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It’s a sight – and a sound – we’ve all been missing at Walt Disney World for over 3 years now.
The beloved Walt Disney World Railroad (and its magical whistle) is a fan-favorite attraction at the Florida Resort, taking Guests on a convenient and nostalgic grand circle tour of Magic Kingdom.
Hearing the roaring of the engine and the chug of the wheels on the tracks often begins a Guest’s day at the theme park, with the trains crossing the famous entrance of the Park.
Sadly, the Railroad has been closed since December 2018 to aid the construction of the upcoming TRON attraction in Tomorrowland, but today, some lucky Disney Guests caught a glimpse of the famous train!
Credit: Disney Tips
Disney has been working hard on repairing and restoring the Walt Disney World Railroad to its dazzling glory. Though parts of the track have been replaced and moved, the train stations in Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Main Street, U.S.A. will remain the same.
With the track around Magic Kingdom unusually quiet, it was a treat for one Guest today to see the train testing on their visit to the theme park. Disneyfied Ash shared the magic video to Twitter today, February 1, showcasing the train and one carriage moving around the track:
Saw the train testing at Magic Kingdom today and my soul left my body
Saw the train testing at Magic Kingdom today and my soul left my body 🪦 pic.twitter.com/R6UyJqX3HX
— Ashley Suit (@DisneyfiedAsh) February 1, 2022
The sight of the train – Walt Disney’s favorite pastime – chugging around the track is a beautiful sight and one that gets hopeful that we’ll soon have a reopening date for this fan-favorite, relaxing 20-minute ride.
It is important to note that even though testing is happening, the Walt Disney World Railroad will not reopen to Guests until the TRON attraction construction is complete.
The TRON attraction in Tomorrowland has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but recent glimpses of the construction while on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover have shown some great progress.
Credit: Disney Tips
Greg Kelsaris, a project planner with the facility asset management department at WDW, recently spoke to Orlando Sentinel, explaining that the refurbishments happening to the Walt Disney World Railroad are the first to occur since Walt Disney World opened back in 1971:
“We’re doing a lot of things that either haven’t been done since Walt Disney World opened, or just kind of really revolutionary things. It was the first time that we actually took everything apart for the railroad. And we’re able to say, ‘OK, we have everything down to the bare bones. What can we do to either improve the guest experience with the ride, or bring it back to where it was, kind of, in the ‘70s when it first started?
That kind of rebuild process hasn’t really been done since park opening. It’s really incredible to return them to their glory and, honestly, improve some things on them. We really took the time to go through each part and say, ‘Hey, should we improve this? Is it good where it is? Should we replace it?’”
It sounds like the TRON ride has led to some great changes and updates around the theme park, and we can’t wait to see them when the Railroad reopens.
At this time, Disney World still has not announced a reopening date for the Walt Disney World Railroad, but keep looking on Disney Tips for when Disney reveals its return date!
