Monorail traveling with door ajar...yikes!

[PrincessWithABlaster]

The bigger fail is their "thought process" to put it nicely. According to the woman on the train who took the video, the door was broken in the station. It would not shut. Maintenance came to work on it and failed. So they just jammed it shut to get the train moving. They no sooner left the station when the door opened. Clearly the safety mechanisms don't work or don't exist as we think.

That train should have been pulled from service in the station. The decision to let it go, knowing there was a problem, knowing it could fly back open was a major failure. Everyone who says "oh well stuff happens and breaks" .............. NO ............ this was broken in the station and Disney CMs let it roll out broken with guests in it. At the VERY LEAST they should have moved those guests to another car and slapped a do not use sticker on it until they had time to really work on it.

I don’t know how hard it is to take a monorail off the line but taking it out of service is absolutely what they should have done. PP have reported issues with the doors on the red trains in the days leading up to this. Why was it back on the track? Any one know how many spares there are on a given day? I know it’s less than there used to be but we stayed at CR and Poly the last two years and there seemed to be a reasonable number cycling thru.

I assume they were trying to avoid a prolonged delay and I’m sure the pressure on them was high to get it going again. Those are situations where stricter policies are needed.

 

[Princess_Lisa]

I don’t know how hard it is to take a monorail off the line but taking it out of service is absolutely what they should have done. PP have reported issues with the doors on the red trains in the days leading up to this. Why was it back on the track? Any one know how many spares there are on a given day? I know it’s less than there used to be but we stayed at CR and Poly the last two years and there seemed to be a reasonable number cycling thru.

I assume they were trying to avoid a prolonged delay and I’m sure the pressure on them was high to get it going again. Those are situations where stricter policies are needed.

They have tracks leading back to a building behind Magic Kingdom, so I would think it wouldn't be too difficult to take the entire train out of service.

[EDIT] It looks like it would have to switch to the Magic Kingdom line first, so it might be a little more difficult for an Epcot Monorail.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

And, we thought we would have to wait until "Star Wars" for another E-TICKET ride !

 

[OKW Lover]

I don’t know how hard it is to take a monorail off the line but taking it out of service is absolutely what they should have done.

They have tracks leading back to a building behind Magic Kingdom, so I would think it wouldn't be too difficult to take the entire train out of service.

[EDIT] It looks like it would have to switch to the Magic Kingdom line first, so it might be a little more difficult for an Epcot Monorail.

Its not easy to take a train out of service. From the Epcot line they have to switch it to the outer most (express) MK line at the TTC. From there it has to travel through the Contemporary and hold short of the MK until the spur line can be switched in. Once it gets on the spur line heading back to the round house then the express line can be returned to normal operation. That doesn't happen quickly.

None of that however should matter. Its a significant safety issue. As a short-term measure they could simply block off that car to passengers.

On a lighter note: when is a door not a door?

Spoiler: Answer

when its a jar

 

[DVCPAT]

This is basic stuff. The most basic you can get. Minimal safety.

So it's ok if a major safety component malfunctions once in a while? Nope it's not. Not ever. Because when safety devices malfunction, people get hurt and/or die.

I'm so glad this has gone public and that there is a video of this.

I agree, two failures occurred which should have caused the cabin to be locked and repaired ASAP. The door latch mechanism is the first failure. The second failure is the safety interlock that notifies the operator. Safety circuits are designed to activate during any type of fault. For example, a fault in the safety sensor alone should have tripped when the door was closed. A safety should never fail without activating the circuit.
If I’m not mistaken, the monorail safety sensors only activate an idiot light which can be ignored. I would hope Disney put in a monorail location sensor Preventing a collision after the last accident. Hopefully, Disney will put a safety interlock in the door circuit that can’t be ignored by an employee.

 

[DVCPAT]

I don’t know how hard it is to take a monorail off the line but taking it out of service is absolutely what they should have done. PP have reported issues with the doors on the red trains in the days leading up to this. Why was it back on the track? Any one know how many spares there are on a given day? I know it’s less than there used to be but we stayed at CR and Poly the last two years and there seemed to be a reasonable number cycling thru.

I assume they were trying to avoid a prolonged delay and I’m sure the pressure on them was high to get it going again. Those are situations where stricter policies are needed.

The maintenance technician should have boarded the cabin and manually kept the door closed. When the cabin was empty, the doors should have been locked and repaired ASAP.

I think Disney will correct this quickly. They seem to be proactive after the alligator accident at GF.

 

[Dan Murphy]

They seem to be proactive after the alligator accident at GF

They seem to be, at best, reactive in this situation.

 

[HopperFan]

Report: Disney World may discontinue resort's monorail system

https://www.local10.com/theme-parks/report-disney-world-may-discontinue-resort-s-monorail-system

 

[Princess_Lisa]

Report: Disney World may discontinue resort's monorail system

https://www.local10.com/theme-parks/report-disney-world-may-discontinue-resort-s-monorail-system

NOOOO!!!!! Disney just isn't the same without the monorail. Its iconic...and a lot better IMHO that the Ferryboats. Disney just needs to spend some of those billions in profits to replace the trains and maintain the new ones so we don't end up back in the same situation.

