Beloved Disney Attraction Finally Reopens After Years Of Closure
The Disney Railroad is re-opening after years of closure for test runs.
Despite high ticket prices (that are about to become even more expensive), The Walt Disney World Resort holds a special place in many people’s hearts. Disney Imagineers work hard to make sure that Disney rides are some of the best theme park rides in the world, and with that challenge comes constant renovation, often resulting in the shutdown of fan-favorite rides. Luckily, according to Inside the Magic, the beloved and classic Disney Railroad, which has been shut down for years, is about to reopen, though there is not yet a scheduled date.
It’s not uncommon for popular rides to be shut down or even removed entirely as Disney updates their parks. When Walt Disney first created his theme parks, he wanted them to be a place of endless change and innovation. As technology and culture changed throughout the world, he wanted the parks to keep up with modern times.
What this has meant is that lots of fan-favorite rides have come and gone, and many of them, like The Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover or The Great Movie Ride, remain memories from the past and not easily forgotten.
An innovator himself, Disney built his first railroad in the yard behind his house in 1950, just five years before he opened his first amusement park. The Disneyland Railroad became an opening day attraction when the park opened in 1955, and the Walt Disney World Railroad was also a debut ride when the Walt Disney World Resort opened in 1971 in Florida. Since then, the two original railroads have become classic and well-known attractions at Disney parks.
The Walt Disney World Railroad was shut down in 2018 due to the construction of the TRON rollercoaster in Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom. The coaster, which is officially named the TRON Lightcycle Power Run, is a copy of the coaster which was built for Shanghai Disneyland in 2016.
The TRON coaster is expected to open in Florida in the spring of 2023. This means that construction on the ride must be almost complete at this point, and the Disney railroad that was shut down while TRON was being built is close to reopening.
While there is no official reopening date set for the railroad, guests have seen the train doing laps around the park in suspected late-stage testing. With TRON so close to its opening date, guests are estimating that the railroad could be up and running as soon as this month. For many who love the nostalgia this attraction brings to the Magic Kingdom park, this is great news.
The Walt Disney World Railroad is not the only attraction to be shut down recently. While many guests feel nostalgia for the rides they grew up with as children, there is no doubt that some old Disney attractions are problematic. Disney has made several announcements dictating its intentions to revamp some of its more controversial rides.
In 2020, Disney announced that they would be changing the iconic Splash Mountain ride that resides in three of their parks to remove the racist roots that stem from Song of the South and give it a new facelift with a new story following Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog. The new version of this ride is set to release in 2024.
