Time Away From the Beach: Trains on Amelia Island

Hundreds of Walt Disney World monorail passengers were stranded for hours following a power outage early this morning, according to published reports. Seven monorails were operating at the time of the power failure, according to a report on WOFL-TV’s Web page. The report indicated one train was empty, three were at stations and three others were between stations at the time of the power outage. The Associated Press reported that firefighters evacuated some passengers from the trains, but the bulk of passengers disembarked after the monorails were towed to stations. — Railfanning.org News Wire

A privately-funded express passenger rail system in Florida is showing off its first trainset. Brightline is planning to open a new passenger rail connection this year between Miami and Orland

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating Sunday’s fatal monorail collision at the Walt Disney World resort, authorities said. A Walt Disney World cast member was killed early Sunday morning (July 5) when two monorails collided at the Ticket and Transportation Center. The cast member, a 21-year-old, was piloting a monorail that crashed into a second train, according to published reports. There is some speculation that one of the monorails may have been backing up at the time of the crash, the driver perhaps thinking he was backing onto a spur track. Disney said