refurbishment in 2022 18 Monorails Coral and Teal have white deltas to differentiate them from Monorails Pink and Blue respectively Although Monorail Pink was retired from service following its crash with Monorail Purple in July 2009 Monorail Coral retained its White deltas until October 21 2021 In November 2009 Disney put Monorail Teal into service Monorail Teal was built using the undamaged portions of the two trains involved in the July 5 2009 crash 4 17 The colors of the two trains involved Pink and Purple were retired from service 4 The twelfth train Peach was placed into service on October 7 2011 to restore the resort s fleet back to twelve trains 19 20 It was assembled using the undamaged center cars from the Purple train but with new end cabs replacing the damaged sections from the Pink and Purple trains 20 Special liveries edit In March 2010 Disney debuted Monorail Coral in TRON livery on the Epcot line as part of a marketing plan for Tron Legacy 21 Since the Tron paint scheme in 2010 there have been several other monorail wraps On March 31 2012 Monorail Red was converted into a special scheme commemorating the release of The Avengers similar to the previous promotion for Tron Legacy 22 The monorail ran on the Magic Kingdom line and sometimes on the Resort line as the Epcot line loops through the park itself since Disney is not able to feature specified Marvel characters inside its Florida parks due to Marvel Entertainment s license agreement with Universal Destinations amp Experiences that was in place prior to the purchase of Marvel in 2009 In March 2013 Monorail Black was given a similar conversion to promote the release of Iron Man 3 23 In April 2013 Monorail Teal was converted into a special scheme commemorating the release of Monsters University 24 In November 2015 Monorail Black was decorated in Star Wars designs commemorating the release of Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens 25 In February 2016 Monorail Orange was decorated in Zootopia designs and was named the Zootopia Monorail System to reflect the Zootopia Transit Authority commemorating the release of Zootopia 26 In June 2018 Monorail Orange was decorated in Incredibles designs to promote the release of Incredibles 2 27 A year later Monorail Yellow was decorated with Toy Story characters to promote Toy Story 4 28 In September 2021 Monorail Gold debuted with a wrap for the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary 29 Refurbishment edit nbsp Entrance to the express TTC platform nbsp Sign above the entrance to the Epcot platform Beginning in 2019 all of the monorails were refurbished with new brakes a new interior and repainted exterior Monorails Silver Green and Black were the first to be refurbished between June and December 2019 and monorail Lime was the last in August 2022 The vast majority of monorails also had deltas added it is unknown why this was done since there are no Monorails that are similarly colored other than Blue and Teal and Green and Lime A simpler list of dates is below Monorail Silver Returned on June 30 2019 with black deltas 30 Monorail Green Returned on October 2 2019 31 Received black deltas in July 2023 32 Monorail Black Returned on December 6 2019 with red deltas the same color used for the outlines 33 Underwent a second refurbishment in December 2022 and repainted with a red pinstripe outline 34 Monorail Peach Returned July 14 2020 35 Black deltas were added in April 2024 36 Monorail Blue Returned on October 29 2020 with silver deltas 37 Monorail Red Returned on February 12 2021 with black deltas 38 Monorail Orange Returned on May 17 2021 with black deltas 39 Monorail Gold Returned on August 15 2021 40 Monorail Coral Returned on October 21 2021 with teal deltas 41 Monorail Yellow Returned on December 15 2021 with black deltas 42 Monorail Teal Returned on May 28 2022 with black deltas 43 Monorail Lime Returned on August 11 2022 44 Pre recorded announcements edit The monorail system uses a set of pre recorded announcements to instruct and entertain passengers Prior to departure when the pilot closes the doors an announcement asks guests to Please stand clear of the doors Por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas One of the most well known phrases within the resort it was recorded by Jack Wagner who was known as the Voice of Disneyland During the system s early years the trains featured Wagner s narration of the sights and scenery along the way as well as information on special events the resort and the monorail system itself 45 Although his narration has since been replaced Wagner can still be heard today as the Please stand clear of the doors phrase remains with his voice partly because it is installed on a separate system In 1988 following the construction