Is the Monorail dying?

[Delta79]

I thought the drive control systems on the trains were replace a couple of years ago?

[nancarrow]

I think it will go. With the new entrance in the plans it has to go.
They will gain a lot of space from removing the monorail - two stations and the maintenance area.

[bensaund]

I think your right, that maintenance area could easily fit in a nice dark ride the same size as Duel plus reduce the running costs of it, which must be very high.

My personal view is it should stay, but you can't have it all.

[JoshC]

I presume Strawberry and the Daisy Monorail are broken? As i have not seem them in use at all, its always Moo Cow, Jelly bean and the Aquarium & Pirate/Muntiny bay ones, and normally with a long queue at the monorail station because the ride is not being used to its full capacity of trains. Had to walk a few times because i had taken one look at the queue coming out of the station and thought its quicker to walk.

The strawberry train has been having a full service since halfway through the season and the daisy train was involved in the crash during the summer. This still leaves them with 7 trains to choose from, 7 trains being the most it can theoretically be run with (a whopping throughput of 4100 pph) but it cant be run like that nowadays. You say that it is not used to its full capacity of trains, but it usually has 5 trains running which is more than enough, as this would mean that even if the queue was all the way back to extraordinary golf the queue would be no more than 15 mins. During the busy days at scarefest it was running 6 trains depending on staff, which would mean its queues wouldn't be much more than 10 mins.

So when you say it was quicker to walk, it most likely wasn't.

[Marcus]

The monorail is perfect for Alton towers, I would hate to see it go. It gives new visitors to the park a grand welcome. Seeing sneak peeks of the parks lands. From white knuckle rides to family rides.

[audiobookman]

The monorail is perfect for Alton towers, I would hate to see it go. It gives new visitors to the park a grand welcome. Seeing sneak peeks of the parks lands. From white knuckle rides to family rides.

spot on, we often take a round trip on the monorail as the kids love it even though we dont need to use it. it would be a shame to lose it after all these years, but if they can put 2-3 new big rides in them im split minds over it.

[MatthewR1990]

The monorail buildings are horrid though to be fair lmao.

[altontowerskid]

The monorail buildings are horrid though to be fair lmao.

I have to agree. Although I love the monorail, it being my first and probably many people's first memory of the Towers, I think it does have a lifespan which is shorter than people may think.

The stations are incredibly dated and non-imaginative, the system is expensive to operate and the space they could gain from removing it, will probably mean that at a point in the future it will be removed for park expansion. Sad times - but it could mean a larger Gloomy Wood!! (My dream )

[bensaund]

Once that new entrance goes in, the Monorail's days will be numbered.

[nodestinyx]

If they remove the monorail they will surely have to put some other form of transportation ride in place, it's one hell of  a walk from the car parks to the existing entrances.  , my knee dislocates as i walk so i wont be going unless something is replacing it.

[Hmv]

If they remove the monorail they will surely have to put some other form of transportation ride in place, it's one hell of  a walk from the car parks to the existing entrances.  , my knee dislocates as i walk so i wont be going unless something is replacing it.

The monorail will more than likely go when a new entrance is built nearer the car parks, although this does have some controversy around it. If a transport ride is needed when monorail goes I think a fleet of airport busses shall be used like these: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=airpo ... DQDA#biv=i

[PeteB]

See now I really hate those shuttle busses at some parks. They seem really bland and boring. Plus, surely the a train system like the monorail must be more economical to run, not to mention more efficient in terms of capacity as well.

Monorail = magic 

[TheNigeC]

See now I really hate those shuttle busses at some parks. They seem really bland and boring. Plus, surely the a train system like the monorail must be more economical to run, not to mention more efficient in terms of capacity as well.

Monorail = magic 

and a monorail would probably more environmentally friendly too?
6/8 buses running non stop for a few hours in the morning then again in the evening..

[PeteB]

Yeah my point exactly!

[Hmv]

Yes but monorail has an unbelievable power draw, it takes two substations just to run it. It also doesn't get switched off in the middle of the day like busses would, plus add in extremely high maintainence costs. Many buses are now becoming hybrids or fully electric too so I think economically and environmentally this could be a very viable option. But I do agree if it is not done right it could be very bland and dull.

[nodestinyx]

They could replace the monorail with a train line / tram line system, (my husband drives the tram at the black country living museum)  or more cable cars of some sort, as i said previously i can't see why they would remove it , and if they moved the entrance then they will have to move the carparks round too, as the disabled bays and everything would have to be moved

[Hmv]

They could replace the monorail with a train line / tram line system, (my husband drives the tram at the black country living museum)  or more cable cars of some sort, as i said previously i can't see why they would remove it , and if they moved the entrance then they will have to move the carparks round too, as the disabled bays and everything would have to be moved

The thing is monorail is coming to the end of its economical working life, it's becoming extremely hard for AT to get spare parts and the trains and stations are both having regular technical downtime.

[Owen]

Been 8 times in the last month, and it seems to be very unreliable. When i was queueing for Nemesis sub terra yesterday there was train just sat there for 20-30 minutes and in the end reversed back towards the Tower Street station. Could not even ride the Monorail to the park yesterday due to a fault. When i went last week i was stuck on them for over 15 minutes. I presume Strawberry and the Daisy Monorail are broken? As i have not seem them in use at all, its always Moo Cow, Jelly bean and the Aquarium & Pirate/Muntiny bay ones, and normally with a long queue at the monorail station because the ride is not being used to its full capacity of trains. Had to walk a few times because i had taken one look at the queue coming out of the station and thought its quicker to walk.

Seems like it needs a good service.

I see the strawberry one going round every time I visit 

[Hmv]

Strawberry train was receiving a full overhaul for the last half of the season and daisy train was involved in the accident.

[bensaund]

Will they be running the monorail during the February half term?