Mark VII Monorail Has Arrived!

[Zazu]

That brings up a question. Since "Gauge" is the measurement between the inner edges of the two outermost rails, what would the gauge be for the monrails? Would it be zero or the width of the beam?

It's a moot point, since it's not a railroad at all under the law.

It is, however, a common carrier transport system, as is the bus system, watercraft, and the railroads at MK and AK. However, as the railroads are both narrow gauge, they are not covered under the Federal Railroad Administration.

[hobie16]

Zazu,

You know a lot about the Disney monorail system. Can you give me a guesstimate what it would cost to build a 25 mile system with four vehicles? Obviously, your number won't include land, right of ways and blasting a tunnel through volcanic rock. Throw in four stations if you can.

TIA

[Zazu]

Zazu,

You know a lot about the Disney monorail system. Can you give me a guesstimate what it would cost to build a 25 mile system with four vehicles? Obviously, your number won't include land, right of ways and blasting a tunnel through volcanic rock. Throw in four stations if you can.

Well, okay, but only on the understanding that this is a SWAG....

Figure .5 to $1M/mile for construction, not counting the tunnel. Trainsets are $2.5M each, IIRC. Might be worse depending on how the ADA is interpreted in your jurisdiction. Stations could be all over the map, depending. Are we talking an elevated slab with ramps, or an enclosed, weatherproof station with elevators/escalators? Ticketing system costs also vary widely.

I'm thinking a baseline of $40M plus stations and tunnelling. Naw, make it $60M, because you need a spare trainset and a maintenance facility.


Here's another item for comparison:

*Merge the MK Express and Epcot loops into a single long loop.
*Expand the Epcot station to be a transfer point.
*Run a new 2-track beamway from Downtown Disney to Epcot, Studios, Animal Kingdom, then on to a new maintenance barn.
*Add stations at the Epcot Resort Area, AKL, and two new deluxe resorts.

Price tag in 2000 dollars was $1.1B. Yeah, that's a B.


Frankly, for practical purposes I'd go with one of the Japanese vendors who offer turnkey systems including automatic operation and factory maintenance services. Don't go for a one-off like Disney has done. You want it unique? Paint it! (But please, not with the Pixie Puke mix from WDW.)


If you want to get serious about this, there are a number of web sites and serious chat groups I could refer you to. PM me for details. [Note: These sites are for engineers and financiers only, no fanboys allowed.]

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

*Merge the MK Express and Epcot loops into a single long loop.
*Expand the Epcot station to be a transfer point.
*Run a new 2-track beamway from Downtown Disney to Epcot, Studios, Animal Kingdom, then on to a new maintenance barn.
*Add stations at the Epcot Resort Area, AKL, and two new deluxe resorts.

Price tag in 2000 dollars was $1.1B. Yeah, that's a B.

I guess if ticket prices suddenly jump by 50%, we know what they are thinking!!