The
Walt Disney World Monorail System is a public transit system in operation around the
Walt Disney World ResortWalt Disney World Resort is the largest and most visited recreational resort in the world, containing four theme parks; two water parks; 23 themed hotels; and numerous shopping, dining, entertainment and recreation venues. Owned and operated by the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts segment of The Walt...
.
The Walt Disney World Resort currently operates ten
Mark VI monorailThe Mark VI monorail is a monorail train used in the Walt Disney World Monorail System and the Las Vegas Monorail. The Mark VI started replacing the Mark IV monorails at Walt Disney World in 1989, replacing the final Mark IV by 1991...
trains on three lines of service, with two additional trains expected to come online by 2010. The monorail system opened in 1971 with two routes and with
Mark IV monorailThe Mark IV monorail is a design model of monorail trains. The design was developed by Bob Gurr. Ten were built by Martin Marietta in 1969 at the cost of about six million USD each and they were used on the Walt Disney World Monorail System between 1971 and 1989 before they were replaced by the...
trains, expanded to three lines in 1982, and switched to Mark VI trains in 1989.
Lines and stations
The Walt Disney World Monorail operates over a span of 23.7 km (14.7 miles), with around 50 million Disney guests traveling on the monorail each year.
The three routes on the Walt Disney World Monorail are:
- Express: Express service between the Magic Kingdom
The Magic Kingdom is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. The first park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1971. The park saw an estimated 17 million visitors in 2008, making it the most visited theme park in the world....
and the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC).
- Resort: Round-trip local service making stops at the Magic Kingdom, Disney's Contemporary Resort
Disney's Contemporary Resort is a resort hotel located at the Walt Disney World Resort. Owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company, the hotel first opened on October 1, 1971 as one of the first two hotels in the resort complex. It is categorized as a 'Deluxe' Disney resort...
, the Transportation and Ticket Center, Disney's Polynesian ResortDisney's Polynesian Resort is a Disney owned and operated AAA Four-Diamond award winning resort located at the Walt Disney World Resort. It began operation on October 1, 1971 as one of Walt Disney World Resort's first two on-site hotels. The resort has a South Seas theme, and originally opened with...
, and Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, in that order.
- Epcot: Service between the Transportation and Ticket Center and Epcot
Epcot is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. The park is dedicated to international culture and technological innovation. The second park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1982 and was named EPCOT Center until 1994....
.
A spur track 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.
Infrastructure
The monorail
beamA beam is a structural element that is capable of withstanding load primarily by resisting bending. The bending force induced into the material of the beam as a result of the external loads, own weight and external reactions to these loads is called a bending moment.- Overview :Beams generally...
s, which are made of
concreteConcrete is a construction material composed of cement as well as other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water, and chemical admixtures...
with a special
polystyrenePolystyrene , sometimes abbreviated PS, is an aromatic polymer made from the aromatic monomer styrene, a liquid hydrocarbon that is commercially manufactured from petroleum by the chemical industry...
core to lighten their weight, came by train from Washington.
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 officially on October 1, 1982. The most recent addition was the Grand Floridian station, which was opened in 1988 along with the resort hotel.
During the construction of Epcot, Florida residents could request a complimentary ticket for a round-trip on the Epcot line to get a sneak preview of the park.
Specifications
The modern trains that have been in use since 1989 are each 203' 6" long (consisting of six cars) and can carry 364 passengers. The trains are driven by eight 113
HPHorsepower is the name of several non-SI units of power. It was originally defined to allow the output of steam engines to be measured and compared with the power output of draft horses. The horsepower was widely adopted to measure the output of piston engines, turbines, electric motors and other...
motors which are powered by a 600-volt electrical system running through a
busbarA busbar in electrical power distribution refers to thick strips of copper or aluminium that conduct electricity within a switchboard, distribution board, substation, or other electrical apparatus....
mounted on each side of the concrete beam. Each train also has seven inverters on board that convert the 600 VDC to 230 VAC for use by the air conditioners and air compressor, and additionally has a battery-backed 35 VDC 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, with several speed zones throughout the system with limits ranging from 15 to 40 mph(http://www.monorailyellow.com/monorails.asp). 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", often subjecting the driver to good-natured ridicule by his co-workers. Train spacing is maintained by the Moving Blocklight System (MBS), also known as the MAPO (for "Mary Poppins") system, which establishes a number of "holdpoints" throughout the system(http://www.monorailyellow.com/monorails.asp). 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 explicitly overrides the system. Failure to maintain adequate spacing is known as an "overrun", and is treated as an extremely serious offense.