 

[HopperFan]

NOOOO!!!!! Disney just isn't the same without the monorail. Its iconic...and a lot better IMHO that the Ferryboats. Disney just needs to spend some of those billions in profits to replace the trains and maintain the new ones so we don't end up back in the same situation.

Well ............... I'd rather have new attractions and park investments than keep this thing going. Most the "rumor" is that Epcot goes sooner than later. And the final result would be MK Resort monorail only, no Express. That could be quite do-able with ferry boat and buses from TTC.

But again ............ all rumors right now. But their lack of good maintenance, new trains long ago needed and now this video ........... might be a good move before something really bad happens.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

I don't think they'll discontinue the monorail, it is too iconic. It would be like getting rid of the "giant golfball" at epcot or Cinderella Castle. They will have to admit the problem and fix the problem of the ageing fleet. If the report of a 2 year timeline for ordering and receiving new trains is true, then Disney should have started the ordering process years ago. Eventually their hand will be forced, the question is will it take another Lane Graves for them to fix the monorail?

Also, there has been much discussion of the trains, but how long are the tracks good for? I know they are sturdy structures, but eventually even concrete crumbles, especially when it has been bombarded by sand, humidity, and high winds.

 

[DVCPAT]

They seem to be, at best, reactive in this situation.

Proactive in fixing the problem before someone gets hurt. It’s hard to stop every part from failing before hand.
I hope Disney hasn’t let go senior technicians. Sometimes only a few employees are well versed at troubleshooting older systems and when they’re gone, new technicians have no one to refer to for help.
The new technician who can’t fix an issue then calls the system obsolete or a piece of crap. Older systems are sometimes better built than new. When you lose the skill set for repairing old systems, it’s operating days are numbered. Outside vendors want to make money so they don’t repair, they replace with a hefty price tag.

 

[Minnesota!]

In most instances, I would be all "stuff breaks".

However, as we all know, Disney is SO GOLLDAMN slow to fix anything...whether it is broken, out of date, etc. They just let it limp along until someone puts it out to pasture.

This was TOO far. If a kid had fallen out (hell, an adult)...can you imagine? I mean, when the alligator attacked 2 years ago, we had rocks and fences almost instantaneously. What kind of response would they have had if someone had fallen? Why can't they have that response PRIOR to an incident?

 

[FCDub]

NOOOO!!!!! Disney just isn't the same without the monorail. Its iconic...and a lot better IMHO that the Ferryboats. Disney just needs to spend some of those billions in profits to replace the trains and maintain the new ones so we don't end up back in the same situation.

There is no value add for them to do so. People aren't going to stop going because there's no monorail – or, rather, people aren't coming specifically BECAUSE of the monorail. I'd much rather them spend that money improving the actual parks and building new attractions.

 

[Meglen]

There is no value add for them to do so. People aren't going to stop going because there's no monorail – or, rather, people aren't coming specifically BECAUSE of the monorail. I'd much rather them spend that money improving the actual parks and building new attractions.

I beg to differ. One of the main reasons people book the monorail line resprts is so they dont have to use so many busses. This might drop the prices of the delux in some way if they cancel it.

 

[FCDub]

I beg to differ. One of the main reasons people book the monorail line resprts is so they dont have to use so many busses. This might drop the prices of the delux in some way if they cancel it.

They are not removing all transportation. There are still other ways to get to the MK, and you can bet that if they get rid of the monorail that there will likely be a replacement.

 

[Princess_Lisa]

I beg to differ. One of the main reasons people book the monorail line resprts is so they dont have to use so many busses. This might drop the prices of the delux in some way if they cancel it.

Plus, unless they replace it with something else, all those people who are now split between the Monorail and Ferryboat are going to be dumped on the Ferries. They'll have to spend the money on something or it will be a multi hour wait just to get out of the park.

 

[Meglen]

https://www.local10.com/theme-parks...f-plans-to-discontinue-resort-monorail-system

 

[anomamatt]

There is no value add for them to do so. People aren't going to stop going because there's no monorail – or, rather, people aren't coming specifically BECAUSE of the monorail. I'd much rather them spend that money improving the actual parks and building new attractions.

If the monorail goes away, it would dramatically shift where I stay. I wouldn't stay at Poly again or GF (the latter barring they complete the footpath to MK). I'd probably do all split stays between CR and BWI.

 

[HopperFan]

https://www.local10.com/theme-parks...f-plans-to-discontinue-resort-monorail-system

Disney World denies report of plans to discontinue resort monorail system

Well there you go, we will be able to continue to ride the smellie ancient-should-be-replaced monorails at our own risk. Well, I say we, but I for one will continue to avoid them at all costs. Give me a ferry boat or bus any day.

Sadly this will greatly impact budgets for future attractions ............