Rail transport in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts

Rail transport can be found in every theme park resort property owned or licensed by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, one of the four business segments of the Walt Disney Company.^[3][4] The origins of Disney theme park rail transport can be traced back to Walt Disney himself and his personal fondness for railroads, who insisted that they be included in the first Disney park, the original Disneyland (a key component of the Disneyland Resort) in California in the United States, which opened on July 17, 1955.^[5][6] The Disney tradition of including transport by rail in, and adjacent to, its parks has since been extended to other Disney properties with the opening of Walt Disney World in Florida in the United States,^[7] Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan,^[8] Disneyland Paris in France,^[9] Hong Kong Disneyland Resort in China,^[10] and Shanghai Disney Resort in China.^[11] The Disney theme park chain is the largest on the planet by annual attendance with over 155 million visitors in 2019, and the rail systems located inside its properties play key roles as modes of transportation and as attractions for its visitors.^[12]

Each Disney theme park resort has a rail transport system serving its general resort area, whether it is a monorail system located inside the Disney resort properties in the United States and Japan,^[13][14][15] or a conventional rail system connecting external rail networks to the Disney resorts in France and China.^[16][17][18] The Disneyland Monorail System in California was the first monorail system in the United States; the Walt Disney World Monorail System in Florida, with an estimated 150,000 passengers per day, is one of the busiest monorail systems in the world.^[19][20] Both Disney park resort properties in the United States, as well as those in Japan and France, contain theme parks that feature genuine steam-powered railroads.^[21] The Disney park chain has one of the world's largest private collections of operational steam locomotives, with seventeen in total spread across the globe.^[21] Additional rail systems within the theme parks in both United States resorts and the Hong Kong resort resemble steam-powered railroads, but their locomotives are powered by internal combustion engines.^[22][23][24] Other rail transport modes found in Disney parks include horse-drawn streetcar rail lines within both resorts in the United States and the resort in France,^[25][26][27] replica vintage electric rail lines in California and Japan,^[28][29] and a people mover in Florida.^[30]

Disneyland Resort

Name	Location	Image	Motive power type	Track gauge	Opened	Closed	Notes
Disneyland Monorail[13]	General resort area[13]		Electric (busbar)[31][32]	Monorail[13]	June 14, 1959[33]	–	First operational monorail system in the United States.[19] Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark status.[34] Valid admission to Disneyland is required to ride this monorail.[35]
Disneyland Railroad[36]	Disneyland[36]		Steam[37]	3 ft (914 mm)[38]	July 17, 1955[37]	–	Design inspired by Walt Disney's Carolwood Pacific Railroad and Ward Kimball's Grizzly Flats Railroad.[39][40]
Main Street Vehicles[25]	Disneyland[25]		Working animal[25]	3 ft (914 mm)[41]	July 17, 1955[37][42]	–	Besides the tramway with horse-drawn streetcars, non-rail, old-fashioned motor vehicles are also part of this attraction.[25]
Casey Jr. Circus Train[43]	Disneyland[43]		Internal combustion (gasoline)[22]	2 ft (610 mm)[44]	July 17, 1955[45]	–	Based on the anthropomorphic locomotive character Casey Junior from the Disney 1941 animated feature film Dumbo[45]
Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland[46] (formerly Rainbow Caverns Mine Train)[45]	Disneyland[47]		Electric (battery)[48]	2 ft 6 in (762 mm)[48]	July 2, 1956[45]	January 2, 1977[49]	Replaced by the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad mine train roller coaster attraction[50]
Viewliner Train of Tomorrow[51]	Disneyland[52]	–	Internal combustion (gasoline)[51]	2 ft 6 in (762 mm)[52]	June 10, 1957[51]	September 30, 1958[52]	Replaced by the Disneyland Monorail System[52]
PeopleMover[53]	Disneyland[53]		Electric (track-embedded spinning tires)[53]	People mover[54]	July 2, 1967[54]	August 21, 1995[54]	The former line's elevated track infrastructure is still present at the park.[54]
Jolly Trolley[55]	Disneyland[55]		Internal combustion (diesel)[56]	3 ft (914 mm)[57]	January 24, 1993[58]	December 2003[59]	The former line and ride vehicles are still present at the park as static displays.[55]
Red Car Trolley[28]	Disney California Adventure[28]		Electric (battery)[60]	1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge[60]	June 15, 2012[61]	–	Non-operating overhead wires are in place to recreate the appearance of a heritage streetcar line.[62]

