Monorail Refurbishment

[Jonathan]

Mack Omnimover tbh.

 

[Kraken27]

From the drone video taken a week or so ago. Does anyone know what this red thing is? Is it sat over the track? Some maintenance/inspection type work?

The red thing is certainly very close to the "gang-plank" walkway for the monorail maintenance stop-point. Monorails can stop here to allow staff to alight / board from the drivers cab.

The red thing is definitely well past the switch-track, as you can clearly see where this is by the missing section of central evacuation walkway.

I do agree that the red thing certainly seems to be straddling the running rail - almost as though it is being protected from the elements to allow some kind of repair - e.g. to a track weld - to be done undercover.

 

[Kraken27]

In terms of what it will be replaced with, I think land trains would be a really good idea. I’ve been to numerous places where they work really well; Walt Disney World uses them effectively in all 4 theme parks, and Center Parcs has a really effective system in place to take guests around its holiday villages.

Firstly, Disney have planned their vast parking lots to accommodate the land-trains. They have separate land-train only lanes to keep land trains and guest vehicle traffic apart. It works well, even with the annoying safety announcements that have to play in both English & Spanish before the land train moves an inch (can't risk a lawsuit).

As to Center Parcs, only Longleat Forest has a land train due to the size & hilly nature of the village. If you're at the far side of the Westside / Fir area, it's a good 25min walk to the Plaza. They have big capacity problems with the land train too. Land trains are not a monorail replacement solution for Towers.

 

[Pleasure Beach Valhalla]

I noticed a few rapids and flume boats as well...

 

[Poisson]

Well that's Duel at the bottom of the shot, so the abandoned Daisy train, abandoned Flume boats and the Rapids boats are in the maintenance yard.

 

[djtruefitt]

I actually think not having the monorail hasn’t made much difference, mainly cause I’ve hardly done the monorail since they added the stupid rules, which made queues longer than they should be.

I would make the Galactica gate a permanent entrance, for hotel guests and even pass holders, keep it open all day and tart it up a bit, also means hotel guests can leave and enter here if they want to check in.

Keep free express parking for CBeebies so those guests can drive and park there.

Then spend some of the money saved on keeping the monorail shut on a bigger, nicer wider pathway to the park entrance with some nice proper lighting, music and plants and bushes.

As much as the monorail is nice and good ride to enter the park, since they covered the windows up, it’s lost all its magic and is in such a tired state, I imagine Varney has certainly not ridden or seen it in years!

 

[Godscrasher]

I think Galactica entrance should be kept for hotel guests only, but everyone else should either walk or get the monorail.

It's a massive part of the AT experience, getting the monorail, (when possible with them daft window things) seeing the park as you glide over Forbidden Valley, then arriving at the entrance and seeing Towers Street and the Towers, Corkscrew as imposing as it is playing part of that wow factor. The wow factor is every time and it's not a one off experience as it gets you every time, knowing you've arrived and the adrenaline building up.

Removing the monorail, having the Galactica entrance open to others than Hotel guests will make the experience sloppy and devalue it even before you step through the gates.

Keep the monorail, restrict Galactica entrance and keep the initial magic (which I still enjoy) of arriving at the entrance.

It still does it for me even after all of these years.

 

[rob666]

What about letting people with dodgy knees in at the Galactica gate if they don't mind a sloppy devalued entrance?

 

[imanautie]

What about letting people with dodgy knees in at the Galactica gate if they don't mind a sloppy devalued entrance?

I'm not sure if your joking or not?
It would be helpful for a fair few people if there was alternative entrances, however how would you define who's eligible to use it due to disability? Rap?

 

[rob666]

I wish my dodgy knees were a joke!
A second entrance should be an option for all though...help spread out the early punter run, nemesis within a couple of minutes of arrival versus an hours queue for Mr Wicker or smiler.

 

[Godscrasher]

If you've got a dodgy knee, there's the monorail (although this is said with it running and being maintained). Also if you've got a dodgy knee and no disrespect here, what difference is the entrance going to make at one end of the park when the expanse of the park is huge that the Galactica entrance would have little impact. I'm curious here?

 

[rob666]

I have two dodgy knees, not one.
I manage work on them fine, but a full day walking a theme park can leave me suffering for days. Alton is the worst because of the distance between ride groups.
I'm old enough to remember when the monorail ran on a good number of trains, meaning there was always one coming in to the station as the last left, and you shuffled constantly up the ramps, instead of having to wait half an hour, if it is actually open.
The obscured view from the windows means it simply isn't fun any more.
With a new entrance, you could access all the park via the skyride with far less walking overall, finishing your single loop back at nemesis.
I don't have a blue badge, but usually use express parking to minimise my time on my feet.
Edit...It would also give you an extra hour on the rides.

 

[BarryZola]

They should just make the Galactica entrance open to people who have medical exemptions from having to walk all the way around to the normal entrance. Then make another rule that the AT staff manning the entrance aren't allowed to ask you what your exemption is. I'm sure no-one on this lovely island would pretend to be ill/disabled to exempt themselves from the rules.

 

[MattyH]

What about letting people with dodgy knees in at the Galactica gate if they don't mind a sloppy devalued entrance?

I suppose all those years of visiting Blackpool means you get used to sloppy, Devalued entrances...

 

[Poisson]

The Monorail run properly, maybe even install airgates if they're so scared, is fine. Yes it needs new trains and general maintenance but they resist. Probably lack of any budget but it's poor. The Galactigate is nowhere near as good an entrance as the main entrance, in terms of space, cars crossing the path etc and infrastructure. Bring back the woodland walk and monorail, but keep the Galactigate as an exit.

 

[rob666]

I suppose all those years of visiting Blackpool means you get used to sloppy, Devalued entrances...

Especially when I am used to the dodgy back passage that is the east (arena) gate.

 

[jon81uk]

They should just make the Galactica entrance open to people who have medical exemptions from having to walk all the way around to the normal entrance. Then make another rule that the AT staff manning the entrance aren't allowed to ask you what your exemption is. I'm sure no-one on this lovely island would pretend to be ill/disabled to exempt themselves from the rules.

people who have medical exemption (blue badge) park at the main entrance anyway.

 

[jon81uk]

The Monorail run properly, maybe even install airgates if they're so scared, is fine. Yes it needs new trains and general maintenance but they resist. Probably lack of any budget but it's poor. The Galactigate is nowhere near as good an entrance as the main entrance, in terms of space, cars crossing the path etc and infrastructure. Bring back the woodland walk and monorail, but keep the Galactigate as an exit.

I still find it strange that they are so scared of people on the planet form when the underground and other train platforms have less fencing at all.

 

[Rick]

I'm not sure if your joking or not?
It would be helpful for a fair few people if there was alternative entrances, however how would you define who's eligible to use it due to disability? Rap?

You'd need a cattle pen stretching across the Galactica car park to cope with the crowds if it was available to anyone with RAP.

 

[AT86]

I still find it strange that they are so scared of people on the planet form when the underground and other train platforms have less fencing at all.

I believe there was an incident where a child fell from the platform/onto the track whilst waiting for a monorail train. In a post Smiler world, that put the kibosh on waiting on the platform. They should have installed gates to maintain a decent throughput.