Monorail Refurbishment

[Skyscraper]

Not batching pre arrival hurts the monorail so so hard. First impressions and last impressions really count, and at the moment it's harmful to both.

Either kill it or spend a relative pittance on airgates if they really don't think the same public that stand on train platforms are capable of standing on this one.

I've been saying for so long that the monorail needs air gates. They would help massively by enabling guests to be batched before a train arrives, as you said. Garmendale (Gangsta Granny) do them and, like you also said, I doubt they would be expensive.

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[Jb85]

I've been saying for so long that the monorail needs air gates. They would help massively by enabling guests to be batched before a train arrives, as you said. Garmendale (Gangsta Granny) do them and, like you also said, I doubt they would be expensive.

Shotgun Gating Systems - Garmendale

Control guest flow with our shotgun gating systems. Ranging from Pnuematic to Electrical systems, we have the right system for your needs.

www.garmendale.co.uk

I think it’s clear to me the monorail is not in any long term plan and as such they are just patching it together.

I see Towers Street being changed so it’s a secondary entrance with a new entrance being built near the hotels …..

I don’t see that happening in the next few years though, there is a lot of infrastructure to be built to achieve this.

 

[Danny]

I'm still waiting for the air gates that we were promised were in place last year. Has anyone seen them yet?

 

[s_g_k]

I think it’s clear to me the monorail is not in any long term plan and as such they are just patching it together.

I see Towers Street being changed so it’s a secondary entrance with a new entrance being built near the hotels …..

I don’t see that happening in the next few years though, there is a lot of infrastructure to be built to achieve this.

I just can’t see how making the main entrance to the park at the Galactica gate would work. As you said, it would require a phenomenal amount of infrastructure and would be far cheaper to give the monorail stations a lick of paint and tart up the trains.

Imagine being a young family and having to route-march everyone from the Galactica gate over to CBeebies Land first thing - it just wouldn’t work, especially with Skyride opening at 11.

In its glory days, the monorail was a magical way to start your day. You’d have Oblivion’s queue line videos playing as you made your way up to the station and then HOTMK blasting out on the trains as you passed Ripsaw and Nemesis spooling up before ride open.

 

[Matt.GC]

Like Duel, this is what happens to attractions that are end of life at Merlin parks. They are kept on life support for so long and the experience gets so bad that people accept or call for their demise, whilst not considering how we got to this stage in the first place. When they get a downgraded replacement, we're expected to be grateful.

Duel is so pants now that there seems to be an acceptance that a cheap screen based ride with a tacky IP like Ghostbusters would be better than seeing it in it's current state. Opening hours are so bad that an "extension" to 5pm is considered good news. So many themed flats have been removed leading us to feel we're lucky to have fun fair rides dumped in their place a few years later. I could go on.

The inevitable closure of the monorail will be the single biggest downgrade on Towers journey from being a world class park to a glorified regional park. I've always loved arriving at the station and getting on the monorail which signals the fact that I've arrived at Alton Towers. Then riding through parts of the park, seeing some of the rides you'll be experiencing that day from a unique vantage point before looking down the majesty of Towers Street with the iconic Towers in the back ground. It always used to be very grand and an integral part of the whole AT experience. Seeing the monorail high above you in the back ground throughout your day as it goes back and forth is just great.

But it's trains are rotten inside and out and operations are so bad, I rarely get to ride it these days. If I'm there on a 4pm close, I get there really early to get one of the first trains out so I can try and peer through the covered windows. If I'm staying over, I can't justify not using the Galactica gate when I see the monorail queue backed into the car park. Sometimes the same at the end of the day. It's really sad. I love the monorail and I hate seeing it staring towards it's demise. AT will be mostly dead to me when it goes.

 

[SuperMuscleMan]

Like Duel, this is what happens to attractions that are end of life at Merlin parks. They are kept on life support for so long and the experience gets so bad that people accept or call for their demise, whilst not considering how we got to this stage in the first place. When they get a downgraded replacement, we're expected to be grateful.

