While visiting Magic Kingdom earlier today, we jumped on the Liberty Square Riverboat to not only enjoy the vibes (while we still can) but also to get a sneak peek at the ongoing refurbishment of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. As you may know, Big Thunder is currently closed until sometime in 2026 as Walt Disney World replaces the entire roller coaster track and adds “new magic” to the attraction. Roller coaster track removal began January 8th, and on our recent visit to Magic Kingdom, we couldn’t see any remaining. Let’s take a look.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Old Track Removed
We’ll start with a caveat – anything that we can see is likely the easiest to remove. It’s possible and perhaps even likely that there is still some track remaining “inside” the mountain. I’d imagine that removing and reinstalling the track there will be a much more complex effort, and perhaps the length of the refurbishment reflects that complexity. It’s also possible that there is some track remaining in backstage support areas or immediately adjacent to those areas – we’re not really concerned with that portion for this article.
Instead, we’ll take a look at what’s visible from the Riverboat. The most recent track removals were along the portion of the ride that juts out a bit over the Rivers of America. We’ll get there in a second.
In terms of timing for reopening, a Spring 2026 reopening seems most likely at this point. One of the more significant permits filed for the project has an expiration date in March 2026. Permit expiration dates are not reopening dates, but they are good indicators of when large projects are scheduled to be completed at the time that they’re filed.
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!