Disney World's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Major Refurbishment Confirmed: Closure Begins January 2025

Oct 14, 2024 in "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad"

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad overview
Posted: Monday October 14, 2024 3:05pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, one of the Magic Kingdom's most iconic attractions, is scheduled to close for a major refurbishment beginning January 6, 2025.

Disney has confirmed that the fan-favorite Frontierland roller coaster will be shut down for over a year, with plans to reopen it in 2026, promising that the ride will return with "a little bit of new magic."

This refurbishment has been long in the works. Disney previously filed a permit for the project, assigned to their trusted construction partner Coastal Steel Inc. The permit, which broadly mentions "General Construction," expires in August 2025. While initial speculation hinted at a September 2024 closure, Disney's confirmation of a January 2025 start marks a firm timeline for this major refurbishment.

Extensive Ride System Overhaul

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is set to undergo substantial renovations, with significant work planned for the ride system to enhance its longevity and ensure smooth operations for years to come. Sources familiar with the project have emphasized that this will be the most extensive refurbishment in the ride's history, much larger in scope than the 2012 renovation, which saw the ride closed for four months.

The 2025 project is expected to follow the footsteps of Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad renovation in 2012, which brought new ride vehicles, track replacements, and freshened mountain scenery to the Disneyland version of the ride. Magic Kingdom's version will likely see similar updates.

The Longest Closure in the Ride's History

This refurbishment marks the longest closure in Big Thunder Mountain Railroad's history. The attraction, which opened at Magic Kingdom in 1980, has seen numerous short-term closures over the years for maintenance and minor updates.

Stay tuned for more updates as Disney shares additional details about what changes are in store for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

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danlb_200023 days ago

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

BirdbyBird23 days ago

interesting. I'll research the company

Jayspency23 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

JoeCamel23 days ago

Not sure on that I just saw lots of night welding

TrainsOfDisney23 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.

JoeCamel23 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 Walt23 days ago

I WILL!

danlb_200023 days ago

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

BirdbyBird23 days ago

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

ToTBellHop23 days ago

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

TrainsOfDisney23 days ago

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

HauntedPirate23 days ago

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

Disgruntled Walt23 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)

TomboyJanet23 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.