Walt Disney World has officially started a lengthy ride refurbishment of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom, with the attraction now closed through 2026. Here’s everything we know about this Walt Disney World ride closure, timing for the downtime, our speculation about what they might entail, and more. (Updated March 3, 2025.)
This Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (BTMRR) refurbishment is the third major project that we first covered months ago in Magic Kingdom Ride Refurbishment Rumors. It follows the month-plus closures of Peter Pan’s Flight and Jungle Cruise, both of which have now reopened. The final piece of the puzzle is the refurbishment and plussing of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Even with BTMRR now closed, expect to see plenty of other ride refurbishments at Magic Kingdom in 2025-2026. This is the final piece of the puzzle for major closures to top tier attractions with higher-status Lightning Lanes (see update below). It’s far from the only project on the horizon in Magic Kingdom, with Astro Orbiter and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin also receiving work, and more likely beyond that.
March 3, 2025 Update: Let’s start with the latest official update before we turn to speculation. Walt Disney Imagineering has filed a new ‘Notice of Commencement’ for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The construction permit lists the scope of the work as “install set elements” and is assigned to longtime Walt Disney World collaborator, Icarus Exhibits, Inc.
Icarus Exhibits previously worked on a wide variety of projects, including installing show scenes and sets in Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, TRON Lightcycle Run, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and throughout Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. They’re also about to start on Zootopia: Better Zoogether, as reflected in another new March 2025 construction permit.
This particular construction permit is noteworthy because it signals that the massive Big Thunder Mountain Railroad project is now moving beyond track replacement and infrastructure updates to focus on thematic elements. This likely includes restoring show scenes and the “new magic” planned for BTMRR. We would’ve largely expected the refurbishment to happen prior to the reimagining, but it appears there’s going to be overlap. We’d stop short of calling this a milestone since the track replacement is still underway, but it’s been flying along.
Now for the speculative part of this. We can’t help but wonder whether there’s been a greater sense of urgency (and there definitely has) with the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad project because Walt Disney World wants the ride to reopen ASAP. There are a few possible reasons for this.
The first is that Frontierland has become a dead zone. This is probably partially what pushed Walt Disney World to ditch the virtual queue for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure last month. Although that ride has become more reliable of late, it’s not completely clear to us that its record is good enough to offer a standby line. It’s possible that park operations wanted to make the change, regardless, to help redistribute crowds and draw people–and not just those who scored boarding groups–deeper into Magic Kingdom.
The second related reason is that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure still does suffer from reliability woes. Having Big Thunder Mountain Railroad open could act as a release valve for demand in the event of downtime. It could also allow Walt Disney World to take Tiana’s Bayou Adventure completely offline for a winter refurbishment next year, as it’s our understanding that it (already) really needs a few weeks to a month of scheduled downtime–and not just overnight maintenance.
Finally, there are rumors that Space Mountain is getting its track replaced in 2026 as soon as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopens. To be transparent, I have not heard these rumors from any credible sources. In fact, I’ve heard there are other pressing priorities for next year that would suggest to me Space Mountain is less likely to close. But this nevertheless passes the smell test for me to enough of an extent that it’s worth passing along and discussing.
What I have heard more broadly is that Magic Kingdom has a whole host of medium-term projects to be accomplished before 2030. It’s entirely plausible that a re-tracking of Space Mountain would be among them. The reasons for this should be pretty straightforward to anyone who has ridden Space Mountain in the last decade or two.
In case not, Space Mountain was once slated for a total overhaul in 2009 (similar to what Disneyland had received earlier in that decade), but that instead ended up being a multi-month project that involved TLC but was mostly cosmetic and thematic in nature. Over 15 years later, it’s safe to assume the ride needs a re-tracking more now than it does then. From what I understand, roller coasters don’t age like wine.
Personally, I’m still skeptical that Space Mountain would be next up in 2026. My speculative perspective is that a bigger picture Tomorrowland project is in the medium-term plans, but not next year. Specifics don’t really matter, though. The salient point is that something is on deck, the clock is ticking, and that management wants/needs Big Thunder Mountain Railroad back online as soon as possible.
How soon is that? I haven’t the slightest idea as to what’s actually possible. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopening by Christmas is probably optimal from the perspective of operations, but that doesn’t mean construction crews can hit that target (assuming it is the target). The next big project starting the second week of January 2026 is likewise probably ideal. Just to reiterate, all of this is purely speculative on my part–trying to piece things together and make sense of it all.
