Originally Posted By StitchDude I just want the opinion of the people on this site. Do you think the monorail should go to DCA? Do you think it ever will? What about the third park if it is ever built? How will the proposed monorail for the city of Anaheim affect DLR? I think it should go to DCA. Just extent the track south on harbor, build a station in Carsland. It could go where the 7-11 is on the corner of Harbor and Katella. Remove the beam that goes across DCA now and put it on the back side of the park, west on Katella,(this way the beams can be reused and save some money). Then when it gets to Disney Way turn north and connect it to what is there already to go into the DTD station. Then buy one more train and make it Mark VII Monorail Black!!
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I do think that eventually they should put a station in DCA. As the track is layed out right now, it would be pretty dumb to have one though. The distance between the TL station and when it's in DCA is pretty short, so it would stop practically as soon as it starts. When (if) they build a third park, I think they should extend the monorail to where ever it is. Along the way, they should definately include a stop for DCA. Right now DCA sort of feels like it's not a real park because it doesn't have a Mono stop, since it's more like the Tron tunnel on the PeopleMover. They could always try to redo what they have, and run the trains in the opposite direction. They would need to rearrange a couple beams inside DL to get it to do the scenic part between DCA and TL to make it enough of a journey to justify, but they could always do it. If they ever extend the Monorail to some place further around DCA, they should do it, but right now it really just doesn't make sense to have a station. I doubt they would be able to reuse the same beams (they would definately need to do new columns since they were all designed for their specific placement in the ground and angles of track) but they could always try, right? And, dear God, please get some more trains. Running one right now really scares me. I know the Mark Twain runs as only one vehicle, but that doesn't have the pretense of being efficient transportation of the future. They really need to have two running at a time, and having only three trains really limits them. Sure, they never run all four at a time, but they painted themselves into a corner on this one, and we are now running just one train and it's falling apart as we speak.
Originally Posted By Darkbeer One proposed plan was to have the Monorail go around the south edge of DCA and then near the Paradise Pier and GCH on Disneyland Drive. There would be three stops in this proposal, one on the south side of DCA near the convention center. It would be outside the park, but a entry gate would be nearby. This would serve a proposed Hotel to be built on part of the Timon lot, along with giving the Convention Center folks access to the Monorail (if they have a Disneyland Park admission ticket). Then the current DtD station would close, and move somewhat south, basically near where the current parking entrances are for the Paradise Pier and Grand Californian Hotels (and basically the Disneyland Hotel). This station would be for the exclusive use of the Disney owned Hotel guests, though I presume it would be like the current DtD rules, at busy times, only Hotel Guests could enter (but anyone could exit), but during slower times, they would allow anyone to enter the turnstiles. There are too many issues to have an "in-park" DCA stop with the current admission media.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "What about the third park if it is ever built? How will the proposed monorail for the city of Anaheim affect DLR?" I was in Las Vegas this week on business and made a special point to ride the new monorail system there. While riding it I pondered what such a system would be like in Anaheim. My conclusion: it would be a waste of money. Here's why... First, monorails are incredibly expensive to build and operate. The LV monorail is losing money, yet ridership increased last year to just under 8 million riders last year. Each one way ride costs a whopping $5.00. The system is only 3 miles long with just 7 stations. Second, after riding the LV system, I can't really see a logical need for a monorail at DLR. Most locations are within walking distance and there is no vehicular traffic within the DLR zone, so congestion isn't really an issue (as it is on the Vegas strip). In my opinion Disney would be better off creating some kind of ground based shuttle/tram service than ran on a dedicated lane or road around the property. I think that some sort of light rail system to connect DLR with the rest of Anaheim could be far less expensive and practical with more stops. It would probably be more affordable to operate too. Finally, after all these years since Disney first introduced Americans to the monorail in 1959, little has changed about the experience. The Vegas trains felt sluggish and clunky - far less slick and zippy than the AirTrain people mover systems at SFO or JFK.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss While the romance of the monorail is undeniable, DL system is not very practical as a real transportation system. It's just too small.
Originally Posted By Darkbeer I agree, a light rail system from the proposed new Anaheim Transporation center, and going by the Honda Center, Angel Stadium, the Platinum Triangle, and then ending at the Convention Center on Katella Blvd. (Basically using Katella Avenue as the main route). Folks going to Disneyland could get off at the Conventione Center and then board a Disney operated tram just inside the fence on Katella (Timon Lot). Light Rails can be a lot more flexable, adding train cars if needed to handle more capacity at busy times, and needs less of a "safety" zone between trains, so you can have them run a lot more times per hour during busy times. This is important if you want to use the parking lots to shift need, aka, a major event at the Convention Center or a very busy day at Disneyland can have folks park in at the Stadium and/or Honda Center and use the light rail to go west. I think the San Diego Trolley has shown it does work, especially with major events at Qualcomm Stadium, PETCO Park and the Convention Center, along with servicing places like SDSU and the Tijuana Border.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss Of course light rail is more practical, but not very "Disney." If I was going to throw money at something more magical, it would be for a PeopleMover style system.... I just like the idea of trains that never stop, and contantly loading cars.
