After 54 Years, Lawsuit May Force Main Street Trolley Track Removal at Magic Kingdom

For most guests, the walk down Main Street, U.S.A. is muscle memory. You step through the gates, glance up at the train station, and naturally drift toward Cinderella Castle. Along the way, you cross those familiar steel trolley tracks without giving them much thought. They’ve always been there. They’re part of the pavement. Part of the vibe.

That’s exactly why a recent guest lawsuit has caught so many Disney fans off guard.

For the first time in decades, those trolley tracks—an original design element at Magic Kingdom—are being questioned not as nostalgic scenery, but as a potential liability. And while no changes have been announced, the lawsuit has opened the door to a conversation Disney rarely has to confront: what happens when something that’s always been considered “normal” becomes legally risky?

Why This Lawsuit Feels Different From the Rest

Trip-and-fall lawsuits at Walt Disney World aren’t uncommon. With tens of thousands of guests moving through the parks daily, incidents happen. Most claims revolve around maintenance issues or isolated conditions.

This case stands apart because it doesn’t focus on something broken or temporary. Instead, it targets the trolley tracks themselves—arguing that the embedded rails create level changes and gaps that can pose tripping hazards during normal park operations.

That distinction matters. The lawsuit isn’t asking why something wasn’t repaired. It’s questioning whether the tracks should exist in their current form at all.

For Disney, that’s a much bigger issue.

The Tracks Were Never Just Decorative

Main Street, U.S.A. was designed as more than an entry corridor. Walt Disney envisioned it as a living town from turn-of-the-century America. Transportation played a key role in selling that illusion.

The trolley tracks guided real vehicles for decades. Streetcars, fire engines, and other Main Street vehicles moved guests up and down the street daily. The tracks gave those vehicles purpose and made Main Street feel active rather than static.

Because of that, the tracks became a foundational part of the experience. Guests learned to step over them. Strollers learned to navigate them. Cast Members learned how to manage traffic around them. They weren’t treated as obstacles—they were just part of the environment.

For years, no one questioned that setup.

Modern Operations Have Changed the Context

What has changed is how Main Street functions today.

Following entertainment cutbacks in 2020, the Main Street Trolley Show was discontinued and never returned. Vehicles still appear from time to time, but they no longer play the daily role they once did.

As a result, the tracks remain embedded in one of the busiest pedestrian areas in the park, but their functional purpose has diminished. Most guests now experience them simply as something to walk over—often while distracted, carrying bags, pushing strollers, or navigating dense crowds during parades and nighttime exits.

Anyone who’s spent time on Main Street has seen close calls. Wheels catch. Ankles wobble. Guests stumble. Most incidents are minor, but the volume of foot traffic means the risk adds up.

That’s where legal scrutiny tends to creep in.

Could Disney Actually Remove the Tracks?

The idea of Disney paving over the trolley tracks feels extreme. They’re part of Main Street’s DNA. Removing them would fundamentally change the look and feel of the park’s most iconic street.

But Disney has never been shy about making tough operational decisions when circumstances change. Entertainment has been scaled back. Long-standing offerings have disappeared. Even deeply nostalgic elements have been altered or removed when they no longer fit modern needs.

That said, full removal would likely be a last resort. More subtle changes—like pavement adjustments, visual contrast treatments, or enhanced crowd management—would almost certainly be explored first.

For now, the lawsuit is still in its early stages, and Disney has made no indication that changes are coming. Most cases like this resolve quietly.

Still, the fact that the tracks are even being discussed at this level is noteworthy. They’ve always been there. They’ve always been accepted. And yet, for the first time, their permanence feels less certain.