Vekoma Says It Installed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad's New Track and Trains, and Ties the Work to the Lowered 38 Inch Height Requirement

Through a 16 month closure and nearly four months of operation since, Disney never said publicly who was behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad's new track. On Thursday the contractor answered the question itself, on its own social accounts.

Dutch coaster manufacturer Vekoma published a pair of posts on August 27 confirming that it worked on Magic Kingdom's runaway mine train. Blog Mickey reported the posts the same day and reproduced Vekoma's full statement. The company says it handled "the installation of a new track and passenger trains," and it links that hardware, plus what it calls a comprehensive safety review, to the lowered height requirement that let smaller riders on board when the attraction came back in May.

Quick facts: Vekoma confirmed the work on August 27, 2026. The refurbishment ran roughly 16 months and the ride reopened May 3, 2026. The height requirement dropped from 40 inches to 38 inches. Vekoma has not posted anything about the project on its own corporate news page.

What Vekoma actually said

Vekoma's first post was the shorter of the two. In it the manufacturer said it is "proud to have partnered with Disney on the refurbishment of the iconic Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Walt Disney World," and it promised "smoother adventures while preserving the beloved experience guests know and love."

A longer statement followed. In it, the company describes the job as "a careful balance of engineering innovation and respect for the attraction's rich heritage," and says the new track and trains were about "enhancing ride performance and reliability while preserving the classic storytelling and signature hootin' an' hollerin' adventure guests know and love."

On the height change, Vekoma wrote: "Following the attraction's enhancements and a comprehensive safety review, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has reopened with a reduced height requirement of 38 inches, allowing even more lil prospectors and their families to climb aboard this timeless classic."

One wrinkle worth flagging. Vekoma describes "a new track and passenger trains." Disney's own May 3 post described "a new track and refreshed passenger trains." Whether the trains are new builds or rebuilt originals is a real distinction, and the two descriptions do not settle it. Blog Mickey's own timeline calls them new ride vehicles, but Disney's word in its post is "refreshed."

A statement Disney did not make

Disney announced the reopening on May 3 under the headline "New Magic Arrives at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disney World." That post says "A key part of the refurbishment was installing a new track and refreshed passenger trains," and confirms the ride will "reopen with a lowered height requirement" of 38 inches. It does not name Vekoma, or any other manufacturer, anywhere.

Disney's post does not say why no manufacturer is named, and neither Vekoma nor Blog Mickey addresses the omission. What is new on Thursday is the contractor putting its own name to the work in public, not the work itself.

Vekoma's custom-designed coaster listing on its own website runs to five entries, and four of them are Disney rides: TRON Light Cycle Power Run, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Train and Expedition Everest. That prior work is the backdrop for its phrase "another successful collaboration with Disney."

How the 16 months went

Blog Mickey laid out the timeline alongside the statement. Crews began pulling the original track on January 8, 2025, and the first new piece of track went in on January 30 of that year. By July 2025 the large crane supporting the track work had come off the site, marking the end of the track replacement stage. In April 2026 Disney announced the lowered 38 inch height requirement, down from 40 inches. The ride reopened on May 3, 2026.

The refurbishment also touched what riders see. Disney's May post highlights the Rainbow Caverns sequence, where "the trains rattle their way underground to spectacular natural caverns full of phosphorescent pools," and Blog Mickey notes a new gold finale scene as well.

The line at the end

Vekoma finished with an argument, not a spec sheet. The project, it says, "demonstrates the value of sustainable reinvestment in existing attractions." The choice to revitalize instead of replace means, in Vekoma's words, that "its legacy is preserved while extending its operational future for years to come." Then the sign-off: "Because true legends aren't replaced, they evolve."

It is promotional copy, published by the contractor on its own channels, and it is worth reading as such. The closing line is a pitch for the refurbishment business as much as it is a note about one ride.

One caveat on sourcing: Vekoma's statement lives on its social accounts. Its corporate news page carries no Big Thunder release, so the quotes above come by way of Blog Mickey's reporting rather than a press release.

Sources

• Blog Mickey, "Vekoma Reveals Its Role in the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refresh"
• Disney Parks Blog, "New Magic Arrives at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disney World"
• Vekoma Rides, custom-designed coasters listing and company news page

Image credits: all photos courtesy of Disney, via Disney Parks Blog.