Originally Posted By StitchDude While I do think the monorail in Anaheim is a bad idea, the light rail is no better. My main questions for this post are regarding the Disneyland Monorail. I think the ticket situation is ridiculous. They are scanned in a computer. If someone tries to enter one park and they don't have a park hopper, they can just wait in line and go back on the train to the other park they have a ticket for. I do like the information from Darkbeer. That sounds like a good idea. Having a stop near the convention center would be great. If there is ever a third park it should go there. BUT THE MONORAIL SHOULD NEVER GO INTO THE SAME DEPARTMENT AS THE TRAM DRIVERS. These guys work hard and I appreciate what they do and I am sure they are very capable of driving the Monorail. But the monorail is special. It is a dream for the future and although it may seem outdated, it should still be recognized for what it is and what it was in the past.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "Of course light rail is more practical, but not very "Disney." If I was going to throw money at something more magical, it would be for a PeopleMover style system.... I just like the idea of trains that never stop, and contantly loading cars." True, but what Darkbeer and I are talking about would be outside the DLR boundaries, so technically it wouldn't be Disney's anyway. There are a many different types of light rail systems. Here is a shot of the new trams in Barcelona. As you can see the bullet nose of the trains looks slightly like a monorail: <a href="http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/barcelona/barcelona2.html" target="_blank">http://www.railway-technology. com/projects/barcelona/barcelona2.html</a>
Originally Posted By Mr X **Of course light rail is more practical, but not very "Disney." If I was going to throw money at something more magical, it would be for a PeopleMover style system.... I just like the idea of trains that never stop, and contantly loading cars.** Sure about that? <a href="http://tinyurl.com/yrehjt" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/yrehjt</a> Looks pretty Disney to me. ;p
Originally Posted By Mr X Granted, not entirely "light rail", but you get the idea. Disney can pretty much put anything "to theme" and make it cool if they wish. Actually, that train was really neat. I thought it was the best part of HKDL to be honest (sad to say lol). It's so cool. You get off a "regular" train onto a regular, normal train platform and then on the other side up pulls "the Disney train"..you get on and three minutes later you're at an incredibly "Disney" train station and ready for a magical day. Very nicely done (now if they'd only put that kind of creativity into the PARK lol).
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy << I think the San Diego Trolley has shown it does work, especially with major events at Qualcomm Stadium, PETCO Park and the Convention Center, along with servicing places like SDSU and the Tijuana Border. >> I have 3 trolley stations within 3 blocks of where I live, but rarely use the trolley. It's pretty miserable. Too many stops on the route make trips too long, plus you get the pleasure of having the trolley stop at all the red lights along the way since it traverses downtown with the rest of traffic. Light rail is not an efficient transportation system at all.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy << First, monorails are incredibly expensive to build and operate. The LV monorail is losing money, yet ridership increased last year to just under 8 million riders last year. Each one way ride costs a whopping $5.00. >> This is a red herring thrown out by groups against mass transit initiatives. If you placed the same cost analysis on the nation's highway and secondary road infrastructure, you'd find that it is even more expensive to operate than most mass transit systems. If you had to pay a toll to drive on the highway, instead of having it extracted from your taxes, people would be in an uproar about how expensive our "money-losing" highways are.
Originally Posted By jonvn "Too many stops on the route make trips too long, plus you get the pleasure of having the trolley stop at all the red lights along the way since it traverses downtown with the rest of traffic. Light rail is not an efficient transportation system at all." This is actually what really killed the red car in LA. People think it was GM and the oil companies, but the fact is that people stopped using it precisely for this reason. It was slower and less convenient than driving your car.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros As nice as the train to HKDL is, I really don't think it says "Disney" in the same way that the Monorail does. It says "Disney" in the modern way of putting an image out there and eating people to a meaty pulp with it until they buy something. It's undenyably Disney, but when you get down to it, it's the same as pretty much every other train, just a little nicer. The Monorail, on the other hand, is completely different than a normal train. It says "Disney" in the old-school way of being the first and being the best at everything they do. They don't take "no" for an answer. It's the little things that make a big difference. With the new train, it screams "Disney-buy something from me!", while the old ones say in a muted voice "Disney-yah, we're just that much better." Personally, I prefer the latter, but I know a lot of people would prefer the over-the-top designs of today. (And why are the statues of characters from the Hub in the train instead of in the Hub??)
Originally Posted By mstaft The light rail here is Denver is pretty well done- and you can't be the views of the Rocky Mountains but the trains are downright ugly. They scream RDT bus. Denver missed the boat and could have had something that looked fun to ride as well. I guess if Disney uses lightrail, they'll have a choice to make whether they will make them look great or pedestrian. Sort of like the curent entrance area to DCA or the new 2.0 version!
Originally Posted By Dabob2 The JFK airport train (goes to all the terminals and then to Jamaica, Queens where you can connect with either the subway or Long Island Rail Road) is pretty good. It's elevated, so it has no red light issues. And it's driverless, but will stop if it gets too close to the train in front of it, so I guess they've worked that out, technically. Something like that could work. It's expensive to build, so I think the most sensible would be an Anaheim/WDC partnership, and include stops at the parks, convention center, and sports venues. With the present two parks literally across the way from each other, I don't see any changes to the monorail unless and until the theoretical third park opens. If that happens, then Disney is going to need some way to shuttle people to that third park, which would be a bit of a walk from the esplanade. I'd love to see a new, standard size monorail replace what we have now in that case, but I'm not sure a monorail would carry enough traffic. But anything that touches a city street brings its own issues with it. Would a PeopleMover system have enough capacity? Or should Disney try to integrate their needs with Anaheim's?
Originally Posted By StitchDude " But anything that touches a city street brings its own issues with it." The DL Monorail already does this. It goes over Disney way twice.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "Looks pretty Disney to me." That's a good example of how a standard train can be modified. On a personal note though, I HATE those silly Mickey Mouse windows. Ugh.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "Light rail is not an efficient transportation system at all." Maybe not in San Diego, but they are very effective in other cities, especially here in San Francisco.
