No official reopening announcement yet?
I'm assuming they're going to wait until they have a complete loop of track first. They finally seem to be making decent progress, so theoretically they could have the track completed by mid August. It's really only about a 350' gap at this point.
Do they still have to do any clearance tests because of the tunnel? And would they have to do full circuit testing like a new ride because of the changes?
I would expect the whole thing to be cycled to prove out the new control and signaling systems. Being a theme park company they are used to running cycles to test a new or refurbed ride before opening it to guests. If I had to guess October 1 is looking like a target. Not saying it couldn't be done sooner but like Tron it isn't about when it could open but when they want it open. Construction timelines are the minimum they could open but often a longer date is selected for marketing and as a cushion so all facets of the opening can be maximized for effect.
Once they finish pouring the walls they're currently working on, they'll have effectively split it in two anyway.
Don't forget there is a grade crossing infront of Space Mountain to get to the other side of the tracks. They would be able to stage materials and equipment on the other side of the tracks prior to park opening.
With the roof already in place it would definitely be much too late for clearance tests! Usually with RR structures there's an 'envelope' they design around that's significantly larger than the actual locomotive, so there shouldn't be an issue, atleast in theory.
If they offer the Railway tour again when we go next June, I'll definitely be getting it for DH. We'll be down for Father's Day & our anniversary, so it'd be a nice bonus.
That crossing is long gone due to the construction, and unfortunately, I don’t think they’re planning to build a new one, though I hope I’m wrong.
Why would Disney want to help a contractor skimp on safety regulations? Disney is paying them to follow those rules.
I didn't get the impression that was what they were suggesting - it seemed more like that they'd wait to reopen the train until the TRON site was meeting its safety regulations, not that Disney would push them to skimp so the train can come back online.
It should be meeting safety regulations right now. Remember, the monorails were able to go through the Polynesian station while it was rebuilt. It’s also not the first time it’s been suggested that Disney doesn’t want people to see OSHA violations.
