The Walt Disney World Railroad is now operating in “shuttle mode”, meaning that it is only traveling between two of the three stations at Magic Kingdom. Due to work taking place in the northwest corner of the park, the majority of the railroad track is now off limits, and the Frontierland station has been closed. We made it out to Magic Kingdom recently to take a lap on what’s left of the Walt Disney World Railroad route. We’ll also take a closer look at what is closed and why.
Walt Disney World Shortens Railroad Route
Right now, the “grand circle tour” at Magic Kingdom is neither grand nor a circle. As you can see in the updated digital map of Magic Kingdom below, the Walt Disney World Railroad has been “removed” from the 6 o’clock position, clockwise around to the 2 o’clock position. While the railroad track has been removed from the digital map, there are no current plans to physically remove the track from Magic Kingdom…yet.
The remaining track connects the Main Street USA station and the Fantasyland station. It is expected that this is how the railroad will operate for the next few years, perhaps until 2030 or later.
As of publish time, Walt Disney World has not announced a reopening timeframe or date for the rest of the Walt Disney World Railroad route. So, why is the railroad route being shortened? Construction.
Cars & Villains Land Construction
The reason that the Walt Disney World Railroad route has been shortened is twofold. The main reason is that there is a massive construction project now underway in the northwest corner of Magic Kingdom. This construction project includes the draining of the Rivers of America, the demolition of Tom Sawyer Island, grading of the entire area, construction of a Cars-themed expansion of Frontierland, and the construction of a Villains land. In short, a lot of work. Years’ worth of work.
Taking a look at our aerial photos below, we can see the construction zone in question in the upper left of the photo immediately below, and then a more focused photo following it.
With the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and surrounding forested areas all taken over by construction at this point, the Walt Disney World Railroad cannot safely pass through this area of the park. You can see it cutting through the woods in the middle-right of the photo below. With heavy equipment, demolition, and (eventually) construction set to take place here, it’s not a part of the park that Disney wants to show off right now.
It’s possible, and perhaps even likely, that the Walt Disney World Railroad tracks will eventually be removed and replaced here. It’s unclear how much of the forested area along the north side of the Rivers of America will be needed for Villains Land. A best-case scenario is that Walt Disney World would create a brand-new indoor show scene for the Railroad as it passes through a tunnel between Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the area at the very bottom of the image below. This would keep the railroad a first-class citizen at Magic Kingdom, while keeping it out of view from the thematically clashing Villains Land.
Modified Railroad Operations (Backwards Travel)
With the Railroad no longer making a circle thanks to the shortened route, the operations have also been modified to include a backwards direction of travel between the Main Street USA station and the Fantasyland station. The vehicle travels forward from Fantasyland to Main Street USA.
With the new direction of travel during “shuttle mode” operations, there is also new audio to sort of explain the modification. Walt Disney World has decided to employ Stitch to play along as the co-conductor during the 7-minute journey. The dialog is playful, with Stitch acting as more of an excited child than a destructive force. We’re a long way removed from decorating Cinderella Castle in toilet paper. Here’s our video of the shuttle mode operations, including a full round trip from Main Street USA station to Fantasyland station and back.
In order to accommodate guests who may not be comfortable traveling backwards, or guests who simply don’t want to travel backwards, each cabin has half of its seats flipped around. This gives guests the option to face forward relative to the direction of travel, or backwards – sort of like the monorail. Like the monorail, there is no signage indicating the direction of travel. That could change at some point, but right now, Cast Members are doing their best to inform guests who are in a “backwards” seat that they will be facing backward relative to the direction of travel for whatever leg of the journey they’re on.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
