TRON Roller Coaster Foundation Installed in Magic Kingdom – Construction Update February 2019

This is a TRON Roller Coaster Construction Update for February 2019 in Disney’s Magic Kingdom.  Today we are going to take a look at the foundation for the roller coaster being installed as well as the expansion of the nearby retention pond and work on the Tomorrowland Speedway and Walt Disney World Railroad. 

This is just one of our continuous updates on the various construction projects around Walt Disney World.

If you aren’t familiar with the TRON roller coaster coming to Disney’s Magic Kingdom, it’s essentially a clone of the super popular attraction in Shanghai Disneyland, which happens to be the fastest ride in any Disney Park worldwide.  That means Tomorrowland and the Magic Kingdom are about to get a whole lot more exciting!  For more info about the project you can read this.

Since our last construction update for the TRON coaster a bunch of new things have happened, including new permits filed for the steel work which will hold the roller coaster track.  We should expect to see that very soon, but we’ll break all that down in this article.

As usual we want to thank @Bioreconstruct who takes amazing photos of the construction projects in Walt Disney World, and he gets some incredible aerial shots where you can see incredible views of the various attractions!  Let’s dive in and see what’s new this time…

Seeing as this is where it will call home soon, a gorgeous aerial shot of Tomorrowland sets the tone for our update of the TRON roller coaster:

Even though the TRON coaster is going to totally reshape Tomorrowland, it won’t be visible when you first enter the land as you can see in the layout.  The main walkway goes through the center of the above photo bringing you to Astro Orbiter, where you will then hang a left, past Space Mountain and over to TRON coaster.

You can see the giant plot of land that has been cleared back near the berm and what a massive footprint the TRON coaster will have.

Before we look closer at the attraction foundation, let’s look at some of the surrounding land to get a feel for what’s going on there.

Here is where there was formerly a shaded walkway between Tomorrowland and Storybook Circus.  Now this area is being developed for the TRON coaster:

Land clearing here has been going quite smoothly and lots of trees and shrubs have been torn up for what will be a walkway leading to the TRON roller coaster plaza.

Of course one of the downsides of the TRON roller coaster being built is the temporary closure of a couple Magic Kingdom favorites including the Tomorrowland Speedway and the Walt Disney World Railroad.

Here you can see the track being torn up on the Tomorrowland Speedway:

Part of the track needs to be rerouted and you can see where it’s being built:

The other attraction that’s closed right now and will be for some time is the Walt Disney World Railroad.  Even though it’s closed to the public, there are still the Magic Behind Our Steam Trains tours being given where the train is still in operation:

Another part of the project is the expansion of the nearby retention pond:

Looks like some extensive work is being done on the berm of Disney’s Magic Kingdom.  Borders being pushed back some to make room for this expansion project:

Just how far back will they go and what will be included?  

It does look like the way the berm is shaping up, there is the possibility for a train enhancement later.  Some have speculated we may even get a Dinosaur scene on the train route.  Stay tuned…

Now let’s look over at the TRON coaster site:

To show you the difference only a few months makes, here is the construction site back in October 2018:

And now here in February 2019:

Located right next to Space Mountain you can see a big part of the attraction foundation has been installed:

Here’s a cool shot of Space Mountain and it shows the old exit of the attraction which has now been moved.  Guests used to exit at the bottom where the red marker is and around the building, instead they are now rerouted out the top:

When it’s done it will look like this:

Notice the huge entrance and courtyard leading up to TRON plaza.  It will be a sight to behold for sure!

Now back to the current state, you can see some pilings are already in the concrete foundation which will hold the steel beams and track:

You can even see the “S” pattern it creates.

TRON will be visible also from the Contemporary Resort:

At the center arrow you can see the base of a tower crane.  The middle arrow shows where the previous train tracks were removed which are now being rerouted, and the top arrow again shows the Tomorrowland Speedway track which is also moving:

A closer shot of the construction crane:

Pipes and conduit coming out of the foundation:

That’s it so far for this month’s TRON roller coaster update, we’ll be updating this article all month so keep checking back for more info and pictures!

The TRON Roller Coaster will be open in time for the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary, and Disney hasn’t given word yet about the opening date, but it should be ready by Summer 2021.  Also don’t expect much difference from the TRON roller coaster in Shanghai Disneyland as it will pretty much be a direct clone of that attraction.

Stay tuned for more updates…

Other Disney World Construction Updates:

• Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Update (February 2019) – Millennium Falcon Details and New Buildings
• Disney Skyliner Update (January 2019) – Gondola Cable Cars Being Tested in Disney World
• Guardians of the Galaxy Coaster Update (January 2019) – Attraction Building Closed-Up
• Epcot Forever Fireworks Show Update (January 2019) – New Work on World Showcase Lagoon for Illuminations Replacement Show
• Space Restaurant Epcot Update (December 2018) – Foundation Installed for Sphere Dining Room
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure Construction Update (December 2018) – Canal Area in France Pavilion Closed for Construction

Your Thoughts:

I want to know what you think about the Tron Roller Coaster Construction Update for February 2019…

• Are you excited about the TRON roller coaster?
• Which new Walt Disney World attraction are you looking forward to most?

Let us know in the comments section below!

If you enjoyed this article, as always I appreciate it if you’d share it with others via social media.  I work hard at making this website into a useful resource for you and your family to plan your visit to the Disney Parks and I hope it can help you! Thanks 🙂

Photo Credit: @Bioreconstruct