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Monorail Refurbishment
- Thread starter WallisDan
- Start date
Mi-Nigle
TS Member
I miss the theatre I used to associate with the monorail. It was a journey in itself.
We arrive in the car park, weary and far from the park entrance. But look! A private monorail circling above our heads to take us to our final destination. That’s a large queue though… no matter! Train after train after train arrives and the queue never stops shuffling forward as we see previews of the day ahead on the CRTs above We’re getting closer.
Up in the station we’re greeted and batched into our designated spots as the train comes rolling in. Doors open, we sit, doors close and we’re off! No dilly dallying here. It’s clear they want us in the park as soon as possible to start our day.
Following a brief transit over the car park we suddenly break through the trees into the park itself. Air to the left, Nemesis to the right. If we’re lucky the trains are hurtling under the monorail as we glide over.
More trees, what’s next? What was that? A house? More trees. Another rollercoaster! Look how fast those boats are rushing down the river. We’re treated to more views of the rapids around a tranquil pond before entering our final tree portal out into another car park.
It’s a jarring transition. But the monorail has one final trick up its sleeve, a crescendo! The train snakes left then right, and bang! Out the window is one of, if not the best view in the park. An elevated view of Towers Street with a sprawling lake in the background, and to top it off the Towers in the distance. It’s unique. This is where we’ll begin our day in just a few seconds.
Offloading is just as painless as boarding and we leave the monorail with what’s to come fresh in our minds, and as a result we’re excited.
We didn’t need our trains to look like cows or fields of daisies. We didn’t need whimsical commentaries over a questionable av system. It was dated, sure, but what we took away from our time on the monorail had nothing to do with appearance. What made the monorail special wasn’t its exterior but the excitement it stirred. It was a literal hype-train.
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I guess I write that in such a way as to demonstrate the stark contrast between what we had and what we have.
The monorail of today evokes nothing described above. What was once a thrilling prelude to the day is now a sad and uninspiring journey, a shocking disappointment.
I recently went with my family and all I felt during our monorail experience was second-hand embarrassment. The train that once built anticipation now feels like a relic of missed opportunity.
Bit of a weird post… got a little deeper than intended when I started typing
We arrive in the car park, weary and far from the park entrance. But look! A private monorail circling above our heads to take us to our final destination. That’s a large queue though… no matter! Train after train after train arrives and the queue never stops shuffling forward as we see previews of the day ahead on the CRTs above We’re getting closer.
Up in the station we’re greeted and batched into our designated spots as the train comes rolling in. Doors open, we sit, doors close and we’re off! No dilly dallying here. It’s clear they want us in the park as soon as possible to start our day.
Following a brief transit over the car park we suddenly break through the trees into the park itself. Air to the left, Nemesis to the right. If we’re lucky the trains are hurtling under the monorail as we glide over.
More trees, what’s next? What was that? A house? More trees. Another rollercoaster! Look how fast those boats are rushing down the river. We’re treated to more views of the rapids around a tranquil pond before entering our final tree portal out into another car park.
It’s a jarring transition. But the monorail has one final trick up its sleeve, a crescendo! The train snakes left then right, and bang! Out the window is one of, if not the best view in the park. An elevated view of Towers Street with a sprawling lake in the background, and to top it off the Towers in the distance. It’s unique. This is where we’ll begin our day in just a few seconds.
Offloading is just as painless as boarding and we leave the monorail with what’s to come fresh in our minds, and as a result we’re excited.
We didn’t need our trains to look like cows or fields of daisies. We didn’t need whimsical commentaries over a questionable av system. It was dated, sure, but what we took away from our time on the monorail had nothing to do with appearance. What made the monorail special wasn’t its exterior but the excitement it stirred. It was a literal hype-train.
-
I guess I write that in such a way as to demonstrate the stark contrast between what we had and what we have.
The monorail of today evokes nothing described above. What was once a thrilling prelude to the day is now a sad and uninspiring journey, a shocking disappointment.
I recently went with my family and all I felt during our monorail experience was second-hand embarrassment. The train that once built anticipation now feels like a relic of missed opportunity.
Bit of a weird post… got a little deeper than intended when I started typing
owenstreet7
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Taron
One thing the park could invest in to help speed up walking between the entrance and the car park to ease any pressure on the monorail as it comes to the end of it's life is installing Travelators on the pathways to the park.
