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//http://www.telegraaf.nl/telesport/tennis/6797741/__Roland_Garros_denkt_aan_verhuizen__.html?p=23,1
//http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8580652.stm

One is in dutch and one is in english.
Marne-La-Vallee is mentioned as an option for re-locating Roland Garros, one of the 4 grandslam tournaments in tennis, near Disneyland Paris.

The French Open could be forced into a "heartbreaking" move away from Paris in the next few years due to problems with the infrastructure at Roland Garros.....
But while the various extension plans have not been completely dismissed, organisers are now considering four possible new locations in the Paris suburbs, all over 15 kms away from the capital, including Versailles and Disneyland Paris.

What do you guys think?
IMHO it could work great. The combination of checking out some matches with the family and afterwards entering Disneyland for some magical moments doens't sound to bad to me.
From een business point of view a nice option and a nice combo option for families :thumbs:

Okay, maybe this would be too much, but for the fun in this news



note: if in wrong section, Kristof/Anthony, pls move

[Owain]

If this went ahead maybe Disney would creat a european [strike:3m00smfx]Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex[/strike:3m00smfx] ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex *  

[Soap]

Yes, exactly  
I don't know if this will fit the european crowd the same as the US thou?
They are somewhat more overall sportminded and like to visit this kind of stuff more i think.

There was a soccer school, sadly this was closed.
Maybe they shouldn't have picked just one team as main name, Manchester United Soccer School?

[youtube:13ckr2k3]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtohFCZIjGA[/youtube:13ckr2k3]

What happend to this?

[Anthony]

Like the Formula 1 idea, it's hard to find a proper brief of what's happening with this, but Marne-la-Vallée's bid for the French tennis tournament is definitely real and certainly seems to be supported by everyone involved (unlike the crazy F1 track).

An article in French here: http://dlrptimes.over-blog.fr/article-r ... 28522.html

And now several images of the proposed location, which appears to be just next to the autoroute exit - across the DLP entrance road from Golf Disneyland and across the motorway from Davy Crockett.







Looks great to me. But if you were the same in thinking - so it's not going in Val d'Europe town itself then? how will people get there from the RER station..? a location next to the autoroute doesn't seem great for public transport - ahaa, there's a mention of a tramway in there! A Val d'Europe tram! Could this possibly extend from DLP's RER/TGV station and wind its way all the way down past this tennis complex to the Nature Villages? And up the other way towards Charles de Gaulle, finally giving DLP a proper non-TGV link to the airport? There's speculation...

This could be fantastic! :thumbs:

[pussinboots]

Wow. Well yes, unlike the Formula 1 idea, a pie that thankfully stayed in the sky, I can support this too. I actually think it might be nice to have a little something other than Disney and outlet shopping as a draw to the area, and this wouldn't just be anything, either; look at that lovely stadium architecture. And yuppies would be a nice addition to Disney's customer base. They have money, they're not known for violence or vandalism and they support high-end shops and restaurants. Bring on the Lacoste crowd, I say.

Although wouldn't that put a rather enormous strain on the RER/TGV station during tennis season? (Alternatively, it could finally provide the crowds the station was built for. I'm imagining here that Disney may have coaxed the French government to build all that lovely infrastructure with slightly inflated numbers compared to those the resort and the station would actually see. But then again there are plans for an extension, so I'm probably wrong.)

A tram would be great indeed, although if it has to make its way to Charles de Gaulle it would probably have to be light rail rather than a regular tram. In any case, the French government generously funds tram projects all over the country, so if they clutch on to this right it might be Euro Disney's big chance at a transportation system better than buses and cheaper than a monorail. I hope they think of routing it through the third park area. It would also make up for Marne-la-Vallée being left out of the "Grand Huit" plans for the new Paris rapid transportation system...

But surely it's also the most attractive choice for the Roland Garros people. Marne-la-Vallée can provide, besides all that wonderful public transportation, 17,000 hotel rooms, immediate access onto the A4 autoroute, immense parking facilities, a myriad of restaurants and shops... I doubt Versailles can match all that.

[Adam]

All looks good. If it has got a tram, which goes all the way to Davy Crockett, it will no doubt produce a huge boost to Davy Crockett and the Nature Villages, as I expect many don't want to either bring their car or go on the shuttle buses to get to and from DLP.

[dagobert]

It looks fine. As long as the Formula 1 will not come to DLRP I'm happy. Maybe Disney could use the opportunity to build a sports center like the ESPN World Of Sports in Florida.

[Anthony]

I actually think it might be nice to have a little something other than Disney and outlet shopping as a draw to the area, and this wouldn't just be anything, either; look at that lovely stadium architecture.

It looks fine. As long as the Formula 1 will not come to DLRP I'm happy. Maybe Disney could use the opportunity to build a sports center like the ESPN World Of Sports in Florida.

