UPDATE: Disneyland Confirms Date Change For Monorail Closure

Four years after Walt Disney welcomed everyone to the Happiest Place on Earth, Guests were introduced to “the Highway in the Sky” — the Disneyland monorail. The monorail was introduced to Guests in 1959, during the rededication of Tomorrowland, and was designed by Disney Imagineering Legend Bob Gurr. Disneyland originally only had one monorail that operated within the Park, but was lengthened in 1961 to make a stop at the Disneyland Hotel.

Credit: Disney

Nowadays, the monorail takes Guests between Downtown Disney and Tomorrowland — where it drops them off between the classic attraction Autopia and Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. Every day, thousands of Guests board the monorail, and riding it has become a must-do for many on their Disneyland vacation. The monorail is also incredibly popular at Walt Disney World where it brings Guests to Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, the Ticket and Transportation Center, Polynesian Village, and Disney’s Grand Floridian.

Credit: Disney

Unfortunately, Guests hoping to ride the Disneyland monorail in mid-February will be out of luck. According to Disney, the monorail will be down from February 14 – March 6. Disney has confirmed that the monorail’s closure is due to the demolition of the AMC movie theater. The demolition of the theater will kick off the start of the complete renovation of Downtown Disney, which was announced last November.

Here is more information on the Disneyland monorail from the Disneyland Resort website:

Enjoy incredible, one-of-a-kind views on this classic 2.5-mile, 13-minute round-trip journey. 

Fly over Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, past the majestic Matterhorn Bobsleds. Glide over Grizzly Peak, Buena Vista Street and Hollywood Land in Disney California Adventure Park. Zoom through Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and the Downtown Disney District.

Credit: Disney

Disneyland reopened on April 20, 2021, after being closed for 412 days, but the monorail did not open with it. At first, that made sense as Disney was trying to keep Guests socially distanced, and the monorail was not very conducive to that. However, the monorail finally opened once again and welcomed Guests on October 15, 2021. The revamp of the Downtown Disney District will take place over the next few years.

Credit: Disney Wiki Fandom

The monorail closure comes right on the heels of the return of the Disneyland trams. While Disney has not announced an official return date for the trams, they have said that the trams are returning in early 2022, which could fall in line with the closure of the monorail.