Walt Disney World Monorail System

The original control system served from 1989 with the introduction of Mark VI Blue until June 2007 when the final train, Blue, was converted to the new LMCU2 system.

Mark VI's New Controls.

The trains in use since 1989 are each 203 ft 6 in (62.03 m) long (consisting of six cars) and can carry 360 passengers. The trains are driven by eight 113 hp (84 kW) motors which are powered by a 600-volt electrical system running through a busbar mounted on each side of the concrete beam.[11] Each train also has seven inverters on board that convert the 600 V DC to 230 V AC for use by the air conditioners and air compressor, and additionally has a battery-backed 37 V DC 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 (64 km/h), with several speed zones throughout the system with limits ranging from 15 to 40 mph (24 to 64 km/h). 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."

Train spacing is maintained by the Moving Blocklight System (MBS), also known as the MAPO system (for "Mary Poppins," U.S. Patent 3,973,746), which establishes a number of "holdpoints" throughout the system. 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 overrides the system. Failure to maintain adequate spacing is known as an "overrun," and is treated as an extremely serious offense.[12]

Since the implementation of automation, platform attendants use a control panel located on each station platform to operate the monorail.

Starting June 22, 2014, the monorail began operating on a different timetable in order to accommodate work to automate the system. Disney stated that the system would provide a more efficient service with enhanced safety, as well as more frequent dispatch of the trains, faster switching times, and monorail arrival information.[13] Pilots are still seated in the front cab, but only supervise the monorail in case of an emergency. Platform attendants operate a control panel to dispatch and operate the monorail system.

Monorail Peach on October 22, 2011 outside Disney's Polynesian Resort.

For a while, Monorail Coral featured TRON artwork from Disney's Tron: Legacy

Monorail Black traveling inside Epcot on December 14, 2019. The red deltas were added following its refurbishment.

Each train is identified by a colored stripe, and given a name according to that color.[10] The complete list of colors used is below. To help visually identify Green from Lime, Pink from Coral and Blue from Teal, the Lime, Teal, 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 mid December 2018, Monorail Lime's white delta was repainted to the original dark blue scheme.[14]

In November 2009, Disney put Monorail Teal into service. Monorail Teal was built using the undamaged portions of the two trains involved in the July 5, 2009 crash.[4][15] The colors of the two trains involved, Pink and Purple, were retired from service.[4] The twelfth train, Peach, was placed into service on October 7, 2011 to restore the resort's fleet back to twelve trains.[16][17] It was assembled using the undamaged center cars from the Purple train, but with new end cabs replacing the damaged sections from the Pink and Purple trains.[17]

In March 2010, Disney debuted Monorail Coral in TRON livery on the Epcot line as part of a marketing plan for Tron: Legacy.[18]

Since the Tron paint scheme in 2010, there have been several other monorail wraps. On March 31, 2012, Monorail Red was converted into a special scheme commemorating the release of The Avengers, similar to the previous promotion for Tron: Legacy.[19] The monorail ran on the Magic Kingdom line and sometimes on the Resort line as the Epcot line loops through the park itself, since Disney is not able to feature specified Marvel characters inside its Florida parks due to Marvel Entertainment's license agreement with Universal Parks & Resorts that was in place prior to the purchase of Marvel in 2009.

In March 2013, Monorail Black was given a similar conversion to promote the release of Iron Man 3.[20] In April 2013, Monorail Teal was converted into a special scheme commemorating the release of Monsters University.[21] In November 2015, Monorail Black was decorated in Star Wars designs commemorating the release of Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens.[22] In February 2016, Monorail Orange was decorated in Zootopia designs and was named the Zootopia Monorail System to reflect the Zootopia Transit Authority, commemorating the release of Zootopia.[23] In June 2018, Monorail Orange was decorated in Incredibles designs to promote the release of Incredibles 2.[24] A year later, Monorail Yellow was decorated with Toy Story characters to promote Toy Story 4.[25]

Some monorail trains are identified with trapezoidal “deltas” within the color stripe in between the passenger doors on each car. These deltas were originally intended to help differentiate monorails of similar colors.

An example of the former Lime Delta.

When Mark IV Monorail Lime was added to the line in May 1984, it was painted with Navy Blue deltas as an homage to the original Monorail costumes. These deltas were painted white in 1999; for unknown reasons, however, the navy blue returned after a refurbishment in December 2018.

When Mark IV Monorail Coral was added to the line in August 1984, it was painted with White deltas to differentiate it from Monorail Pink. In July 2009, Monorail Pink was retired from service following its crash with Monorail Purple. However, Monorail Coral retained its White deltas.

When Mark VI Monorail Teal was added into rotation in November 2009, it was painted with White deltas to differentiate it from Monorail Blue.

Between August and December 2019, Monorails Silver, Black and Green were refurbished, adding new brakes, a new interior, and repainted exterior. Monorails Silver and Black also had deltas added; Monorail Silver was given black deltas while Monorail Black was given red deltas. It is unknown why this was done, since there are no Monorails in the Mark VI fleet that are similarly colored. Monorail Black was previously painted with a red pinstripe outline, which it still retains with its new deltas. During the 2020 Coronavirus lockdown, Monorail Peach was also refurbished.