I've seen this at Europa Park and think it could benefit Towers' guest experience
I've seen this at Europa Park and think it could benefit Towers' guest experience
I think they did repave some of it over last closed season so the path so now all ashphalt (I think it caused roumours of the monorail closing)
QTXAdsy
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Black Hole
Didn't Derby recently make brand new Monorail cars for Eqypt?
Leigh
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- EGF
Yep. And Alstom own the von Roll patents.Didn't Derby recently make brand new Monorail cars for Eqypt?
jon81uk
TS Member
That is exactly the same as a train though. After a day out in the big city there can be children around too, but generally they should be taught not to sprint out in front of trains
my point was that at alton there are going to be much more children (and much less commuters) so there is more of an oppotunity for it to happen, in addition most train stations have wide platforms with cafes people can sit in to wait for a train, they aren't in a pen witing close to the tran.
Matt.GC
TS Member
Like the Sky Ride, the Monorail is absolutely integral. It's one of those things that makes it the special place that it is.
From an infrastructure stand point, the entrance isn't going anywhere. The car parks and hotels are designed to be where they are and there is no alternative. Towers Street may have seen better days, but that gothic mansion and those lawns aren't going anywhere either.
From an experience stand point, walking thousands of people along boring hilly pathways, funneling them onto a travelator, or stuffing them onto a boring Land Train, does not compare in any way shape or form to the Monorail.
There is zero excuse for them to not let you wait on a train platform, heavily supervised of course. The Monorail has operated without incident for over 30 years. They could install air gates at any time, they choose not to.
Who knows what they make their £20 burgers out of? The accommodation is in a right state. The whole place needs a clean and refurbishment. They can't keep rides open. The permanent ride lineup is depleted and they need flats desperately. They shut at 4.
Yet once the Sky Ride is back open, I can't think of a single aspect of the place that needs investment and attention more than the Monorail.
From an infrastructure stand point, the entrance isn't going anywhere. The car parks and hotels are designed to be where they are and there is no alternative. Towers Street may have seen better days, but that gothic mansion and those lawns aren't going anywhere either.
From an experience stand point, walking thousands of people along boring hilly pathways, funneling them onto a travelator, or stuffing them onto a boring Land Train, does not compare in any way shape or form to the Monorail.
There is zero excuse for them to not let you wait on a train platform, heavily supervised of course. The Monorail has operated without incident for over 30 years. They could install air gates at any time, they choose not to.
Who knows what they make their £20 burgers out of? The accommodation is in a right state. The whole place needs a clean and refurbishment. They can't keep rides open. The permanent ride lineup is depleted and they need flats desperately. They shut at 4.
Yet once the Sky Ride is back open, I can't think of a single aspect of the place that needs investment and attention more than the Monorail.
GooseOnTheLoose
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Ug Bugs
Not compared to the entire London Underground network, which only features platform barriers at a small number of stations. Air gates are not a necessity.
Merlin have 4 major attractions, closest to Waterloo tube station. Waterloo features barriers on 2 of its 8 platforms. Thousands, if not tens of thousands, of children use those platforms every day. To my knowledge, since 2000, none have ended up on the tracks.
fair point, I still think there are quire a few more differnces, for instance the step to the monorail tracks are much less than train tracks, and it looks like you can easily stand on the monorail track to walk accross, besides you mention it that new train stations which are able to are installing platform barriers to prevent these type of issues (platforms that serve differnt trains can't due to differnt door layouts) so trains are acctually starting to get gates.
GooseOnTheLoose
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Ug Bugs
The platforms which were built as part of the Jubilee Line Extension project opened in 2000 and had on platform doors, they are now 24 years old and hardly considered new.
16 platforms on the Crossrail project, opened as the Elizabeth Line, do have on platform doors.
The Northern Line Extension, which was opened in 2021 did not feature on platform doors.
Platform incidents on urban metro networks, worldwide every year, are very few and far between. It is major national news if an incident happens.
The doors offer an appearance of safety, but any tampering with them will shut down operations on the line. If someone tries to open the doors, the line shuts down. If someone pushes or leans on the doors, the line shuts down. The doors also offer another point of mechanical failure, and the train has to line up with them perfectly every time. They're impractical and not necessary for the safe operation of the Alton Towers monorail.
