New Monorails Arriving in 2020 at Tokyo Disneyland
In Spring 2020, new Type C monorails will begin operations on the Disney Resort Line, servicing Tokyo Disneyland, DisneySea, JR Maihama Station, and the third party hotels at Bayside Station, like the Sheraton and Hilton Tokyo Bay. In this post, we’ll share monorail concept art, info about the design, and why Japan is getting new monorails again while Walt Disney World gets…crickets.
Tokyo Disney Resort’s current monorail fleet has been in service since shortly before DisneySea opened in 2001, and these new monorail trains will be rolled out between Spring 2020 and the end of the 2024 fiscal year. Once fully introduced, there will be a total of 5 new trains, with 6 cars in each.
The new Type C (or 100 Series) monorails will replace the current 10 Series monorails. Hitachi was the manufacturer of the original Disney Resort Line in Japan, and it would stand to reason they’ll be providing the replacements given the design similarities. (Although that detail has not been confirmed by Disney or OLC.) Before you get excited about Walt Disney World “inheriting” Tokyo’s existing fleet, it’s worth noting that these trains are incompatible with WDW’s monorail infrastructure…
There are a lot of similarities between Tokyo Disney Resort’s old and new monorails. The main distinction on the exterior (pictured at the top of the post) is the colored stripe will two waves rather than one, like the current monorails.
The Mickey Mouse-shaped windows will also increase in size to provide greater visibility–perfect for construction photos of Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea!
On the inside, the development concept goal for the new monorails is providing a more “comfortable moving space.” Both the height and width of the interior space will be increased, and the seat shape is changing into a longer seat to maximize usable space.
Additionally, the Mickey Mouse-shaped straps for standing passengers have been adjusted to fit three different levels, so guests of all heights can reach them. The lighting will also be switched to indirect LED to provide a warmer and more welcoming environment. (This will be nice after a long night in the parks–the old lighting was a bit harsh.)
The redesign of the interior will free up space for wheelchairs and strollers, and there will be more standing space in the middle cars of each train. This is expected to expedite the boarding speed, and also increase capacity of each monorail train.
Increasing capacity and efficiency is an obvious goal of this project, especially as Tokyo Disney Resort anticipates an influx of guests next year for the Beauty and the Beast expansion, followed by a surge from the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, followed by yet another for Fantasy Springs.
Tokyo Disney Resort’s monorails run only a few minutes apart at peak times, and already they can come close to fully filling up. (And this is even as most locals walk from JR Maihama Station to Tokyo Disneyland.)
Designing for the anticipated increase in crowds is a smart move here that should help “future-proof” the Disney Resort Liner, even as attendance grows and more hotels that will utilize Bayside Station open.
We are huge fans of Tokyo’s Disney Resort Line. The renderings of the new monorails look nice, although it’s unlikely anything will ever match the Kawaii-tacular Duffy Monorail from a few years ago (just take a look at these photos!).
It’s also worth noting that, pursuant to laws governing public transportation in Japan, fares are charged on the monorail. Single use tickets are around $2.50, while 4-day unlimited passes cost roughly $13 per adult.
That’s a pretty nominal added cost, especially if you’ve booked a monorail loop hotel like the Hilton or Sheraton for ~$160/night. (Unrelated heads up: there’s currently a 40% off Hilton flash sale for Japan, Korea & Guam that includes Hilton Tokyo Bay–we actually just booked it for $123/night!)
For guests of the official Disney hotels, the cost of monorail fare is baked into the hotel rate…just as it is at Walt Disney World. Either way, we’re perfectly willing to pay–indirectly or directly–for monorails that are safe, reliable, and nice.
As Tokyo Disney Resort replaces its well-maintained and reliable monorail fleet that’s now 18 years old, it’s logical to ask when Walt Disney World will update its monorails. Florida’s fleet has been in use since 1989, are now 30 years old, and break down for extended periods so frequently now that it’s become a non-story when they do.
You might recall that last year, rumors surfaced that Walt Disney World was in negotiations with Bombardier to purchase a new monorail fleet. Nothing ever came of that, and these rumors have subsequently fizzled out. Irrespective of that, Walt Disney World either must replace the current monorail fleet or retire the monorails at some point in the not-too-distant future.
