Photos by Angela Luce
As Walt Disney World begins construction on an all-new roller coaster for Magic Kingdom, the park is renovating numerous sites. This photo update covers this work as well as the Tron coaster.
The Walt Disney World Railroad is currently closed while construction takes place for the Tron coaster. A train has been stationed at the Main Street U.S.A. station since it closed in December.
During the downtime, crews are working to replace tracks. When the project is completed on the Tron coaster and the railroad, guests will travel directly beneath the Tron ride. A reopening date has not yet been announced.
The park’s moat surrounding Cinderella Castle has been drained for several weeks.
As seen in the above photo, a concrete wall is being formed.
Crews are working to widen the walkway near the castle to allow for better flow of traffic.
The above photos of the castle moat are located on the west side.
The single image shown above is also located west of the castle. This image is shot slightly south of the other above photos, however. You can see a temporary dam to the right of the frame that separates the drained portion from the section containing water.
The east side of Cinderella Castle is also drained, providing a direct look at the bottom of the moat.
Located near the bridge is another dam to prevent water from entering the construction site.
Magic Kingdom’s biggest development is the addition of a brand new attraction themed to the Tron film.
Supports for the coaster’s track can be seen over the trees.
The Tomorrowland PeopleMover provides a clear view of the construction site.
The coaster will be like that of Shanghai Disneyland’s TRON Lightcycle Power Run. Guests will board a train of two-wheeled Lightcycles and depart for a race through the digital frontier.
The image included above shows the cranes for the development towering over Astro Blasters.
The new attraction is being constructed in an unused plot behind Space Mountain. The cranes captured in the above photo help to provide an idea of where the ride is.
The pathway to the left of the structure shown above will be used to access the Tron coaster. An opening date for the Tron ride has not yet been announced, it is planned to open by at least 2021.
Currently, Tomorrowland Speedway is temporarily closed so that the track can be rerouted in preparation for the new coaster.
In addition to receiving a new attraction in the future, Tomorrowland is receiving a new paint scheme that introduces vibrant colors.
The newly introduced colors significantly change the atmosphere of Tomorrowland, which previously lacked color.
Magic Kingdom’s construction projects extend beyond the park itself. The area around the Transportation and Ticket Center is also partially closed for development.
Because of this, the front of the center is not accessible to the trams.
Rather, guests are being directed to a walkway to the parking lot where trams are currently being stationed to pick up and drop off guests at select locations.
The underpass used by the trams is only open to foot traffic.
Signs are situated throughout the area to help direct guests.
The areas closed off are expected to be refurbished to accommodate the increasing crowd levels and improve security checks.
The below image shows a tram approaching and departing from a temporary station.
Stay tuned to attractioninsight.com for future park updates.
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