Duel is so pants now that there seems to be an acceptance that a cheap screen based ride with a tacky IP like Ghostbusters would be better than seeing it in it's current state. Opening hours are so bad that an "extension" to 5pm is considered good news. So many themed flats have been removed leading us to feel we're lucky to have fun fair rides dumped in their place a few years later. I could go on.

The inevitable closure of the monorail will be the single biggest downgrade on Towers journey from being a world class park to a glorified regional park. I've always loved arriving at the station and getting on the monorail which signals the fact that I've arrived at Alton Towers. Then riding through parts of the park, seeing some of the rides you'll be experiencing that day from a unique vantage point before looking down the majesty of Towers Street with the iconic Towers in the back ground. It always used to be very grand and an integral part of the whole AT experience. Seeing the monorail high above you in the back ground throughout your day as it goes back and forth is just great.

But it's trains are rotten inside and out and operations are so bad, I rarely get to ride it these days. If I'm there on a 4pm close, I get there really early to get one of the first trains out so I can try and peer through the covered windows. If I'm staying over, I can't justify not using the Galactica gate when I see the monorail queue backed into the car park. Sometimes the same at the end of the day. It's really sad. I love the monorail and I hate seeing it staring towards it's demise. AT will be mostly dead to me when it goes.

I agree, it's what sets AT apart from every other park in the UK. It has that Magic Kingdom quality when your day was made to end and start with a journey on the monorail.

I know removing the beams will be a huge task when they do decide to remove the experience. However I would prefer them to bite the bullet and invest in new trains. Not cheap but if the track infrastructure is solid it's just as cheap to get new stock. Automate it if you want to lower costs.

The idea of forbidden valley as the main entrance is a joke at the moment. You won't have the grand entrance, shops or supporting infrastructure. It won't be magical and you would then have to put in more staff for both entrances as they would need to legally open at the same time and have the same admin staff for disabled customers/parking.

The relief road that the parking charge was ment for was never built and was pocketed by M£rlin. They could cover the cost of 5 new trains with less than a years takings.

 

[Skyscraper]

I agree, it's what sets AT apart from every other park in the UK. It has that Magic Kingdom quality when your day was made to end and start with a journey on the monorail.

I know removing the beams will be a huge task when they do decide to remove the experience. However I would prefer them to bite the bullet and invest in new trains. Not cheap but if the track infrastructure is solid it's just as cheap to get new stock. Automate it if you want to lower costs.

The idea of forbidden valley as the main entrance is a joke at the moment. You won't have the grand entrance, shops or supporting infrastructure. It won't be magical and you would then have to put in more staff for both entrances as they would need to legally open at the same time and have the same admin staff for disabled customers/parking.

The relief road that the parking charge was ment for was never built and was pocketed by M£rlin. They could cover the cost of 5 new trains with less than a years takings.

Where would that road have connected of it had been built? First I've heard of it.

 

[Poisson]

Problem for the monorail is it is far more knackered than people think. Several of the footers are in need of replacement as well as the trains and arguably the stations.

 

[SuperMuscleMan]

Where would that road have connected of it had been built? First I've heard of it.

It was when the parking charges were first brought in. It was argued by Alton at the time that the parking charges would be used to help with traffic through the local areas, explore alternative methods of transportation and the possibility of a relief road or other improvements. Of course that never happened. I believe it was announced at an event at the hotel. Possibly around 2005?

Problem for the monorail is it is far more knackered than people think. Several of the footers are in need of replacement as well as the trains and arguably the stations.

But removal of the system around nemesis would cost a pretty penny too. The station's don't have to be upgraded at the same time. Why not make this a multi year project if money is the issue?

 

[Skyscraper]

But removal of the system around nemesis would cost a pretty penny too. The station's don't have to be upgraded at the same time. Why not make this a multi year project if money is the issue?

If they needed to replace or remove that section couldn't they do it while Nemmy was being re-tracked? Would make sense as there would be more space if the coaster track wasn't there.