of the Grand Floridian Resort stop Kevin Miles replaced Jack Wagner as the voiceover Miles worked in Epcot as part of the Voices of Liberty in the American Adventure pavilion at World Showcase Sometime before 1998 Disney employee Matt Hanson replaced Kevin Miles and in 2004 Hanson was replaced by Joe Hursh 46 Hanson is still with the Walt Disney Company 45 On April 13 2012 at around 5 00 EDT Disney activated a newer version of the spiel on the monorails that features Tom Kane as its new narrator 47 Maintenance edit nbsp Monorail Shop roundhouse Monorail Shop Shop for short is Disney s monorail maintenance facility located a short distance northeast of the Magic Kingdom and provides space for up to ten of the twelve Mark VI trains on its upper level while the bottom level houses the four steam locomotives and passenger cars of the Walt Disney World Railroad in the Magic Kingdom on its west side and a road vehicle maintenance facility on the east side 48 On any given night two to five monorail trains are parked at various stations on the system On nights where the temperature drops below freezing two trains will be parked inside the Contemporary Resort but in practice trains can be left in any station even on the express side of a resort station Trains typically only spend one night out of shop since routine maintenance is performed nightly During busy seasons some trains may be in service for over 24 hours at a time The Monorail Shop also has a painting room located on Beam 10 that is elevated 25 feet 7 6 m off the ground and has a lift mounted on the wall for the painters It takes anywhere between three and six weeks to paint a monorail train To access the wheels and underside of the monorail a portion of Beam 1 inside Shop is removable primarily used to change load tires nbsp Monorails Teal and Peach parked in the Contemporary Resort for Hurricane Ian nbsp Monorail tow and maintenance vehicles parked in the Contemporary Resort for Hurricane Ian Severe Weather Protocol edit On nights before hurricanes and other severe weather events are predicted to affect the Walt Disney World Resort three monorails and two service tractors will be left out on the system in case issues occur as a result of the weather Two trains and a work tractor will be parked inside the Contemporary Resort with the storm doors closed One train will be parked at Epcot and the work tractor normally stationed on the Epcot Spur will be parked at the Epcot platform of the Transportation and Ticket Center This way if any of the switch beams were to go offline a maintenance team would be able to fix any issues and there would be at least one monorail to transport guests Monorail service must cease whenever sustained winds are expected to exceed 39 miles per hour 63 km h or greater 49 Towing edit nbsp The Green work tractor tows Monorail Green on the maintenance access beam The diesel powered work tractors are the tow trucks of the system and can tow a train to Monorail Shop located around the bend from Space Mountain Monorail Operations at the Walt Disney World resort has three separate tractors Red tagged 1 Blue tagged 2 and Green tagged 3 that allow for the simultaneous towing of three different monorails In the event of a power failure on one of the monorail lines the tractors are still operational as they are powered by on board diesel engines When not in use two of the work tractors will usually be parked at the shed while the third is parked on a small 62 foot 19 m maintenance spur approximately 1 300 feet 400 m along the Epcot beam from the Transportation and Ticket Center to allow for faster access to any issues on that part of the system Safety editTrain safety edit Safe train spacing is maintained via a moving blocklight system referred to as MAPO installed in the cab of each train 11 MAPO appears in the top center of the pilot s console and looks similar to a horizontal stop light There are three lights green amber and red and a push button labeled Override The term MAPO itself comes directly from Walt Disney who formed a new company to deal with Disneyland s transportation system directly from the profits made by Mary Poppins 50 Each monorail beam is divided into blocks based upon pylon numbering The currently illuminated MAPO color indicates how far ahead the leading train is currently located A green MAPO shows that the leading train is three or more blocks ahead amber means two blocks ahead and red indicates that the next train is in the very next block A block is roughly between 500 and 1000 feet about 150 and 300 m long although this varies The start of each block is called a hold point as pilots may need to hold their trains at that location until the train ahead moves away Guests riding in the front cab of a monorail