Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disney World Set for Major Overhaul

May 07, 2024 in "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad"

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad overview
Posted: Tuesday May 7, 2024 9:40am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Walt Disney World's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is expected to close for an extended refurbishment later this year, which will see the ride closed for more than a year.

Although not yet announced by Disney, we expect plans to be confirmed soon, with the fan-favorite attraction closing as soon as September 2024. As always, be aware that timelines frequently change, so await official confirmation before making plans.

The Magic Kingdom coaster needs a significant renovation involving substantial work on the ride system. According to sources familiar with the plans, this long-planned refurbishment is crucial to ensure the ride's longevity and continued operation for years to come.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad's refurbishment project will likely begin soon after Tiana's Bayou Adventure opens this summer in Frontierland. The reopening of the former Splash Mountain attraction will bring much-needed capacity to the park, allowing operations the chance to begin work on Big Thunder Mountain. The refurbishment will be the longest in the ride's history and will likely mean the ride will be closed for over a year.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad's most extensive refurbishment was over ten years ago, in 2012, when it closed for four months. Since then, the coaster has had numerous short closures to ensure continued operation until this year's major refurbishment.

Disneyland's Big Thunder Railroad underwent a similar major renovation in 2012, which saw updates made to the attraction, including new ride vehicles, track replacement, and repainting portions of the mountain itself.

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danlb_200010 days ago

They do a lot of steel work for Disney. http://coastalsteel.com/

BirdbyBird10 days ago

interesting. I'll research the company

Jayspency10 days ago

nothing at WDW is a sacred cow so I get why you would be worried. But if a ride is popular it won't be changed... except for splash

JoeCamel10 days ago

Not sure on that I just saw lots of night welding

TrainsOfDisney10 days ago

Ah! That’s what I’m remembering! I also think right when it reopened they didn’t have the railroad ties back in place? Or maybe I saw that from the train before it reopened.

JoeCamel10 days ago

Back in ~2012 or so they took it down for what was supposed to be replacement but they only did sections and welded for weeks. At night it was lit up like Pandora in the dark with different welders

Disgruntled Walt10 days ago

I WILL!

danlb_200010 days ago

The permit it from Coastal Steel, so they are probably doing the install.

BirdbyBird10 days ago

Who does Disney source to work on this? are there specialists?

ToTBellHop10 days ago

The parks are dead all summer and it closes for lightning so not many will notice regardless.

TrainsOfDisney10 days ago

I thought they replaced the track before - did they not? Maybe it was just a section they replaced?

HauntedPirate10 days ago

That scrim has me so activated I can't stand it. Where's Josh and Jeff so I can do this?!?!!

Disgruntled Walt10 days ago

Would they close it in the middle of the summer? Or would this be post-August? (asking since I'm going to be there in July most likely)

TomboyJanet10 days ago

I'm just pre-empting it in case they ever try, Im paranoid now! You know. That's what happens when they start taking out staples. You wonder if anything is sacred.