 

[Poisson]

Why do you think it'd be difficult? There's an access road between Nemmy and Shed Terror, standard procedure of cutting tools and a crane and a flat bed and the track is down and gone. The support could have the top lopped off and the stub left and covered, as mentioned during Nemesis retrack works.

 

[Squiggs]

Where would that road have connected of it had been built? First I've heard of it.

I'm not sure if their plans were ever actually released, but if I recall correctly it was something like the red line here, connecting in to the resort near the Enchanted Village/Stargazing pods.

The land beyond that boundary of the park belongs to JCB, so it is/was feasible for the park to acquire it for an access road from Quixhill Lane.

Looking at it compared to the current blue route, you can really see why the locals think this would be a better option than the current route through Alton.

 

[QTXAdsy]

I'm not sure if their plans were ever actually released, but if I recall correctly it was something like the red line here, connecting in to the resort near the Enchanted Village/Stargazing pods.

The land beyond that boundary of the park belongs to JCB, so it is/was feasible for the park to acquire it for an access road from Quixhill Lane.

Looking at it compared to the current blue route, you can really see why the locals think this would be a better option than the current route through Alton.

Funnily enough when looking at railway maps of Britain, it is something of a frustration that had the railway closures of the 1960's been far less worse such as the railway between Uttoxeter, Rocester, Ashbourne and Buxton remained in place then I'm certain that you could have quite easily built in a spur connection heading into Towers from the west as opposed to the east side that the Churnet Valley Railway are trying to do and the more you look at it it would be arguably a far better location for a station for the park in contrast to the one for the village.


You cam see how a proper railway connection as well as a good road connection as mentioned above would, in an ideal world, all help improve Towers transport connections far greater which in terms of bringing in more guests by transport as opposed to cars clogging up the tiny roads would be a huge improvement for all concern and simple business though I'd hardly see Merlin doing this (maybe if the railway was still there in the 1990's this happening during the golden years for sure) as they'd likely run a mile.

Also from a tedious POV, it would mean I could easily take a train to Towers from Scotland instead of using my car!

God damn, I hate given out helpful ideas for Towers you'll all know me for (Port Discovery) as I feel like I'm wasting my time, sigh.

 

[AT86]

So with Merlin seemingly loosening the purse strings and increasing investments across their theme parks, is there any sign/rumour/suggestion/info that some of that cash might be thrown at the monorail anytime soon?

It certainly desperately needs it.

 

[Jb85]

So with Merlin seemingly loosening the purse strings and increasing investments across their theme parks, is there any sign/rumour/suggestion/info that some of that cash might be thrown at the monorail anytime soon?

It certainly desperately needs it.

New trains is my guess at some point in the next 10 years

 

[rob666]

Not cheap, more likely to be just scrapped, filling the parking from the other end and walking/courtesy carts.

 

[Nick🎢]

It's a really tough one. Do these trains exist? Would they be a totally custom build? I could well see the cost being unjustifiable. I could see a push to open new parking closer to the entrance and scrap it. Some of the lower car parks then open possibilities for park expansion. It's that or do the unthinkable and open a second entrance in FV. Can't see that though.

 

[Johnny_5]

Willing to place a few drinks on a bet that the monorail is closed / removed when the Nemesis re-track happens. Nemesis is having a new support put in, along with replacement of a few others in addition to the track replacement itself. With the amount of machinery needed to do that, it’s the perfect opportunity for the Towers to get in and remove the monorail supports.

 

[s_g_k]

Here’s a thought. If the monorail gets removed, as a cheaper alternative could they not get 4 or 5 land trains instead? Theme them up as actual trains with onboard speakers - what’s not to like?

Would do the same job.

 

[Skyscraper]

Here’s a thought. If the monorail gets removed, as a cheaper alternative could they not get 4 or 5 land trains instead? Theme them up as actual trains with onboard speakers - what’s not to like?

Would do the same job.

Didn't they have land trains some time before the monorail was built?