can identify hold points by the yellow reflective tape around a pylon s number and by two yellow reflectors attached to the top outside edges of the monorail beam at that pylon For safety trains must be kept at least two blocks apart during normal operation A red MAPO indicates that train spacing has become unsafe When a red MAPO occurs the train s on board computer locks out the pilot s propulsion control and applies emergency brakes The pilot cannot resume control of the train until either the MAPO clears or the pilot presses and holds the MAPO override button 11 It is the pilot s responsibility to avoid a red MAPO during normal operation When the MAPO switches from green to amber this indicates that the monorail is approaching the train ahead The pilot must stop the train before crossing into the next block of beam way and hence before the MAPO switches to red Should a pilot cross the hold point and receive a red MAPO this counts as a safety demerit against the pilot If a pilot accumulates three demerits on his her record within a two year period then they will be transferred out of the monorails department and into a different role at Walt Disney World 51 Safety tests are performed daily to ensure that the MAPO system is working properly on each train At the direction of the monorail station conducting the test each train will intentionally overrun a hold point to verify that a red MAPO occurs and that the emergency brakes activate Pilots perform tests in forward and reverse when bringing a train onto the system for the first time that day The indications are called into Monorail Central with the emergency brake pressures A red MAPO will also occur when the pilot approaches a section of un powered beam a spur line or a switch beam thrown in the direction of a spur line Pilots must engage the MAPO override when moving trains through a switch to the spur line Red MAPOs occurring due to safety tests switching or beam power loss do not count as demerits against the pilot citation needed COVID 19 precautions edit During the COVID 19 pandemic Walt Disney World installed plastic dividers to the monorail to isolate guests from potential exposure to COVID 19 and to safely increase monorail capacity The dividers were placed into four sections capable of sitting about two adults The plastic was made up of material that was modified to fit onto the existing handrails with zip ties 52 Emergency evacuation edit Emergencies requiring train evacuation will be handled differently depending upon the location of the train and the nature of the emergency If a train is stopped at a station platform or at the work platform along the Epcot beam guests can exit the train onto the platform Exiting a train is possible even when the doors of the train cars are closed The large rectangular window in the middle of each car is an emergency exit and can be removed from the interior of the car A cast member outside the car can also manually open the rightmost door panel of the car by releasing the air pressure holding that panel closed The air pressure release is a handle beneath the rectangular center window that is similar in appearance to a car door handle If a train is stopped on an open beam then guests evacuate through emergency exits located in the roof of the train Guests open roof hatches by first removing decorative plastic from the ceiling above a bulkhead footstool and then by lifting open a hinged hatch that will flip across the bulkhead dividing two train cars Guests evacuate to the roof by climbing through the open hatch onto the top of the train The bulkheads separating cars are designed as firewalls that will contain a fire within a car to just that car The open hatch allows guests in the affected car to transfer to an adjacent car where they can safely wait for evacuation by fire response crews If the emergency affects the entire train then guests are evacuated to the surface of the beam Guests again open the emergency roof hatches but do not simply move to the adjacent car Instead they use a small handrail present along the top of each train car to move all the way to the front of the train The train s pilot can attach a knotted rope to both the top and the base of the windscreen and guests use the rope to shimmy down the windscreen to the surface of the beam They finally start walking along the beam away from the train Reedy Creek Emergency Services provides fire response and rescue for the Walt Disney World Monorail System and maintains an all wheel drive fire truck specially designed for monorail rescue 53 Security checks edit Since April 2017 bag searches and walk through metal detector checks have been systematically performed on guests before they board the monorail including at the Transportation