Running this fleet indefinitely risks further incidents, which could expose the company to negative PR or worse. Walt Disney World’s monorails have become increasingly unreliable in recent years, to the point that if we have an ADR or are otherwise tight on time, we typically avoid them due to fears of a breakdown or delay.
This is really unfortunate, as longtime Walt Disney World fans likely remember a time when the monorail was nice and efficient. Likewise, those who have visited Tokyo Disney Resort in recent years no doubt have witnessed firsthand what that is still like, with monorails that run on time, don’t randomly break down, etc. (And keep in mind, these exceptional monorails are what’s being replaced in Japan!)
In fairness to Walt Disney World, the differences between the two resorts monorail systems are largely reflective of cultural attitudes towards mass transportation. Americans are comfortable with crumbling or non-existent mass transit infrastructure, and many efforts to improve public transportation have been undermined.
By contrast, public transportation is the lifeblood of Japan, and there’s great national pride in these systems. From numerous railway museums (we’ve been to several and rank them here) to significant investments in bleeding edge technology to public apologies for “truly inexcusable” inconveniences caused by departing 25 seconds early, the Japanese have astronomically high standards for their public transportation.
Those two fundamentally different ways of thinking about public transportation are reflected at their respective Disney resorts. On one hand, the resort in more urgent “need” of a monorail replacement is obviously Walt Disney World. On the other hand, Japan is also the place that is in the midst of supplanting its existing Shinkansen (bullet trains) with even faster levitating trains propelled by superconducting magnets. I wouldn’t have guessed the Disney Resort Line monorails “needed” upgrading, but it’s good to see guests and Oriental Land Company holding Tokyo Disney Resort to high standards!
If you’re thinking of visiting Japan for the first time and are overwhelmed with planning, definitely check out our Tokyo Disney Resort Planning Guide. It covers much more than the parks, from getting there to WiFi to currency and much, much more. For more photos and an idea of what we did day-by-day during our first visit, read our Tokyo Disney Resort Trip Report.
Your Thoughts
Have you experienced the Disney Resort Line in Japan? Did you think these monorails “needed” to be replaced? How do they compare to the Walt Disney World monorail for you? Think it’s time WDW guests held the monorail to a higher standard? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment of this news? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Thanks for the info on the Flash sale for Tokyo Bay Hilton! We have wanted to go back there and was booked in Feb for the Marriott Courtyard. We just re booked our hotel and now can be close to Tokyo Disney! Thanks for the tip!
Ah, monorails!
I’ve loved them since I was a kid, going to WDW for the first time in either 74 or 75. I loved the Mark IVs we rode on that first visit, and later visits, and then, of course, the Mark VI monorails ever since. They were designed with a 20 year service life,
Which, means that even though the Tokyo monorail is working great, it looks like they’re replacing it right on time, having started operations in 2001.
Back to WDW. Happy Birthday, WDW Mark VI! You’re 30 years old. One of the coolest things to do at WDW? Ride in the front cockpit! So cool, and I loved it when I was a kid. My wife and I were able to take our kid to do it back in 2008, making it just before the accident shut off the cockpits to passengers.
Last year we went back, and had a memorable monorail experience. We had driven to WDW and we found that driving usually beat the buses with MK being the only potential exception, due to the additional transportation leg. Returning back after Extra Magic Hours late night from MK, we took over 45 minutes, possibly over an hour, to get back to the TTC, due to the monorail in front of ours having “issues”. We took the boats back for most of the rest of the trip.
I suppose it’s always possible something will happen along the same time lines as Tokyo Disneyland, but as of now, it looks like there’s no chance that there’ll be new monorails at WDW for the 50th anniversary. And that shocks the hell out of me, because as intense as media presence and observation has been over SW: Galaxy’s Edge opening, it’s going to be so much more for the 50th anniversary. Which means that broken down monorails being in the news is going to be much more likely. The PR risk seems worth the down payment on a new fleet, yesterday. That nothing has leaked to date, other than the “talks” we heard last year seems to clue us in that this just isn’t happening.
They’re 50% over their design life now. They’ll be 60% at the time of the anniversary, That’s a recipe for bad things happening.
