It has only been a few days since our last report on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad construction project, but we are already seeing some more changes during our latest photo update.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment Update

To spot all of the newest changes, we took a ride on the Walt Disney World Railroad and the Liberty Square Riverboat. The tall yellow crane still towers over the whole area.

First, we caught a glimpse of construction crew members standing near the attraction’s maintenance barn. A large section of metal track is being lowered from a crane.

It appears several more sections of track have been removed since our last update and are being lowered backstage.


A crew member waved as we passed by the wooden walkway in the center of the town scene. Even more metal scaffolding has been added around this area, particularly to the left.

Additional metal scaffolds have floors and handrails so crew members can cross over the top of large crevices.


Across the water, orange and yellow safety tape has been strung across large sections of the mountain. Some orange cones and wheelbarrows are stationed near the cave entrance.


We spotted two crew members making their way down the track near the sharp bend facing the attraction’s exit. They followed the track down to the section of missing track we noticed during our last update.

The crew members seem to be inspecting the area underneath where the track was placed.


A large group of crew members were hiking up the mountain, where more yellow safety tape has been strung. If you zoom in a little closer, you can spot where a crane is attached to an orange box.

A closer image shows where the crane has four thick attachments to an orange metal container. Unfortunately, the object was too far away to see what might be inside.

Finally, the props and items we noticed during our last update have not been removed yet. We saw them still tagged with bright pink labels.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Construction
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has been announced to stay closed for the entirety of 2025, and will not be reopening until 2026. Recently, we noticed the narration on the Walt Disney World Railroad was updated to mention the attraction’s lengthy closure. Disney has stated the ride will have a “little bit of new magic” when it reopens, but no details or a reopening date have been shared yet. A new Disney Villains-themed land will be constructed beyond Big Thunder Mountain, so it’s likely that this lengthy refurbishment is coinciding with larger construction plans in the area.
Missing Big Thunder Mountain Railroad already? You can watch our full 4K ride POV below:
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