The bottom line is that there are new reasons to believe Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will reopen before mid-March 2026, which was the target date suggested by previous permits (see below). Just in watching construction progress and new permit filings, this is probably a safe assumption. Even before you start taking rumors/speculation into account, the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad refurbishment and reimagining just doesn’t seem like a project that’s going to take another full year to complete.
What follows are previous updates to the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad project tracker…
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad closed for refurbishment on January 6, 2025.
The last day to experience BTMRR in its current form was January 5. The wildest ride in the wilderness is planned to reopen in 2026 with a little bit of “new magic,” according to Walt Disney World.
Taking BTMRR down for refurbishment at the same time that the work begins to fill in the Rivers of America and begin Cars construction makes sense. That major permit for that project has now been approved, and construction bidding materials suggest that work will begin–likely backstage first–in March 2025.
With that said, one important thing to note is that we do not expect the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, or the Liberty Square Riverboat to close immediately. Based on what we’ve heard and the public permitting process, those closures are several months behind BTMRR, at best.
For a much more thorough discussion of when we expect to see those attractions and areas to permanently close, see When Will Rivers of America & Tom Sawyer Island Close at Magic Kingdom?
Regardless, work on Cars Land is likely to start at some point before 2026. Having Big Thunder closed while filling in the Rivers of America would certainly expedite the process and make construction easier. Not only that, but there will be a path that connects Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Frontierland with Liberty Square and Villains Land, so work on this can begin during the refurbishment.
Previously, Walt Disney World filed a ‘Notice of Commencement’ construction permit with Coastal Steel as the contractor, and general construction as the scope of the work. Coastal Steel has received a lot of work from Walt Disney World over the years, and is also the contractor for the Test Track reimagining. It’s our understanding that the BTMRR refurbishment has multiple moving pieces, and the biggest is likely encompassed by that permit.
Outside of Test Track, Coastal Steel has collaborated with Walt Disney World on several attractions. For example, Coastal Steel worked with Walt Disney World on a range of projects, from the construction of Expedition Everest and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train to Blizzard Beach, Mickey’s Toontown Fair, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and TRON Lightcycle Run.
It’s worth noting that this project was delayed and there was a previous Notice of Commencement filed for Coastal Steel that had an expiration date in August 2025. At the time, it would’ve been over 14 months into the future, suggesting a year-plus closure. That comported with rumors (at the time) about this project taking over one year and being significant in scale and scope. Back when this was just a rumor, it was an open secret that this would be a track replacement taking somewhere between one year and 18 months to complete. The second permit assigned to Coastal Steel has an expiration date of March 13, 2026. That should reinforce that this is still a year-plus closure.
If you feel like you’re having déjà vu all over again, it’s because this is now the second construction permit with an expiration date of March 13, 2026. The first was filed back in October and assigned to DPR Construction, another frequent collaborator with Disney.
For those who aren’t math whizzes or calendar enthusiasts, that’s more than one year from now. That duration is notable because the default expiration is one year. That’s what most projects without fully-defined timelines get. Walt Disney World only changes the default expiration on purpose, extending or shortening it as projects dictate.
The default 1-year timeline is never noteworthy, but shorter or longer ones always are, as they’re extended or reduced for a reason. That’s always the case, but it’s doubly so when two permits have the exact same March 13, 2026 expiration. That’s not a coincidence.
In our view, this new permit offers a massive clue as to when Walt Disney World wants Big Thunder Railroad to reopen. We already knew this would last into 2026, but now there’s a more specific target date in mind: Spring Break. Having a drop-dead date of March 13 makes perfect sense, as that’s a Friday that normally aligns with the start of Osceola and Orange County student recesses.
Obviously, this is a lengthy construction project and one that’s subject to change. That’s still over a year into the future and delays are always possible–if not probable, so it’s premature for Walt Disney World to announce an opening date that far into the future. (To that point, this project is shaping up to be very similar to the last overhaul of BTMRR at Disneyland, which had a lengthy delay–see below.)
Nevertheless, it makes sense for Walt Disney World to target March 13, 2026 as the reopening date. It should go without saying, but a target date is just that–a target. It’s not guaranteed, but rather, the goal for Imagineering and its contractors to complete the project and reopen the ride. If the project isn’t able to be completed by Easter (April 5, 2026), there’s a decent possibility Walt Disney World pushes it back even further–to the start of summer season around Memorial Day 2026. There will be no sense of urgency to get it done in the couple of months in between, especially since Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’s reopening will be featured in a marketing push.
