60 Guests Stuck For Hours Evacuated from Disneyland Monorail
Sixty people got stuck on the Disneyland monorail for over two hours last Thursday afternoon near Space Mountain.
The Disneyland monorail power outage hit around 3:30 p.m. on January 8 and affected two trains, according to a park visitor who spoke to KTLA. First responders didn't show up with ladders until around 5 p.m.
It took another two hours from when they arrived to get everyone off safely.
What Caused It
The Anaheim Police Department told PEOPLE a mechanical issue caused the power outage. No injuries were reported.
First responders brought ladders to evacuate passengers near the park entrance. Imagine sitting on a stopped monorail for over two hours waiting for someone to bring ladders tall enough to reach you. Not exactly the Disney magic people pay hundreds of dollars for, but at least it will be memorable.
Happens More Than You'd Think
Power outages stranding people on theme park rides happen pretty regularly. Eleven people got stuck on the Transformers ride at Universal Studios Hollywood in April 2022. One of their Harry Potter rides went down at the same time.
In January 2023, a 400-foot ferris wheel at Orlando's ICON Park lost power and left dozens of people stuck for hours. Over 80 firefighters showed up for that one. It took three hours to get everyone down.
The Monorail's Been Around Forever
Disneyland's monorail opened in 1959, four years after the park. It was the first daily transportation system of its kind in the country.
It's a 2.5-mile loop that takes 13 minutes round trip. The trains run every 10 minutes from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, according to the park's website. The train passes by Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Buena Vista Street, Hollywood Land, Disney's Grand Californian Hotel and Downtown Disney. There are two boarding stations: one in Tomorrowland inside Disneyland Park and another in Downtown Disney District near the Disneyland Hotel.
Nobody got hurt, which is the best outcome of a story like this. But sitting suspended in the air from 3:30 p.m. until after 7 p.m. waiting for rescue isn't what you expect when you're riding the monorail between lands at Disneyland.
The monorail's a historic attraction that's been running for decades and carries thousands of people every day without incident most of the time. Disneyland hasn't said what broke or when the monorail will be back in service. Those 60 people were safely rescued eventually. They probably got some sort of compensation from Disney, though the park hasn't confirmed that either.
Two hours is a long time to sit in a stopped train with no idea when you're getting out. At least it wasn't summer. The Florida heat of Disney World would've made that wait a lot worse.
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