Operations
The Disney employees that operate monorail trains are called pilots, comprising a distinct and separate department within Disney Transportation. Busses and Watercraft (ferryboats, launches, and cruisers) are the other two departments, and each department is trained and scheduled separately from the others. One employee is scheduled as the central coordinator ("Monorail Central") during each shift. "Central" controls the operation of the entire monorail system, usually by issuing instructions to pilots via radio. Central is responsible for setting up each day's operation in the morning, for handling contingencies and emergencies that occur during the day, and for moving trains off the system after all parks have closed. An employee can act as Central only with a history of safe train operation, the ability to train other monorail pilots, and a rigorous training period during which they must successfully triage and handle simultaneous simulated emergencies. Monorail Central operates out of the glass booth on the Epcot Load platform at the Transportation and Ticket Center. Several qualified coordinators are usually available during each shift that can take over Central's duties if needed.
The manager who oversees all monorail operations during a given shift at Walt Disney World is called "Monorail One". This Guest Service Manager (GSM) handles guest matters, including complaints and arrangements for alternative transportation, such as
ferryA ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
boats or buses, in the event of monorail downtime.
Monorail workers refer to the system's stations as follows: "Concourse" includes the load and unload platforms for the Epcot beam at the Transportation and Ticket Center. "Base" includes the platforms for both the Express (the exterior beam) and Resort (the interior beam) beam at the Transportation and Ticket Center; however, the monorail workers refer the Resort side of base as "Base Resort". (See map in this article) The stations at the
PolynesianDisney's Polynesian Resort is a Disney owned and operated AAA Four-Diamond award winning resort located at the Walt Disney World Resort. It began operation on October 1, 1971 as one of Walt Disney World Resort's first two on-site hotels. The resort has a South Seas theme, and originally opened with...
,
Grand FloridianDisney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is a Victorian themed hotel and spa located at the Walt Disney World Resort. The property opened on June 28, 1988 as the Grand Floridian Beach Resort. The name changed to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa during the fall of 1997.The resort contains 867...
,
ContemporaryDisney's Contemporary Resort is a resort hotel located at the Walt Disney World Resort. Owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company, the hotel first opened on October 1, 1971 as one of the first two hotels in the resort complex. It is categorized as a 'Deluxe' Disney resort...
, at the
Magic KingdomThe Magic Kingdom is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. The first park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1971. The park saw an estimated 17 million visitors in 2008, making it the most visited theme park in the world....
, and at
EpcotEpcot is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. The park is dedicated to international culture and technological innovation. The second park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1982 and was named EPCOT Center until 1994....
are named after each location.
Identification
Each train is identified by a colored stripe, and given a name according to that color. The complete list of colors used is below. To help visually identify Green from Lime and Pink from Coral, the Lime and Coral stripes have a white delta painted 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 October 2009, Disney officials announced that Monorail Teal had been built from the undamaged remains of the two trains involved in a fatal accident in July 2009. The colors of the two trains involved, Pink and Purple, will be retired from service. A new train is expected to be added in 2010 to restore the resort's fleet back to 12 trains.
The current train identification colors include:
- Red
- Coral (Peachy pink with white deltas)
- Orange
- Gold
- Yellow
- Teal (Not yet in service)
- Lime (Bright green with white (formally blue) deltas)
- Green
- Blue
- Silver
- Black
Two identifying colors have been retired from use:
- Pink (retired after 2009 accident)
- Purple (retired after 2009 accident)
Front-cab riding
There is seating for up to four guests in the front cab of the train with the pilot. These are offered on a first-come/first-serve basis, and a pilot may give out "co-pilot licenses" at the end of the journey. Front cab riding was suspended due to the July 5th, 2009 incident "out of respect for the drivers in a difficult time."
Pre-recorded Spiels
The monorail system uses a set of pre-recorded spiels to instruct and entertain passengers. Prior to departure when the pilot closes the doors, a spiels asks guests to "Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas." One of the most known phrases within the resort, it was recorded by
Jack WagnerJack Francis Wagner was the official park announcer for Disneyland until 1993. He is famous for the various announcements over the park PA, for parades, special events, etc. He also did a lot of voice work for the attractions themselves, including instructions, emergency precautions, and safety...
, who was known as "the Voice of Disneyland." Disney employee Matt Hanson replaced Jack Wagner, and in 2004 Hanson was replaced by Joe Hursh. Hanson is still with the Walt Disney Company. 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. Today the "stand clear" spiel remains in Wagner's voice. This is at least partially due to the fact that the audio for the doors is generated via a separate system than that for the rest of the narrations. Disney monorail workers will refer to these narrations as "spiels."
Maintenance
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 VIThe Mark VI monorail is a monorail train used in the Walt Disney World Monorail System and the Las Vegas Monorail. The Mark VI started replacing the Mark IV monorails at Walt Disney World in 1989, replacing the final Mark IV by 1991...
trains on its upper level (the bottom level houses the four steam locomotives that circle the Magic Kingdom on its west side, and a bus repair facility on the east side). On any given night, two monorail trains (and often more) are parked at various stations on the system, depending on which beam Shop has determined they are to be run the next day. On nights where the temperature drops below freezing, the 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). No train will ever be left outside two nights in a row because routine maintenance is performed nightly.
