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Credit: Flickr/Joe PennistonDisney is making significant progress on one of its most high-profile attractions.
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While guests can expect to find all kinds of fun and magical experiences during their time at Walt Disney World, they can also count on a few rides being closed. It’s an unfortunate part of any theme park, though Disney World is home to enough great rides and attractions that most of these closures tend to fly under the radar.
This is not the case with Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Even though Magic Kingdom is home to some of Disney World’s most beloved and popular rides like Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, and Space Mountain, the absence of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad can certainly be felt.
Disney’s self-described “Wildest Ride in the Wilderness” closed for a lengthy refurbishment back in January. The coaster is not scheduled to reopen until sometime in 2026.
Not having a major “E-ticket” roller coaster open for at least a full year puts a big damper on what is traditionally seen as one of Disney’s best theme parks.
However, significant progress on the coaster is being made, with crews hitting a milestone recently.
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Thanks to a new video from MickeyViews shared on Twitter/X, we can see that work is moving along nicely on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’s ongoing refurbishment. The video shows crews standing around as a track piece is installed at what appears to be near the end of the coaster.
MickeyViews theorized that this could be the final piece of the new coaster track, marking a major milestone for the coaster.
Today at Magic Kingdom Park, Big Thunder Mountain celebrated a refurbishment milestone. Judging by the large ceremony, it appears the final piece of the attraction’s complete re-track has been lifted into place!
Today at Magic Kingdom Park, Big Thunder Mountain celebrated a refurbishment milestone. 🚂
Judging by the large ceremony, it appears the final piece of the complete re-track of the attraction has been lifted into place! pic.twitter.com/X99ZhL66Z4
— Mickey Views (@MickeyViews) May 28, 2025
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A big part of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’s refurbishment involves track replacement, though other upgrades can be expected. Plenty of technical upgrades are on the way, including sound and lighting updates.
It’s also theorized that Disney may overhaul Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’s final lift hill, adjusting it to be more like Disneyland and Disneyland Paris’ versions of the ride.
Of course, this is hardly the only project happening at the Magic Kingdom, with the park set to undergo even more transformations and overhauls as 2025 continues.
Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland will receive the biggest changes, as the western-themed area of the park will eventually be home to a new land based on Pixar’s Cars franchise. This project was first unveiled during Disney’s D23 event in 2024 and came as quite a surprise to the park-going public.
While Disney has already been successful with Cars at its Disneyland Resort in California, practically nobody thought Disney would bring Lightning McQueen and Mater to Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland. While there’s a lot of excitement about this project, there’s also a lot of controversy, specifically due to what will be closing.
To make room for this new Cars expansion, Magic Kingdom’s man-made waterways, the Rivers of America, as well as Tom Sawyer Island, will be closing. These two iconic parts of the Magic Kingdom have been there for decades, not only providing things to see and do but also adding to the park’s overall atmosphere and vibe.
It’s incredibly hard to imagine what Magic Kingdom will look like without these two features, though Disney seems keen on bringing the world of Cars to life no matter the cost.
Other projects are happening outside of the Magic Kingdom as well, with Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios also receiving some big upgrades in the coming years.
For more information on what’s changing at Walt Disney World, click here.
What upcoming project are you most excited for at Walt Disney World?