We’re only 39 days into the year and we already have our second official permanent closure at one of the Disney Parks. This one is at Disney’s California Adventure: The Red Car Trolley
Red Car Disney’s California Adventure Background
The Red Car Trolley at Disneyland opened on June 15th, 2012 and was located at the front of the park in the Buena Vista Street and Hollywood Land areas. Reaching blistering speeds of over 4mph, the Red Car Trolley opened with the re-dedication of the park.
The Disneyland Resort had 2 Red Car Trolleys and they had a capacity of 21 people. The track they ran on was approximately 1,744ft (just over half a kilometer). The Red Car Trolley was based on the Pacific Electric Railway’s “Red Cars.” These vehicles operated on lines in Los Angeles, California, from 1901 to 1961 on electric track located above the cars themselves.
The attraction closed as of February 8th and is no longer operational at Disney’s California Adventure.
What is The Replacement For The Red Car Trolley?
Disney is pouring a lot of investments into the park over the next few years. Disney lobbied with Anaheim City Council on their “Disneyland Forward” program, which will allow new re-zoned areas to be part of the resort’s park footprint. This was approved on May 7th, 2024.
Additionally, Disney announced new land expansions for the Disneyland Resort at D23 in August. This included a new Avatar Land, a Cocoa-themed dark boat ride, new Avengers Campus attractions, and other smaller additions as well.
Disney has stated that this attraction is closing due to the destruction of the vehicle barn for the Red Car Trolley. This will make way for part of the Avengers Campus expansion. The good news is, the Trolley itself is not going anywhere. It will be stationary on Buena Vista Street for photo opportunities.
List of Permanently Closed United States Attractions in 2025
- TriceraTop Spin (Disney’s Animal Kingdom)
- Red Car Trolley (Disney’s California Adventure)
Even though this was a smaller attraction, I am still sad to see it go. It gave Disney’s California Adventure a better feeling of kinetics that Disney struggles with in the modern age of much more crowded and higher-capacity parks. I’m glad the Trolley itself is not going anywhere, and I’ll be sure to get a photo with it on my next visit to the Disneyland Resort.
Stay tuned to Ride Rover for more updates!