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Walt Disney World Railroad Enters Shuttle Mode as Liberty Belle & Tom Sawyer Island Sail Off into the Sunset
All aboard… for the end of an era.
July 6, 2025, marked a major turning point at Magic Kingdom — one where nostalgia meets the future on the tracks of Walt Disney World history. As the Liberty Belle Riverboat made its final lap around the Rivers of America and guests waved goodbye to the quiet corners of Tom Sawyer Island, the curtain quietly fell on decades of classic Disney charm. These attractions, along with the Frontierland train station of the Walt Disney World Railroad, have now officially closed to make way for the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom’s history — bringing with it the long-anticipated Disney Villains Land and Cars Land-inspired Piston Peak.
Related: Liberty Belle Removed, Work Rapidly Begins on Tom Sawyer Island as Magic Kingdom Expansion Underway
But as Walt once said, “Keep moving forward”… even if that means going backward. Literally.
To keep the magic chugging along during construction, the Walt Disney World Railroad has entered “shuttle mode” — a modified route that sees the trains running back-and-forth between Main Street, U.S.A. and Fantasyland’s Storybook Circus station. The Frontierland station, freshly refurbished during the transformation of Splash Mountain into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, is now temporarily closed as construction begins across the tracks.
This shuttle-style service is the first of its kind since the 2011-2012 transformation of Mickey’s Toontown Fair into Storybook Circus — and while the setup may be familiar to longtime fans, this version comes with a delightful new twist: Stitch has joined the ride.
That’s right — the mischievous Experiment 626 is now your honorary “co-conductor” during the journey from Main Street to Fantasyland, adding a healthy dose of chaos, comedy, and charm. New overhead narration, debuting with shuttle mode, turns the ride into a Tomorrowland-adjacent experiment, as the Conductor jokes:
“Sometimes you have to go backward to go forward. Well, today we’re putting that to the test…”
Cue Stitch, who bursts onto the scene with his classic hyper-energy:
“Stitch! Mr. Conductor, can Stitch drive the train? I can do it! Choo choo, all aboard!”
The entire sequence plays out like a whimsical buddy comedy, with Stitch cracking jokes about blowing the whistle, racing on TRON, joining the circus, and learning that even he can drive in Tomorrowland. (No license? No problem!)
Only the Walter E. Disney locomotive is currently equipped to operate in shuttle mode, with select benches reoriented to face in the “new” direction of travel. All trains will reportedly be retrofitted with reversible seating in the coming weeks — just in case Stitch’s train needs a backup.
Related: Tom Sawyer Island and Liberty Square Riverboat Officially Closed at Magic Kingdom
While we’ll certainly miss the lazy river cruises and log rafts to yesteryear, this moment marks more than just a goodbye — it’s the first real step into what’s shaping up to be a thrilling new era for Magic Kingdom.
So tip your hats to Huck Finn, wave goodbye to the Liberty Belle, and maybe shed a tear for the peaceful Rivers of America… but don’t forget to wave at Stitch as you zip backward toward your next adventure.
The future is coming fast — and Stitch already blew the whistle.
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