Yeah, I was so surprised when I saw these plans. Lovely looking stadiums, all that nice landscaped space, pleasant streets... it's a really strong bid and could be a big boost for the resort. The ESPN World of Sports idea is great - the golf course isn't far away, for a start.

A tram would be great indeed, although if it has to make its way to Charles de Gaulle it would probably have to be light rail rather than a regular tram.

Yes, we have several examples over here with street-running "trams" which then zip onto faster railway-style track. Although thinking about it again, if they were going to run a couple of new tracks up to Charles de Gaulle from Disneyland I'd much prefer it to be a simple extension of the RER line. It'd surely be far more beneficial for everyone in the east of Paris, being able to continue straight through Marne la Vallée. Why did they never think about a separate fixed rail link when the TGV line was being built?

I've just been trying to imagine the route of a tram through the resort area (is it obvious I'm more excited about that than the tennis?) and can't really come to any conclusion. Include the 3rd park or Magny-le-Hongre and you have to cut right across to Val d'Europe. Include Bailly-Romainvilliers and it's awkward to fit in Serris. Presumably these towns would be included? I know they used to be country villages (and still almost are), but I'd find it annoying living there and having to get an awful pink bus just to reach the end of the RER line.

[lorrig]

Well, all well and good but have the sneaky suspicion that Disney hotel prices might go through the roof while the tournament is on. They are expensive enough as they are.

[pussinboots]

http://www.lefigaro.fr/tennis/2010/11/0 ... n-part.php

People seem to agree that Marne-la-Vallée would be the most obvious choice. It's almost like they threw in Gonesse for instance to make it a fair fight.

[Anthony]

It's looking good for Marne-la-Vallée. The video is interesting:

[youtube:1dcu3ppm]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXZY1OXJHCc[/youtube:1dcu3ppm]
Also reveals the route they're looking at for the tramway, confirming it would carry on southwards into the Nature Villages/Davy Crockett area.



Could we see a grassy trambahn right down the length of the DLP access road? Following that straight route would also allow for stops at Golf Disneyland, the 3rd park... it would really open up the rest of the resort area, with something more sustainable than shuttle buses. I wonder how much this is a Disney thing or a Val d'Europe town council thing?

[pussinboots]

That is exciting! First stop; Disney Village-Gare RER/TGV, second stop; third park and new hotel area (also handy for the Newport Bay Club), third stop; Golf Disneyland, fourth stop; Roland Garros, final stop: Davy Crockett Ranch. And they'll undoubtedly get the Roland Garros people to foot most of the bill. Disney wouldn't believe their luck.

By the way, just out of curiosity, why "trambahn?" Is it because the French have ruined the meaning of "tramway" by using it to designate the actual tramcars? Haha.

[Anthony]

Oh, I've just heard trambahn used in the UK for places where the rails are next to or between the road. We do love things that sound continental, never mind we probably did that first before ripping them up when everyone got cars.

Fantasy route map time! Sorry, couldn't resist. http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/9871/tramway2.jpg

Strangely there are several empty spaces alongside some of the area's roads, and a complete empty bridge over the railway lines along Avenue Hergé. Was that road originally planned to be a dual carriageway? It'd be great repurposed as a tram line.

[dagobert]

Great news. A tramway is a good choice to connect the tennis centre with the Disney resort. A few weeks ago I have seen a documentation on Eurosport about Roland Garros going green. So maybe we will see the first eco friendly tennis court and public transport will definately contribute to this.

I really hope this comes true and maybe WDI will be contacted to help to plan the site, although I don't think so. It would be great if the new Roland Garros will be a little bit like the ESPN World of Sports at WDW with other sports venues, shops and restaurants.

SO hopefully Roland Garros really moves to Disney.

[pussinboots]

Oh, I've just heard trambahn used in the UK for places where the rails are next to or between the road. We do love things that sound continental, never mind we probably did that first before ripping them up when everyone got cars.

Fantasy route map time! Sorry, couldn't resist. http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/9871/tramway2.jpg

Strangely there are several empty spaces alongside some of the area's roads, and a complete empty bridge over the railway lines along Avenue Hergé. Was that road originally planned to be a dual carriageway? It'd be great repurposed as a tram line.

Oh I forgot about the new convention hotels. See, it all fits. Your Y-route is very clever, bypassing the obvious stretch to the new station entrance, and would link Val d'Europe to the rest of the area in addition to the RER-link to the esplanade. It seems that you think adding stops for the existing hotels would slow things down too much? Like the way the Paris Métro has twelve stops on a stretch of track where the London Underground has two, making it generally faster to walk in Paris.

The name should be interesting. (Very important.) DisneyTram or DisneyWay or something is out of the question of course, but there's nothing zippy about "Val d'Europe." ValVAL? ValTram?