Based on previous rumors, it’s our understanding that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad coaster needs a significant refurbishment involving substantial work on the ride system and retracking. This long-planned project is viewed as preventative work that’s crucial to extend the useful life of the roller coaster, ensuring the ride’s longevity and operational status for decades to come.
While the ride has had a number of winter-time closures for several weeks to over a month in the last several years, the last lengthy closure was in 2016 when Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was down for 4 months in the late summer and early fall. Prior to that, BTMRR had multiple closures in 2012 for extensive work, installation of the interactive queue, as well as the Barnabas T. Bullion and Big Thunder Mining Company backstory.
It’s also our understanding that Imagineering has attempted to take BTMRR down for multi-month or year-long refurbishments a few times over the last several years, but park management pushed back every time. As a result, lengthy projects that were previously planned got truncated into weeklong routine maintenance.
Every version of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has had extensive closures in recent years–except Magic Kingdom.
Perhaps most instructive is the BTMRR at Disneyland, which closed for a major renovation in January 2013. This project had a similar scope as what’s rumored for Magic Kingdom, with new ride vehicles, track replacement, repainting the mountain, and also restoring the Rainbow Ridge Mining Town.
That was originally scheduled to be completed by Fall 2013, but it wasn’t done until March 2014. By the time Big Thunder Mountain Railroad did reopen over a year later, its return came with much fanfare and new features–and a potential “blueprint” for other projects of this nature that we’re now potentially seeing with Haunted Mansion and Fantasmic at Disneyland. Sort of a quasi “Disney Vault” approach to excite fans.
I’d expect something similar with the Magic Kingdom version of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. A closure that lasted 14 months approximately one decade ago translates to at least 18 months when adjusted for construction timeline inflation. (A thing I made up, but you know what I mean–and that it’s a real Disney phenomenon!)
There’s no way Walt Disney World is going to close Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for between a year and 18 months and not have anything marketable to show for it when the attraction returns. There will likely be new lift hill effects, nighttime lighting, redone show scenes with Easter eggs and other historical tributes–something, anything.
Given the cost in time and money, I fully believe they’ll make it count and this won’t “just” be a closure for invisible work that “only” extends the life of the roller coaster. Walt Disney World has more or less confirmed as much with the vague line about added magic.
With a closure that’s going to last roughly a year, timing doesn’t make a huge difference. After all, it’s going to be down during every week and season, anyway. Not only that, but Walt Disney World has shown a willingness to close marquee attractions at popular times of the year. Look no further than Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster during spring break (twice!), Tower of Terror during spring and summer, and the upcoming Test Track closure from summer through at least the holiday season.
If at all possible, it might make sense to get the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad refurbishment done before October 2026. This is purely speculative on our part and a lot could change between now and then–obviously. However, we suspect Disney would’ve indicated if the plan were to have BTMRR back up and running by early or mid-2026. Between the scope of work on this project itself and the filling in of Rivers of America for Cars Land, downtime lasting into the second half of 2026 makes complete sense.
Summer crowds typically start winding down towards the end of July and drop off a cliff at the beginning of August. If this is a year-plus closure, it’s logical to have BTMRR down for the months of August and September twice than it does the months of October through December. But of course, that assumes they have a choice and can dictate timing–a bold assumption!
Ultimately, we’d expect more reimaginings and refurbishments of this nature for a couple of reasons. The first is that there was a lot of deferred maintenance and proportionately fewer closures in the last few years due to pent-up demand and budget cuts. So several attractions are overdue for refurbishments and will probably get them in the next couple of years.
Second, the money spigot is about to be turned on for Parks & Resorts, allowing for more projects of this nature to (finally!) happen. Sure, it’s not as exciting as brand-new attractions–and many of you may lament more rides being closed during your vacation–but refurbishments are very much a necessity for maintaining appropriate attraction standards and ensuring that breakdowns don’t continue to happen at a more frequent rate. So here’s hoping we see more on this front!
It’ll be interesting to see whether Walt Disney World scrambles to schedule more brief refurbishment projects in Magic Kingdom between now and January 2025. While this normally would not be the time for closures, it’s possible that Disney will want to get as many brief refurbishments out of the way before Big Thunder goes down for over a year. We’ll keep you posted!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about the lengthy ride refurbishment/reimagining of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad? Hope these classics are updated to ensure their longevity for decades to come? Do any attractions at Walt Disney World strike you as being prime candidates for ride reimaginings? Do you agree or disagree with our choices? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!