Route diagrams

v t e Disneyland Monorail System Legend Maintenance facility (not open to public) Tomorrowland Disneyland Railroad (short walk inside park) Downtown Disney	v t e Disneyland Railroad Legend Roundhouse (open to public during certain runDisney events) Mickey's Toontown Monorail transfer (via short walk inside park) Ferry transfer (via short walk inside park) Tomorrowland New Orleans Square Horse-drawn streetcar transfer (via short walk inside park) Main Street, U.S.A. Parking lot tram and bus transfers (via short walks outside park)	v t e Main Street Vehicles (Disneyland) Legend Sleeping Beauty Castle Central Plaza Car barn (not open to public) Main Street, U.S.A. Steam train transfer (via short walk inside park)
v t e Casey Jr. Circus Train Legend Roundhouse (not open to public) Fantasyland	v t e Red Car Trolley Legend Car barn (not open to public) Sunset Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard Carthay Circle Buena Vista Street Bus and parking lot tram transfers (via short walks outside park)

Walt Disney World

Name	Location	Image	Motive power type	Track gauge	Opened	Closed	Notes
Walt Disney World Monorail System[14]	Magic Kingdom and Epcot resort areas[14]		Electric (busbar)[63]	Monorail[14]	October 1, 1971[64]	–	One of the world's busiest monorail systems with an estimated 150,000 passengers each day.[20] No purchase of any kind is required to ride this monorail.[65]
Walt Disney World Railroad[66]	Magic Kingdom[66]		Steam[67]	3 ft (914 mm)[68]	October 1, 1971[69]	–	All four locomotives, originally built by Baldwin Locomotive Works, were purchased from the Ferrocarriles Unidos de Yucatán.[68]
Main Street Vehicles[26]	Magic Kingdom[26]		Working animal[26]	3 ft (914 mm)[70]	October 1, 1971[71]	–	Besides the tramway with horse-drawn streetcars, non-rail, old-fashioned motor vehicles are also part of this attraction.[26]
PeopleMover (Magic Kingdom)[30]	Magic Kingdom[30]		Electric (track-embedded linear induction motors)[30]	People mover[72]	July 1, 1975[72]	–	An early concept model for Epcot can be seen during the ride.[30]
Fort Wilderness Railroad[73]	Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground[73]	–	Steam[73]	2 ft 6 in (762 mm)[74]	January 1, 1974[75]	February 1980[76]	Numerous operational problems, poor design, and high costs led to the closure of this railroad.[77]
Wildlife Express Train[78]	Disney's Animal Kingdom[78]		Internal combustion (diesel)[23]	3 ft (914 mm)[23]	April 22, 1998[79]	–	Despite the dated and weathered appearance of the trains, they are actually brand-new models built by Severn Lamb.[80]

Route diagrams

v t e Transport in Walt Disney World Legend Disney University 56, 300 Maintenance facility (not open to public) ▶▶▶ Magic Kingdom (in park) ▶ Contemporary ▶▶ Fort Wilderness ▶ Grand Floridian ▶▶ Wilderness Lodge ▶ Polynesian Village Transportation & Ticket Ctr. 56, 300 Shades of Green (US DoD guests only) ▶ Port Orleans (Riverside) ▶ Port Orleans (French Quarter) ▶ Saratoga Springs (Treehouse Villas) ▶ Old Key West ▶ Saratoga Springs ▶▶▶▶▶ Disney Springs (Marketplace) Disney Springs (Town Center) ▶ Disney Springs (Landing) ▶ Disney Springs (West Side) 300, 350 Typhoon Lagoon Epcot (World Celebration) (in park) Epcot (World Showcase) (in park) BoardWalk Beach Club/Yacht Club Riviera Dolphin/Swan & Fantasia Gardens Coronado Springs Caribbean Beach Hollywood Studios Animal Kingdom (in park) Animal Kingdom Lodge Blizzard Beach & Winter Summerland Art of Animation/Pop Century All-Star Movies/Music/Sports ESPN Wide World of Sports I-4 to Airport , SeaWorld , and Universal Disney Transport bus service Monorail service ( passengers; no passengers) Gondola lift service Watercraft service Parking lot tram service Lynx regular bus service	v t e Walt Disney World Railroad Legend Roundhouse (open to public during special tours only) Fantasyland Frontierland Ferry transfer (via short walk inside park) People mover transfer (via short walk inside park) Horse-drawn streetcar transfer (via short walk inside park) Main Street, U.S.A. Monorail transfer (via short walk outside park) Watercraft and bus transfers (via short walks outside park)	v t e Main Street Vehicles (Magic Kingdom) Legend Cinderella Castle Central Plaza Car barn (not open to public) Main Street, U.S.A. Steam train transfer (via short walk inside park)
	v t e Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover Legend Storage facility (not open to public) Space Mountain Steam train transfer (via short walk inside park) Tomorrowland Maintenance facility (not open to public)	v t e Wildlife Express Train Legend Rafiki's Planet Watch Roundhouse (not open to public) Africa Bus and parking lot tram transfers (via short walks outside park)

