Spaceship Earth with monorail yellow and palm tree in foreground

Rumor: Disney Getting New Monorails?

Is it finally time for Disney to update their monorail fleet?  If rumors circulating on the web are right, it may actually be happening.

The monorails that Disney is currently using, called the Mark VI, have been in operation since 1989.  The rumored new monorails will come from Bombardier, the same Canada company that build the current fleet of monorails.  There are very few companies that can build mass transit equipment like Disney’s monorail, so it won’t be a surprise if Disney selects the same vendor they have used in the past.

Could new monorails be on the way to Disney World?
Could new monorails be on the way to Disney World?

Why Now?

Why would Disney be updating their monorail fleet now?

Maintenance.

Earlier this year the current monorail red had a serious malfunction where the car door was open during movement.  Disney added signs instructing guests not to lean on the doors.  Everyone involved is fortunate that nobody was serious hurt in that incident.

There have been other issues as well.

In 2017 a piece of the monorail fell off and dropped into the Epcot parking lot.

In 2009, Disney Cast Member Austin Wuennenberg was killed in a tragic accident that was likely due to operator miscommunications, although more modern safety systems may have prevented the incident.

Getting The Money

The same rumor that suggest new monorail are on the way also suggest where Disney will find the money.  While there has not been an official announcement, the new broadway-style theater near Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom has supposedly been canceled to free up funds to purchase the new monorails.  This is even after the theater was announced at the D23 expo in 2017, and work to prepare the site had started.

If this rumor hold true, together with the under-construction Skyliner gondola system, it could mean a significantly revamped transportation for the Walt Disney World resort over the next few years.

Rumor – New monorails at Disney World: Good idea?