and Ticket Center and the three resort monorail stops The security cordon extension was put in place to reduce congestion at the entrance to Magic Kingdom 54 Until late 2019 guests taking the monorail to Epcot would need to go through security again at the Epcot entrance but this was eventually fixed in late 2019 by the relocation of Epcot s main entrance checkpoints 55 Platform safety edit nbsp Platform Controls at Magic Kingdom Station The Express station at the Transportation and Ticket Center and both stations at the Magic Kingdom have remotely opened or automated gates that bar riders from approaching the guideway and thus any approaching or departing train until the operators have determined that it is safe to allow people to board the train 56 The cast member at the station gives the riders instructions on how to board The other stations have manually operated gates to serve this function All platforms are ADA accessible Because the train level is higher than the platform level a portable ramp must be used to load and unload guests with disabilities at all stations For many years the Contemporary Resort station did not have ADA access but an elevator has since been added to the platform Incidents edit Main article List of incidents at Walt Disney World There has only been one fatal incident in the history of the Walt Disney World Monorail System On July 5 2009 an operator was killed after Monorail Pink and Monorail Purple collided on the Epcot line near the Transportation and Ticket Center 57 Before the collision up to four guests could sit in the front cabin with the operator After the incident no passengers are allowed in the operator s cabin See also edit nbsp Disney portal nbsp Trains portal nbsp Florida portal Disney Transport Disney Resort Line monorail system at Tokyo Disney Resort Disneyland Monorail monorail system at Disneyland Disneyland Resort line mass transit rail system at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort List of incidents at Walt Disney World Monorail List of monorail systems Rail transport in Walt Disney Parks and ResortsReferences edit a 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Monorail Yellow Returns to Service Following Refurbishment at Walt Disney World WDW News Today Retrieved January 3 2022 Monorail Teal Returns From Refurbishment at Walt Disney World WDW News Today wdwnt com May 28 2022 Retrieved September 21 2022 Monorail Lime Returns After Refurbishment at Walt Disney World WDW News Today wdwnt com August 12 2022 Retrieved September 21 2022 a b Mongello Lou April 21 2004 Please stand clear of the doors Por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas Ask Lou Disney World Trivia com Archived from the original on May 6 2007 Retrieved October 5 2007 Joe Hursh Joe Hursh Archived from the original on July 4 2012 Retrieved October 19 2012 Disney monorail voice change Walt Disney World changes narrator on monorail OrlandoSentinel com June 28 2012 Archived from the original on August 14 2012 Retrieved October 19 2012 Bennett Brian August 26 2005 Steam Train Tour Mouseplanet Retrieved April 26 2023 Severe Weather impacts to Walt Disney World News www wdwmagic com Hidden Mickeys Hidden Mickeys org Retrieved June 21 2007 Disney World Monorail Archived from the original on August 25 2007 Retrieved September 20 2007 Figueroa Jessica January 12 2021 PHOTOS New Plastic Dividers Installed on Walt Disney World Monorails WDW News Today AN ELITE CAFEMEDIA FAMILY amp PARENTING PUBLISHER Retrieved January 14 2021 The Reedy Creek Fire Fighters Association Local 2117 Our Apparatus Archived from the original on July 5 2008 Retrieved June 23 2007 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link PHOTOS Magic Kingdom security checkpoints move to the Transportation amp Ticket Center and resorts April 3 2017 Epcot Monorail Station Double Security Screening Annoyance to be Fixed Soon October 20 2019 Transportation News amp Information WDWMagic Archived from the original on June 24 2007 Retrieved June 21 2007 Monorail Crash At Disney World Leaves Employee Dead Huffington Post Archived from the original on April 2 2015 Retrieved September 25 2014 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Walt Disney World Monorail System Monorail Express monorailexpress com Retrieved August 2 2006 Disney World Monorail NYCSubway org Retrieved August 2 2006 Disney s Monorail WDWHistory com Retrieved August 2 2006 WDW Monorail via BFC bigfloridacountry com Retrieved August 2 2006 Walt Disney World Monorail System WDWMagic com Unofficial WDW Site Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Walt Disney World Monorail System amp oldid 1219445031, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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