New Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Permit Creates More Questions Than Answers
If you have been reading along here at MickeyBlog, you know that 2025 has been a big year for refurbishments at Magic Kingdom.
Throughout the past several months, we have seen Astro Orbiter close for a refurb, the Emporium undergo a series of renovations, and a mystery construction project pop up at the Haunted Mansion.
Of all the Magic Kingdom’s numerous ongoing projects, however, none is more significant than the massive refurbishment of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Frontierland.
Thunder Mountain Has Been Closed Since January
As a quick recap, Thunder Mountain closed on January 6, 2025, what what is expected to be a year-long refurbishment. To this point, Disney has yet to announce what changes will be made to the attraction. The hope, however, is that Magic Kingdom’s Thunder Mountain will finally get the dynamite finale that other versions of the attraction have.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad closed sign.
While Disney has been hard at work on Thunder Mountain, it now looks like there is still plenty of construction to come.
A New Permit Has Been Filed
Today, Disney filed a new Notice of Commencement permit for construction on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
The documentation assigns the work to DPR Construction.
Last Day at Big Thunder Mountain
By and large, little information can be gleaned from the latest Thunder Mountain permit. However, the document’s expiration date of April 15, 2026, has raised some eyebrows.
To this point, it has long been assumed that Thunder Mountain will reopen early next year. Some, however, have pointed to the new permit as evidence that the construction schedule may be expanded.
On the other hand, Notice of Commencement permits traditionally have a one-year life span. The April 15 date, then, is likely not an indication that Disney expects to conclude construction on that date.
When Will the Attraction Reopen?
As of this writing, we have no real reason to believe that the Thunder Mountain project will extend until April 2026. For now, however, we will have to wait and see.
