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New Monorail Fleet ordered?


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Internal sources are reporting that Disney has ordered a new fleet of monorails for Walt Disney World to replace the aging and problematic Mark VI monorails that have been in use at the resort since 1989.

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We have also been told that the abrupt cancellation of the broadway-style Main Street Theater was necessary to free up some of the funds needed for the new monorail fleet. This makes a lot of sense, since the theater was confirmed by Bob Chapek last July at the D23 Expo, and work actually started on the project in October, only to be rumored to be cancelled in February (barely a month after the door incident), and finally removed from the Walt Disney World What’s New webpage earlier this month.

https://wdwnt.com/2018/04/rumor-new-monorail-fleet-has-been-ordered-for-walt-disney-world/

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April 28 2018  inquistr.com

Disney Imagineer Says That New Monorail Trains Are Coming To Walt Disney World

 

For a very long time, there have been rumors that the Walt Disney Worldmonorail system would receive a new fleet of trains, and it seems as if that day is finally coming. Disney Imagineer and Legend Bob Gurr spoke at a special event on Saturday night, which was for a documentary called Walt Disney: Masters of Dreamers. During that sold-out discussion, Gurr confirmed that new monorail trains are on the way to Walt Disney World.

The event consisted of a Q&A session on Facebook, which had Gurr answering a number of questions to those in attendance. It was a moment that Disney fans will always remember and making things even better was that the panel was to benefit Give Kids the World.

 

Bob Gurr is well known for his work at Disneyland and the majority of the transportation vehicles and rides. He worked on the Matterhorn, Autopia, Haunted Mansion, and most notably on the monorail system.

While a number of Disney questions were thrown at the panel for tonight’s event, one of them simply wondered if they thought there would be a new monorail system at Walt Disney World within the next three years. Gurr didn’t hesitate to field that question and answer quite confidently.

Bob Gurr earlier tonight discussing the rumors of new monorails coming to WDW:

“There is a contract… contracts are underway. You will see (new monorails). If everything works right, it will be the same company, Bombardier.”

— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) April 29, 2018

Disney Legend Bob Gurr says “There is contracts with Bombardier, you will see new monorails” when asked if WDW will see new monorails in the next three years. pic.twitter.com/mm1kr07o7R

— WDW Kingdomcast (@WDWKingdomcast) April 29, 2018

Gurr stated that “machines do not last forever” and that those in the transportation industry usually design things to last for around 20 years. The current fleet of Mark VI Monorails first started their rounds at Walt Disney World back in 1989.

There have been a number of issues with the current fleet and that includes a situation back in January which was quite frightening. While going from the Transportation & Ticket Center to Epcot, the door of Monorail Red actually opened while in motion and with guests sitting in the car.

That situation brought about new warning stickers inside the car of every monorail train, which let guests know that they should not lean on the doors while the monorail is in motion.

 

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More rumors.....

https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2018/05/14/disney-worlds-new-monorails-might-include-augmented-reality-windows

 

Disney World's new monorails might include augmented reality windows

Those long-rumored new monorails at Walt Disney World might be even cooler and higher-tech than anyone realized. Disney’s obsession with projection mapping and augmented reality might see some real-world application on the new monorails. 

In recent episodes of their Disney news podcast, The Disney Dish with Jim Hill, Disney historian and industry insider Jim Hill has been working with Touring Plans founder and statistical genius Len Testa to uncover a highly confidential plan within Disney to develop augmented reality windows for transit systems. The technology piggybacks on recent patents by Disney, including a fascinating one that uses projection mapping within hotel rooms. 

Hill and Testa initially reported that the system would be used within the rumored self-driving cars that are expected to begin being used at Walt Disney World within the next few months. But in their most recent episode, Testa says that a “Disney insider” has reached out to him and claims that the technology will instead be used on the monorails. He gives an example: When the monorail passes Spaceship Earth, the Epcot structure could be transformed into the Death Star from Star Wars with X-wing fighters flying around it. He also mentions that the technology would be able to recognize if it was a cloudy day and the augmented view would then include clouds. 

This window upgrade rumor comes just weeks after retired Disney Imagineer and Disney Legend Bob Gurr said he was confident that Disney was in talks to update the aging monorail, pointing out that the system was well past its intended lifespan, and mocked the current monorail fleet by calling it a “duct tape monorail.” He also confirmed that Bombardier, who built the present WDW fleet, is the vendor of choice for the new fleet. 

When rumors of the new fleet first leaked last month, many speculated that Disney would use one of Bombardier’s pre-existing designs, which are greatly influenced by the current Disney Mark VI trains. Even before we knew of the possible AR-equipped windows, many thought that Disney would adjust the Bombardier design so they could trademark it, allowing them to use the monorails in their successful WDW transit line of retail gifts. Initially, the thought was that this customization would only be on the front and back cars where Disney would add their signature monorail cone nose design, but now it looks like the Disney customization may extend throughout the entire train to include features such as the windows and possible LED-themed lighting. Disney showed off a buswith this LED lighting at a fan convention a few years ago but has given no updates on the technology since then. 

If rumors are correct, the new trains should be announced within the next two years, with the first of the fleet operational by the WDW 50th Anniversary in 2021.

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