Monorail Shop also has a painting room located on Beam 10 that is elevated 25 feet off the ground and has a lift mounted on the wall for the painters. It takes 3 weeks to paint a monorail. To access the wheels and underside of the monorail, a portion of Beam 1 inside Shop has a removable section, primarily used to change load tires.
Towing
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 MountainSpace Mountain is a themed indoor roller coaster at the Magic Kingdom, opened on January 15, 1975. It is the original version of the iconic attraction that now graces all five Disneyland-style theme parks around the world...
. Monorail Operations at the Walt Disney World resort has three separate tractors 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.
Train safety
Safe train spacing is maintained via a
moving blocklight systemCab signalling is a railroad safety system that communicates track status information to the train cab , where the engineer or driver can see the information...
, referred to as MAPO, installed in the cab of each train. 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 PoppinsMary Poppins is a 1964 musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, produced by Walt Disney, and based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by...
.
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 3 or more blocks ahead, amber means 2 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.
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 he/she will be transferred out of the monorails department and into a different role at Walt Disney World.
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, and a forward test is again conducted mid-afternoon. 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. MAPOs occurring due to safety tests, switching, or beam power loss do not count as demerits against the pilot.
Emergency evacuation
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 forcibly 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 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 CreekThe Reedy Creek Improvement District is the immediate governing jurisdiction for the land of the Walt Disney World Resort. As of the late 1990s, it comprised an area of within the outer limits of Orange and Osceola counties in Florida...
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.
Platform safety
Some stations have remotely-opened or even automated gates that bar riders from approaching the monorail beamway (and, thus, any approaching or departing train) until the operators have determined that it is safe to allow people to board the train.
The cast member at the station gives the riders instructions on how to board. Other stations have manually operated gates to serve this function.
As the train floor is slightly raised above the platform, a portable ramp must be used to load guests in wheelchairs. For many years, the Contemporary Resort station did not have disabled access. An elevator has since been added to the platform.
Incidents
While a
number of accidents and injuriesThis is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at various Disney-owned theme parks, amusement parks, or water parks.The term incidents refers to major accidents, injuries, deaths, or significant crimes that occur at a Disney park...
have occurred on the monorails since Walt Disney World opened, there has been only one death. On July 5, 2009, a driver was killed when two monorails collided. It was the first fatal accident in the monorail's history.
Merchandising
As one of the de-facto symbols of the Walt Disney World Resort, the monorail has become part of the resort's marketing and merchandising efforts. One of the most popular elements is a battery-powered miniature toy monorail, sold in numerous gift shops at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort. Each year, a new edition of the toy is released, with a different color stripe; 2009 features a dual release of Monorails Orange and Silver. Since its initial release, a number of accessories have been sold for the set, such as stations resembling those for the various monorail-connected hotels—like the
Grand Floridian StationDisney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is a Victorian themed hotel and spa located at the Walt Disney World Resort. The property opened on June 28, 1988 as the Grand Floridian Beach Resort. The name changed to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa during the fall of 1997.The resort contains 867...
and the
Polynesian StationDisney's Polynesian Resort is a Disney owned and operated AAA Four-Diamond award winning resort located at the Walt Disney World Resort. It began operation on October 1, 1971 as one of Walt Disney World Resort's first two on-site hotels. The resort has a South Seas theme, and originally opened with...
--and even the A-frame tower of the
Contemporary ResortDisney's Contemporary Resort is a resort hotel located at the Walt Disney World Resort. Owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company, the hotel first opened on October 1, 1971 as one of the first two hotels in the resort complex. It is categorized as a 'Deluxe' Disney resort...
. Colors to date have included: Red, Black, Yellow, Purple, Gold, Blue, Green, Orange and Silver. Disney cast member Matt Hanson is the voice of the toy monorail. Matt was a monorail driver circa 1987.
The monorail is also a major icon in the resort's pin-trading program. For example, Disney Cast Members received a series of monorail pins to add to their pin lanyards for trading with guests. These pins have been released in two sets. The first set contains Red, Blue, Black, and Green, Silver, Purple, Yellow, and Orange. The second set added Gold, Lime, Pink and a Maroon train (in lieu of Coral). The pins could not be purchased at the resort; they could only be obtained by trading pins with Cast Members, or with other guests who had already obtained them. All of the colored monorail pins are now available to purchase in a Mystery Pin Set, in the Magic Kingdom and its Resort hotels. Two randomly selected monorail pins are in each set.
See also
- Disneyland Monorail System
The Disneyland Monorail System is an attraction and transportation system at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, USA. It was the first daily operating monorail in the western hemisphere, and the first in the United States.-History:...
- Disney Transport
Disney Transport is the privately run transportation system at Walt Disney World. Most movements are made using buses that run along the public and private roads of the resort...
- List of rapid transit systems
- List of monorail systems