The issues, which will be preventing Alton Towers from preloading visitors on the monorail platforms, will be insurance and staff related. Their insurance company will possibly want a minimum number of staff members on the platform, to help enforce safe preloading procedures. Alton Towers may not want to pay for additional staff members, so we are where we are.
Paying for another staff member, or two, would be cheaper than installing air gates, at least initially, and will improve the speed of the operation.
John
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
Probably worth noting that the monorail trains move at far lower speeds than regular trains do, movement through the stations is slower still. Meanwhile, express trains pass through stations at full speed, usually with no barrier.
The risk of someone ending up in the path of a monorail train at Towers is tiny. Non-zero certainly, but tiny. If it were to happen chances are the train could be stopped before any harm occured. I don't see the need for the current policy of not allowing people to wait in the bays. With how few trains the system runs currently, loading times need to be as quick as possible but they seem content to have the train sat in the station for several minutes.
The risk of someone ending up in the path of a monorail train at Towers is tiny. Non-zero certainly, but tiny. If it were to happen chances are the train could be stopped before any harm occured. I don't see the need for the current policy of not allowing people to wait in the bays. With how few trains the system runs currently, loading times need to be as quick as possible but they seem content to have the train sat in the station for several minutes.
I mean, this is why HSE exists in all companies.
How, would they aid in loading the trains as when I have went they have 2 or 3 people loading the trains, the thing that takes a while is normally them trying to figureout how many seats are free in each car.
Yeah very true, but I think the monorail is just a differnt senario when you get on a train people aren't in pen things waiting on the yellow line ready for the train to stop. also merlin would have risk assesments for all their rides and will want to keep them identical (ensuring there are gated preventing people from entering into a ride area)
It is also important to note rollercoasters are the most safe places to be, safer than cars, trains etc so it makes sence they would try to make the monorails just as safe
GooseOnTheLoose
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Ug Bugs
Each section of the car can fit 6 people. That's what the spots on the floor are for. In days of old people used to stand on those spots. Extra staff members will be able to ensure that people are going to the right bay, and that each bay has a maximum of 6. Air gates would face a similar problem, and would also require staff members to preload in the same way.
ah, I think there are normally 2 staff but what happens is a group of 2 enters but then a group of 6, thus they skip a car and then they have to go back and check the cars, adding gates would mean spots are much easier to spot
Mi-Nigle
TS Member
Even if staff did batch incorrectly, another reason why it worked is that there were so many trains that nitpicking over the number of people in each bay made little to no difference in the monorail’s gargantuan overall throughput.
Benzin
TS Member
I'd imagine a lot of the risk comes from where the electrical current resides within the track.
On London Underground the live rail is furthest away from the platform (usually, sure there are some caveats to that), which minimises the risk of someone getting fried should they fall onto the track.
Also imagine the public response to them spending money on "unnecessary" doors on all platforms that don't have them.
On London Underground the live rail is furthest away from the platform (usually, sure there are some caveats to that), which minimises the risk of someone getting fried should they fall onto the track.
Also imagine the public response to them spending money on "unnecessary" doors on all platforms that don't have them.
Slugjc
TS Member
This is now a nearly a 40 year old transport system. That probably wasn't designed to last this long. With the age you loose knowledge on how to maintain and the parts become harder and more expensive to find. Plus with the building. It's cheap 1980s build quality that's won't have been properly maintained.
I know a few have mentioned a company derby. If they are busy supplying systems to other countries, a pokey little theme park in Staffordshire, may not be priority for them. And also, may not cost affective for towers to use them
I know a few have mentioned a company derby. If they are busy supplying systems to other countries, a pokey little theme park in Staffordshire, may not be priority for them. And also, may not cost affective for towers to use them
Lewis232
TS Member
I work for London Underground. People being struck by trains is unfortunately very common and a regular part of our job, it's pretty much a daily occurrence, sometimes multiple times a day. Whilst the vast majority of these are intentional and people intending to end their own life we also deal with incidents where people accidently fall onto the tracks and unfortunately not all of them survive. However "person hit by a train" will only be reported on the travel news, not the main news as it is so common. Unless other passengers or the victims family report it to journalists then it just won't get reported in the the news at all. However a person bring killed by a monorail at Alton Towers would obviously be reported on the news because it is very unusual.