15 October 2009 by Walt Disney World Recreation Examiner - Peggy Macdonald
More than three months after monorail pink backed into monorail purple at Walt Disney World, killing 21-year-old pilot Austin Wuennenberg, the undamaged parts of the two monorails have been combined to create one monorail, which will feature a teal stripe.
Supporters of Wuennenberg had hoped that Disney World would create a new monorail that would honor the fallen pilot. Apart from retiring the colors pink and purple, which will forever be associated with the tragic death of monorail purple's young pilot, Disney has not announced plans to pay tribute to Wuennenberg.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, monorail teal will begin shuttling passengers around the Disney World resort later this fall. The monorail fleet was reduced to just ten trains after the July 5 monorail collision. Adding monorail teal raises the number of trains to eleven, one train short of the fleet's former size.
Disney's monorail system has been under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board since July. As a result, Disney World has implemented a series of new and renewed safety standards, including stopping the practice of allowing guests to ride at the front of the monorail with the pilot. Monorail pilots have returned to the former practice of powering down the front cab and powering up the rear cab before switching tracks. The practice was abandoned in recent years because it is time consuming and was viewed as an inconvenience to guests. Disney has restored the practice so that pilots can see where they are going and avoid colliding with other monorail trains. Additionally, transportation managers are now required to be on site when supervising monorail operations. On the night of the fatal monorail crash, the supervisor on duty communicated via radio while off Disney property.
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