Will Disney World see new monorails soon?

Walt Disney World may be seeing some new monorails in the next few years to replace its aging fleet.

Disney Legend and former Imagineer Bob Gurr, who developed more than 100 designs for Disney attractions including the Walt Disney World monorails said he is aware that there are some contracts out for the replacement of the current Mark VI monorail he dubbed the “duct tape monorail.”

There have been rumors going around for some time now that there will be a new fleet of trains. The current Mark VI fleet has been in operation since 1989.

It’s not known whether Gurr has direct knowledge of the monorail’s future but said he is aware that contracts are out with Bombardier, a Canadian based aerospace and transportation company that built the current monorails. The new fleet might be in production now, but would take a few years before completion.

Gurr said a transportaion system is usually created for a 20-year life span. Gurr was responding to a question from audience about this, during a question and answer session period following a a discussion on his career.

The monorail system spans over 14.7 miles with around 50 million guests traveling the monorail each year. There have been a few instances in the past few years with the aging fleet. The most recent was in January with Monorail Red with a door opening during the operation.  No one was hurt in the incident, but Disney did add signs over the doors directing people not to lean on them.