If the monorails being replaced in Japan are superior to the WDW monorails, even though they are ‘old’, is it possible they could use them in WDW?
Given the differences in configuration/design I think that’s about as likely as WDW getting used monorails from Brockway, Ogdenville, or North Haverbrook.
I believe event and not to far off WDW will purchase new monorails for the entire system. Yes its costly but its a 20 year expense. Monorails are a standard part of the Disney world experience and as you may have noticed in the new EPCOT concept the Monorail is still highly visible. Im putting my faith in Disney to keep Walts dream alive
I believe event and not to far off WDW will purchase new monorails for the entire system. Yes its costly but its a 20 year expense. Monorails are a standard part of the Disney world experience and as you may have noticed in the new EPCOT concept the Monorail is still highly visible. Im putting my faith in Disney to keep Walts dream alive
Sorry to burst your bubble but you need to let go of your pipe dream as WDW will never replace the monorail system in any effect. We are VERY involved with Disney and have been since the mid 80’s as Stock Holders, DVC owners in 4 properties and so on . . .
The vast majority of “individuals” (and I use that term VERY loosley) that are now at the helm of Disney Inc. are almost all MILLENNIALS with NO value of ANYTHING other than MONEY – MONEY – MONEY. Profit is all they care about now. Not tradition, Not nostalgia, not wonderful memories and NOT EVEN Walt’s ideas, concepts or dreams. If you don’t believe me take a look at the disaster that has become The World of Disney store – ANY mark or sign of Disney is gone including walls and it is just one huge shopping complex as is ALL of that area that they have named Disney springs. Merchandise that used to be sensible, fun and exciting that most families could afford are now the highest priced “bling” CRAP you can imagine.
The people running Disney Inc. have skyrocketed the prices so badly that the normal, common people cannot even afford to WDW and we have seen this terrible trend for the last 20 years – “Igor” (Iger) has ruined the dream that Walt had. My father worked with Walt and the old gang.
We are selling our stock, Selling our DVC and will have nothing more to do with Disney Inc. and it is breaking my heart and killing me to have to do this but when those heartless, bloodthirsty, profiteering nitwits care more about profit than they do the guests I am done with them – As a side note – My family spends at LEAST $10,000.00 (yes 10K) a year on everything that we have to do with Disney and that is JUST AT WDW and affiliates.
This is just sad to see somebody ditch a great company at the first possible choice they don’t like. I am not going to argue with some of your points, though I agree with some and disagree with others. Disney has made some bad choices but have also made some great improvements. To end this off, it is an insult to claim you know what Walt wanted. You are not Walt and neither and I so don’t go on claiming anything about Walt Disney’s great ambitions.
i love the details of the Duffy monorail
Honest question: Is there any aspect of the OLC-owned Japan resort that is inferior to the Disney-owned US resorts? Maybe retail merch. Maybe.
If you’re Disney, it’s kind of embarrassing that someone licensing your product is willing to be better than you at your own game…
Hey Mike! I’m willing to take a stab at your tough question. One frustration for me was merch: collections are either hit or miss and if they’re a hit, they sell out so fast, probably never to be restocked. Another point I can think of that may frustrate others (but not me) is there’s no modifications allowed to food orders. Don’t try to order that sundae without the corn flakes or get a pizza, hold the *insert ingredient here*… it just doesn’t work in Japan. If you don’t like a dish the way it’s offered, don’t order it. And I love that! 😉 Maybe one last thing: no Photopass. For the record, none of the items listed above keep me from going back as they’re trivial for me, considering the all-around consistently fantastic experience TDR offers me.
I’d say merchandise (at least for my tastes) and willingness to accommodate (as mentioned by SweetCaroline). Other things like portion sizes and language barrier might qualify, but those are both cultural differences so I’m reluctant to include them.
However, as someone who literally never customizes a meal order and is mostly fine not wasting money on stuff I don’t need, these things don’t bother me in the least. There are no doubt other drawbacks I’m overlooking, but those are the two most obvious things to me.
Although it pains me, the pragmatic option begging to be implemented is replacing the monorails with Skyliners. Comparatively cheap and very scalable.
The effectiveness of the Skyliner diminishes greatly when it has to cover long distances. The monorails can operate at speeds of 15-40 miles per hour, while the Skyliner’s top speed is around 11 MPH.
