Originally Posted By AutoPost This topic is for Discussion of <a href="http://www.LaughingPlace.com/Latest.asp?I1=ID&I2=74175" target="_blank"><b>Latest: OrSen: Is Disney fully on board with plans for high speed rail?</b></a> <p>The <i>Orlando Sentinel</i> reports some industry watchers are expressing concerns that Disney may not be strong supporters of Florida's high-speed rail.</p>
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt If Disney nixes its involvement the company loses all credibility as being a forward thinking organization. Such a system is exactly in line with the principle that guided the development of EPCOT. I get the sense that this story is nothing more than a piece designed to get folks riled up at Disney and urge them to make a firm commitment.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper I guarantee the Mouse is getting cold feet because it will make it easier for guests to head to Uni, Seaworld, and the like. <<If Disney nixes its involvement the company loses all credibility as being a forward thinking organization. Such a system is exactly in line with the principle that guided the development of EPCOT. I get the sense that this story is nothing more than a piece designed to get folks riled up at Disney and urge them to make a firm commitment.>> I completely agree here. Great post.
Originally Posted By Manfried Disney better commit to this. They all ready blew it by not putting in a monorail to the studios or to Animal Kingdom.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo I would be really surprised if they are not on board, unless they think it is going to be a flop and don't want to be labelled. But there are stations in Disneyland Paris (largest interchange in Europe), Toyko Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland, though these are cultures that use rail more.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper I think that is their concern Dave. Florida is dominated by cars and installing a rail system isn't going to change that dynamic. Now, if he rail somehow connected the airport to Disney while bypassing I-Drive then I would see the Mouse jumping on Board. If the rail ends up being Miami-Orlando-Tampa the only leg of that system to get any significant ridership will be the Orlando Airport to Disney leg.
Originally Posted By mousermerf The largest segment of Disney's AP population (aside from the immediate surrounding area) lives in Tampa.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper It makes no difference where they live. Will they ride the train versus getting into their cars? That is going to depend a lot on the price, the convenience, the location of the station(s), the mass transit at either end of the trip, etc. I like the idea of high speed rail...but if it was going to make money and/or be successful I suspect it would have been done by a private entity by now.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<Now, if he rail somehow connected the airport to Disney while bypassing I-Drive then I would see the Mouse jumping on Board. >> I'm fairly certain it will. There was a map with all the stops on it a while back, and the airport was on it.
Originally Posted By mousermerf Tampa transportation hub (not airport) - Disney - International Drive - Airport If i remember correctly. There was talk of a Lakeland stop, but I don't know if that made the finale cut.
Originally Posted By mousermerf Read the article - looks like the Lakeland stop still exists. All that aside, I think one thing that no one is mentioning is that unless Disney formally annexes the land, it's part of the Reedy Creek Improvement District and subject to the Epcot building code. Those are expensive building standards.
Originally Posted By MousDad >>Disney may not be strong supporters of Florida's high-speed rail.<< Translation: "We don't like the idea of giving our competitors an avenue that will jeopardize the heretofore untouchable power of the Magic Your Way, and thereby compelling us to actually keep up with our competition on a content level."
Originally Posted By mousermerf It's on Disney property - Disney will run buses, heck maybe something else, to it and get their guests to their destinations. Folks act like it's in the middle of nowhere, but it's right where the I-4 corridor the train follows will intersect with Disney's property.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer Totally random, but one would hope that they made the station in conjunction with DHS and with DAK....Who needs Monorail expansion?
Originally Posted By MPierce This article could be an episode on Seinfeld. It's about nothing. Disney will support the rail system, and wait for the day it links up with Miami. Gosh, they already have committed the land (at an undetermined location) for the station. How much more should Disney do. Maybe some kind of blood oath or something? I am a big proponet of rail. I wish all cities ran light rail, including WDW. I wish High speed rail linked all the States together. but I still think this system is going to end up subsidized by the tax payers. Wahooskipper said it best. >> I think that is their concern Dave. Florida is dominated by cars and installing a rail system isn't going to change that dynamic. << That is the problem here in the States. Rail is mostly used to haul freight, and after all these many years rail is still being subsidized by tax payers. Passenger travel by rail is super expensive. What Disney should be concerned about or studies done by a cfross section of think tanks. Here's what the Cato Institute (non-partisan libertarian) has to say about present day Amtrak •Amtrak makes a negligible contribution to the nation's transportation system. Amtrak represents just .007 percent of all daily commuter work trips and just 0.4 percent of all passengers making intercity trips. •Amtrak's typical riders are not low-income Americans. Only 13 percent have incomes below $20,000. •Amtrak has virtually no impact on reducing traffic congestion, pollution, or energy use. Even a doubling of train ridership would reduce energy consumption and traffic congestion by less than 0.1 percent. •Amtrak is by far the most highly subsidized form of intercity transportation. The average taxpayer subsidy per Amtrak rider is $100, or 40 percent of the total per-passenger cost. On some of the long-distance routes, such as New York to Los Angeles, the taxpayer subsidy per passenger exceeds $1,000. It would be cheaper for taxpayers to close down expensive lines and purchase discount round-trip airfare for all the Amtrak riders. Now that's food for thought.
Originally Posted By mousermerf <<< (at an undetermined location) >>> No, they drew maps. Its sort of behind Pop Century.
Originally Posted By mousermerf Here ya go: <a href="http://thedisneyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/HSR-station.jpg" target="_blank">http://thedisneyblog.com/wp-co...tion.jpg</a> The image is actually from the HSR proposal, the scribbling was done by the site owner to give people an idea where it goes.
