Tomorrowland Transit Authority
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| Tomorrowland Transit Authority | |
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| Locations, openings and status | |
| Magic Kingdom July 1, 1975 | |
| Open - "Tomorrowland Transit Authority" |
The Tomorrowland Transit Authority (also called the Blue Line) is a people mover system in Tomorrowland, in the Magic Kingdom in the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida. It has one 'station', at Rockettower Plaza, where passengers enter and exit onto a circular moving platform. All of the cars are blue with silver sides. The ride is a favorite among many repeat visitors.
The WEDway PeopleMover opened on July 1, 1975, based on the PeopleMover at Disneyland in California. It did not use the system of rotating Goodyear tires used at Disneyland, instead using linear induction motors. Because of that, Goodyear did not sponsor it. Another notable difference is the fact that the cars are not covered, but the track is. The original narration was provided by longtime Disney voice, Jack Wagner. In June of 1985, his narration was replaced by ORAC One - "the commuter computer", who guided guests along the tour. In the spring of 1994, the attraction's name was changed to the Tomorrowland Transit Authority to coincide with the unveiling of the new Tomorrowland, and it was given another narration track.
The line is a one-way loop, with sections where the two directions run next to each other. The only switches are at Space Mountain, where the main track passes through and storage tracks run around the outside.
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[edit] Station listing
Though only one station actually exists, other destinations are announced while riding the system:
- Rockettower Plaza (the only real station)
- Tomorrowland Interplanetary Convention Center (home of Stitch's Great Escape)
- Mickey's Star Traders
- Space Mountain
- Carousel of Progress
- Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
- Metropolis Science Centre (formerly housed The Timekeeper)
[edit] Blue, Red, and Green Lines
Tomorrowland's backstory makes reference to the Transit Authority's three different "lines": the Blue Line, the Red Line, and the Green Line. The Blue Line, which constitutes the actual ride, is Tomorrowland's intra-city transportation system. The Red Line takes riders outside of Tomorrowland to other destinations in the galaxy, while the Green Line provides local transportation to Tomorrowland's "Hover-Burbs." Actual sets depicting the Red and Green Lines can be seen on the foward-facing righthand side immediately after the "EPCOT City" Model.
[edit] The original Epcot
At one point, the vehicle passes a display case containing the partial architectural model of the original EPCOT as envisioned by Walt Disney. This was originally supposed to be a real-life working city that never came into existence. The model in its complete form was displayed on the second floor of the Carousel of Progress when it was in Disneyland.