Tokyo Disney Resort

Name	Location	Image	Motive power type	Track gauge	Opened	Closed	Notes
Disney Resort Line[15]	General resort area[15]		Electric (busbar)[81]	Monorail[15]	July 27, 2001[82]	–	Fares are required to ride this monorail.[15] A transfer to Maihama Station, served by the JR East rail network's Keiyō Line and Musashino Line, exists via a short walk from the monorail's Resort Gateway Station.[15][83]
Western River Railroad[84]	Tokyo Disneyland[84]		Steam[85]	2 ft 6 in (762 mm)[85]	April 15, 1983[85]	–	Used purely as an attraction and not for transportation purposes, as it only has one station[86]
Jolly Trolley[87]	Tokyo Disneyland[87]	–	Electric (battery)[57]	3 ft (914 mm)[57]	April 15, 1996[87]	April 14, 2009[87]	The former line and ride vehicles are still present at the park as static displays.[87]
DisneySea Electric Railway[29]	Tokyo DisneySea[29]		Electric (third rail)[88]	2 ft 6 in (762 mm)[88]	September 4, 2001[89]	–	Designed to recreate the appearance of a classic elevated railway line[88]

Route diagrams

v t e Disney Resort Line Legend Train transfer (via short walk from Resort Gateway Station) Resort Gateway Tokyo Disneyland Maintenance facility (not open to public) Tokyo DisneySea Bayside

v t e Western River Railroad Legend Locomotive shed (not open to public) Ferry transfer (via short walk inside park) Stillwater Junction Station (display only) Adventureland Bus and monorail transfers (via short walks outside park)

v t e DisneySea Electric Railway Legend Port Discovery Ferry transfer (via short walk inside park) American Waterfront Maintenance facility (not open to public) Monorail and bus transfers (via short walks outside park)

Disneyland Paris

Name	Location	Image	Motive power type	Track gauge	Opened	Closed	Notes
Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy station[16]	General resort area[16]		Electric (overhead wire)[90][91]	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge[92]	April 1, 1992 (RER);[93] May 29, 1994 (TGV)[94]	–	Served by commuter trains on the Réseau Express Régional rail network's RER A line, as well as TGV, Eurostar, Thalys, and Ouigo high-speed trains[95][96][97]
Disneyland Railroad (Paris)[98]	Disneyland Park (Paris)[98]		Steam[99]	3 ft (914 mm)[99]	April 12, 1992[99]	–	Originally named Euro Disneyland Railroad, and its old initials, EDRR, are still visible in parts of the park[100]
Horse-Drawn Streetcars[27]	Disneyland Park (Paris)[27]		Working animal[27]	3 ft (914 mm)[101]	April 12, 1992[102]	–	Unlike its counterpart attractions in other Disney parks, this tramway is a separate attraction from the non-rail, old-fashioned motor vehicles making up the Main Street Vehicles attraction.[27]

Route diagrams

v t e Disneyland Railroad (Paris) Legend Fantasyland Locomotive shed (not open to public) Discoveryland Frontierland Horse-drawn streetcar transfer (via short walk inside park) Main Street, U.S.A. Train and bus transfers (via short walks outside park)

v t e Horse-Drawn Streetcars (Disneyland Park (Paris)) Legend Sleeping Beauty Castle Central Plaza Car barn (not open to public) Main Street, U.S.A. Steam train transfer (via short walk inside park)

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

Name	Location	Image	Motive power type	Track gauge	Opened	Closed	Notes
Disneyland Resort line[17]	General resort area[17]		Electric (overhead wire)[103]	1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in)[103]	August 1, 2005[104]	–	Run by the MTR rapid transit rail network along with the line's two stations: Sunny Bay station and Disneyland Resort station.[17] The former station is shared with MTR's Tung Chung line.[105]
Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad[106]	Hong Kong Disneyland[106]		Internal combustion (diesel)[24]	3 ft (914 mm)[24]	September 12, 2005[24]	–	Unlike its counterpart attractions in other Disney parks where the trains are powered by steam, this railroad's locomotives are steam outline models, which are diesel locomotives with the outward appearance of steam locomotives.[24]

Route diagrams

v t e Disneyland Resort line Legend Siu Ho Wan Depot (not open to public) Tung Chung line Sunny Bay North Lantau Highway Sunny Bay Road Penny's Bay Highway Inspiration Lake Magic Road Disneyland Resort Ferry transfer ( via short walk from Disneyland Resort station )

v t e Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad Legend Locomotive shed (not open to public) Fantasyland Mystic Point Freight Depot (display only) Ferry transfer (via short walk inside park) Main Street, U.S.A. Ferry, metro, and bus transfers (via short walks outside park)