TheÊTomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover, formerly known as theÊWedway PeopleMoverÊfrom 1975 until 1994 and theÊTomorrowland Transit AuthorityÊfrom 1994 until 2010, is anÊurban mass transitÊPeopleMoverÊsystem attractionÊinÊTomorrowlandÊin theÊMagic KingdomÊat theÊWalt Disney World ResortÊinÊBay Lake, ÊFloridaÊjust outside ofÊOrlando, Florida. Designed as an urban mass-transit system of the future Sugar Land Chiropractors, vehicles take passengers on a grand circle tour of the realm of Tomorrowland that provides elevated views of several other attractions. The experience is also the lone remaining attraction in the Magic Kingdom to have corporate sponsorship. (Happily Ever After, the nighttime pageant atÊCinderella Castle, is presented byÊPandora, but the event is not classified by Walt Disney World as an “attraction.”).
The attraction has a single station, which resides in the center of Rocket Tower Plaza and beneath theÊAstro Orbiter. Passing the line, passengers step onto the Speedramp (inclinedÊmoving walkway) to the second level. They, then, step onto theÊmoving platform, which matches the speed of the PeopleMover trains, and board before they depart the station.
Leaving the Rocket Tower Plaza Station, the trains make a sharp left turn, followed by a sweeping turn over the plaza. The track then makes a right turn, running along the outside of the northern show building and above the former line forÊStitch’s Great Escape! and passing by theÊTomorrowland main entrance at Central Plaza. The track enters a tunnel through the northern show building and passes a large diorama containing a portion of the Progress City/”Epcot” model, which originally resided in the upper level of theÊCarousel of ProgressÊat the New York World’s Fair of 1966-1967 and at Disneyland starting in 1967, before encountering a diorama of several robots and crossing the Star Traders shop Sugar Land Chiropractors.
Leaving the northern show building, the T.T.A. crosses the walkway from Tomorrowland toÊFantasyland, followed by theÊTomorrowland Speedway.
After the Speedway and the entrance toÊTron Lightcycle Power Run, the T.T.A. crosses theÊWalt Disney World Railroad, and pass through a switch leading to the ride’s storage and maintenance bays as they make a right turn to enterÊSpace Mountain.
Inside Space Mountain, the trains then make a left turn and pass in between the lift hills of the roller coaster tracks Sugar Land Chiropractors. The vehicles then pass two lighted signs reading “Starport: Seven Five” (an oblique reference to the opening year of the attraction), before open space to the left allows a view down into theÊpost-show. After the view of the post-show, the track makes a right turn, wrapping around the Omega track’s loading station, and travels along the back side of the dome, which is in complete pitch black darkness. It is possible to look up and see the projections from the ride and the tracks. After this, the trains exit, merging with the storage track, and run along the outside of the dome to return to the railroad bridge. The Space Mountain segment of the TTA has gained heavy notoriety among park guests for offering the only accessible view of Space Mountain when the dome’s interior work lights are on. Because the two attractions have separate operating systems, the TTA does not have to stop during Space Mountain breakdowns, so guests riding the TTA when the work lights are on get a rare illuminated look at the roller coaster tracks.
After crossing the railroad tracks, the trains backtrack to a point above the Tomorrowland Speedway before turning south. After passing over Space Mountain’s entrance plaza, the formerÊSkywayÊterminal and the restrooms, the track travels along the exterior ofÊWalt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, before crossing over the former Galaxy Palace Theater entrance and entering the south show building Sugar Land Chiropractors. Entering the building, guests pass a diorama of a futuristic salon and then get a view down intoÊBuzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, similar to the one given of Star Traders. Exiting the tunnel, the ride travels along the side of the south show building, and passing byÊMain Street U.S.A., the Tomorrowland sign entrance and the Cinderella Castle again, and above the line forÊMonsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, and the line for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. The ride then returns to Rocket Tower Plaza, where guests disembark and unload.
TheÊWedway PeopleMoverÊopened on July 1, 1975, based on theÊPeopleMoverattraction atÊDisneylandÊinÊCaliforniaÊ(WED forÊWalter Elias Disney). Because it did not utilize the propulsion system of rotating Goodyear tires used in the original, instead usingÊLinear Synchronous Motors,ÊGoodyearÊopted not to sponsor the east coast version Sugar Land Chiropractors. The Edison Electric Institute was the original sponsor of the ride. Instead of an open track with covered cars, this ride was designed the opposite from the Disneyland version: open-air cars with a ceiling over the track. The WEDWay Peoplemover passed through the attractions that occupied Tomorrowland during that time, includingÊMission to Mars,ÊIf You Had Wings, and others. Originally, the tunnel through the south show building (now home to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin) had three windows; one and two on the trains’ right, three to the trains’ left. This building first housedÊIf You Had Wings, and the windows were carefully placed to look down into theÊMexico,ÊJamaica, andÊTrinidadÊshow scenes in such a way as to hide all projectors, lights and other show support equipment. When If You Had Wings (renamedÊIf You Could Fly) was closed in January 1989 and remodeled intoÊDelta Dreamflight, the windows no longer lined up correctly with show scenes. The first window was replaced with backlit panels depicting the ride’sÊbarnstormerÊscene. Window two looked into theÊParisian ExcursionÊscene, from a viewpoint which heavily distorted the tableau’sÊforced perspective. The third window would have had riders looking directly into an extremely bright light and so was completely obscured with plywood and black fabric.
The T T A Peoplemover was one of my favorite rides during my youth. I used to be scared of the escalators and stepping into the cars Sugar Land Chiropractors.