As the more than one-year-long refurbishment progresses, more track has been removed from Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Magic Kingdom.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment
We boarded the Liberty Square Riverboat to get a closer look at the latest progress of the refurbishment work.
During our last update, orange cones had been set up on parts of the rockwork across the mountain range. The cones still remain and plywood pieces have also been added.
We also noted that scaffolding had been installed next to the piece of track that curves out over the Rivers of America. The scaffolding is still there and orange cones have been set up on a piece of wood behind it.
The piece of track from this portion of the ride has since been removed. Red straps have been attached to the wooden framework and also to the end of the scaffolding. Pieces of plywood spray painted with the word “Hole” in green and orange cones lay at the entrance to a cavern in the rockwork.
A closer look inside the cavern reveals another hole with a piece of plywood over it that has been exposed with the removal of the track pieces.
Several crew members were working as we traveled around the bend. Additional scaffolding has also been installed along the wooden railings near the rockwork.
In the nearby building, another prop has been tagged with a green tag. Scaffolding has also been added at the building’s entrance and the interior.
As we traveled away from the mountain we were provided with another view of the removed track and also saw metal supports on the wood beams extending out over the water.
We then hopped onto the Walt Disney World Railroad to get a view of the updates from there as well. We noticed new green hoses had been installed in the drained waterways. Crew members were also working near the scaffolding by the rockwork with large white bags and green tarps nearby
A scaffolding platform was installed to the left of the tree near the cavern entrance.
Signs attached to the red caution tape read “Closed Access.”
We also saw other crew members near the back of the mountain on the walkway above the cavern.
Big Thunder Mountain will remain closed for the remainder of 2025 until it opens again in 2026 with a “little bit of new magic.” Part of the refurbishment is in preparation for the new Disney Villains-themed land. Magic Kingdom will also receive a new “Cars” area in place of the current Rivers of America.
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.