The last page of the book The Disney Monorail: Imagineering a Highway in the Sky has a poster announcing a "Mark X Monorail", indicating that it would be coming to Epcot's Play! Pavilion in 2021.[26] However, as the book was written before the pandemic, it is unclear if this is still the case.

Train identification colors include:

* Identifiable by deltas.
** Retired following July 2009 incident

Entrance to the express TTC platform

Sign above the entrance to the Epcot platform

Before July 2009, Disney would allow up to four guests to sit in the front of the monorail with the pilot. This was offered on a first-come, first-served basis, and a pilot gave out "co-pilot licenses" at the end of the journey. After the July 5, 2009 crash, Disney indefinitely suspended the co-pilot program. Pilots will still allow guests to tour the cab while parked at a station. Since automating all the trains, one of the front passenger seats was removed to add computer housings for the automation system.

The monorail system uses a set of pre-recorded announcements to instruct and entertain passengers. Prior to departure when the pilot closes the doors, an announcement asks guests to "Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas." One of the most well-known phrases within the resort, it was recorded by Jack Wagner, who was known as "the Voice of Disneyland." In 1988 following the construction of the Grand Floridian Resort stop, Kevin Miles replaced Jack Wagner as the voiceover. Wagner can still be heard today as the "Please stand clear of the doors" phrase remains with his voice, partly because it is installed on a separate system. Miles worked in Epcot as part of the 'Voices of Liberty' in the American Adventure pavilion at World Showcase. Sometime before 1998, Disney employee Matt Hanson replaced Kevin Miles, and in 2004 Hanson was replaced by Joe Hursh.[27] Hanson is still with the Walt Disney Company.[28] 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.[28] On April 13, 2012 at around 5:00 EST, Disney activated a newer version of the spiel on the monorails that features Tom Kane as its new narrator.[29]

On nights before Hurricanes and other severe weather events are predicted to affect the Walt Disney World Resort, three monorails and two service tractors will be left out on the system in case issues occur as a result of the weather. Two trains and a work tractor will be parked inside the Contemporary Resort with the storm doors closed. One train will be parked at Epcot and the work tractor normally stationed on the Epcot Spur will be parked at the Epcot platform of the Transportation and Ticket Center. This way, if any of the switch beams were to go offline, a maintenance team would be able to fix any issues and there would be at least one monorail to transport guests. Monorail service must cease whenever sustained winds are expected to exceed 39 mph or greater.[30]

The Green work tractor towing Monorail Green on the maintenance access beam.

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 Mountain. Monorail Operations at the Walt Disney World resort has four separate tractors (Green, tagged '3', Red, tagged ‘4’, Black, tagged ‘5’, and a sixth one that has yet to receive a color) 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. When not in use, two of the work tractors will usually be parked at the shed while the third is parked on a small 62' maintenance spur just outside of the Transportation and Ticket Center along the Epcot beam to allow for faster access to any issues on that part of the system.

Safe train spacing is maintained via a moving blocklight system, referred to as MAPO, installed in the cab of each train.[10] 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 Poppins.[31]

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 three or more blocks ahead, amber means two 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.[10]

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 they will be transferred out of the monorails department and into a different role at Walt Disney World.[32]

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. 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. Red MAPOs occurring due to safety tests, switching, or beam power loss do not count as demerits against the pilot.

Covid-19 Precautions

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Walt Disney World installed plastic dividers to the monorail to isolate guests from potential exposure to COVID-19 and to safely increase monorail capacity. The dividers were placed into four sections capable of sitting about two adults. The plastic was made up of material that was modified to fit onto the existing handrails with zip-ties.[33]

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 manually 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 an 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 Creek 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.[34]

Since April 2017, bag searches and walk through metal detector checks have been systematically performed on guests before they board the monorail, including at the Transportation and Ticket Center and the three resort monorail stops. The security cordon extension was put in place to reduce congestion at the entrance to Magic Kingdom.[35] Until late 2019, guests taking the monorail to Epcot would need to go through security again at the Epcot entrance, but this was eventually fixed in late 2019 by the relocation of Epcot's main entrance checkpoints.[36]

Platform Controls at Magic Kingdom Station.

The Express station at the Transportation and Ticket Center, and both stations at the Magic Kingdom have remotely opened or automated gates that bar riders from approaching the guideway (and, thus, any approaching or departing train) until the operators have determined that it is safe to allow people to board the train.[37] The cast member at the station gives the riders instructions on how to board. The other stations have manually operated gates to serve this function.

All platforms are ADA-accessible. Because the train level is higher than the platform level, a portable ramp must be used to load and unload guests with disabilities at all stations. For many years, the Contemporary Resort station did not have ADA access, but an elevator has since been added to the platform.

Several accidents and injuries have occurred on the monorails since Walt Disney World opened, as well as one death. On July 5, 2009, a driver was killed after the Pink and Purple monorails collided on the Epcot line at the Transportation and Ticket Center. This was the only deadly incident on the Walt Disney World Monorail System in its history.[38]