While a Skyliner system could conceivably serve the resorts around Seven Seas Lagoon, It’s around 5 miles from MK to Epcot. That would be a REALLY long gondola ride with additional time needed for slowdowns at “angle stations”. (It wouldn’t be one long unbroken stretch — by comparison, the longest continuous gondola line in the world is at an Idaho ski resort and that’s “only” 3.1 miles).
And this is not to mention that the classic showpiece of WDW resort system is the monorail going through the Contemporary.
All in all, I think Disney is going to ultimately reach the point where they either have to A) Pony up and pay for a new fleet and/or B) Discontinue monorail service between Epcot and MK and shift the budget to maintaining the Resort line. And choosing “B” would likely create enough outrage/controversy among guests as to precipitate “A”.
Booked a trip to Tokyo Disney for May of next year hoping that it’d line up with Beauty and the Beast Land’s opening. Now I know I’ll be able to see that AND I might get to ride on a brand new monorail. The news just keeps getting better. If only the flash sale for hotels applied to trips that far in advance. Guess I’ll just have to keep my eyes peeled.
I was thinking the same on flash sales! Booked for April next year (we were already going the day BatB opens!) And was hoping the flash sale was for April! Just have to keep our eyes peeled!
I plan on going at the end of March to see Green Day in Tokyo. Does Tokyo Disney have soft openings of attractions? I’d love to check out the Beauty and the Beast ride while I’m there.
It would be nice if they updated Disney Worlds monorails like this. I know it wont happen. Tokyo has a nicer, relaxed, friendly feel to it. I would to to travel there and see all of the orient and the Disneyland’s there.
Wow amazing how much better Tokyo Disney is. Need to start planning a trip there. Few days there and the rest exploring Japan in depth. 🙂
We highly recommend it–Japan is far and away our favorite place in the world to visit. Here are some of our resources to get you started:
TDR Planning Guide – https://www.disneytouristblog.com/tokyo-disney-trip-planning-guide/
Tokyo Planning Guide – https://www.travelcaffeine.com/tokyo-japan-guide-tips/
Kyoto Planning Guide – https://www.travelcaffeine.com/kyoto-japan-planning-guide/
Kyoto is our (both of us) favorite city in the world. Irrespective of whatever else you do in Japan, make a point of spending at least 3 days there!
Awesome thanks Tom! We want to go once Fantasy Springs opens. Will save these and put them in our Japan planning folder 🙂 Universal is probably wiser than Disney to not announce openings so far out. It does make ya want to delay for the new big thing. May be a factor in crowds. The 2021 anniversary
Hi Tom-thanks as always for the great in-depth information you provide and all the work that goes in to that.
I went to your travel caffeine site for Kyoto and no photographs loaded. Would you have any suggestions and what I am doing wrong?
I’d love to go check it out. See some temples, koi farms, etc. But those monorails are ugly as hell!
For me, the exterior of the Disneyland monorail is best, along with the interior of the Tokyo monorails. I’d rank the Tokyo monorails last in terms of exterior style.
I really liked the old DL ones with the bubble on the top. But I still really like the WDW units. They are nice and sleek. The only outages i’ve seen on them has been for the automation system “upgrades” if we can really call them that. Yeah, the hvac hasn’t been optimum the last few years but that’s about it.
looks like Disney cares more about china $$$ than USA. I guess thats why they are cutting services in USA and upping ticket prices to pay for chinese junk.
Bold move blaming China for Walt Disney World’s problems in a post about Japan, but you do you, my man.
LOL!!! Priceless…
But if you’re going to spend money in China, you have to admit that Tokyo is the best place to do it.
Dang it, Tom. You beat me to the punch. 😉
For me the best thing about a monorail is being able to see out from within. Similar to the gondolas at WDW having decals on the outside means visibility is reduced.
Agree completely!
We actually recently got off one of the Toy Story 4 monorails at Walt Disney World en route to Epcot after realizing we wouldn’t be able to get any construction photos out the window. I’m slightly worried that Walt Disney World will do monorail wraps on all of the trains once construction in Epcot really picks up.
Definitely! And clean the damn windows too!