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Tomorrowland Transit Authority
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tomorrowland Transit Authority | |
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| The Tomorrowland Transit Authority Logo | |
| Magic Kingdom | |
| Land | Tomorrowland |
| Designer | WED Enterprises |
| Manufacturer | WED Enterprises |
| Theme | Transportation |
| Propulsion method | Linear Synchronous Motors embedded in track |
| Opening date | July 1, 1975 |
| Hosted by | TTA Central Announcer (Pete Renaday) |
| Vehicle type | Metroliner Trains |
| Vehicle capacity | 20 |
| Cars per vehicle | 5 |
| Guests per car | 4 |
| Ride duration | 10:03 minutes |
| Length | 5484.04 ft (1671.5 m) |
| Maximum speed | 6.84 mph (11 km/h) |
| Formerly Called | WEDway Peoplemover (until June 11, 1994) |
| Motor Count | 629 |
| Total Trains | 32 trains (5 cars per train) |
| Sponsored by | Alamo |
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The Tomorrowland Transit Authority (also called the Blue Line, TTA and Tomorrowland's Super-Skyway) is a people mover system in Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort. Themed as an urban mass transit system of the future, riders are taken on a train ride around the second floor of many attractions in Tomorrowland. It has one station, in the center of Rockettower Plaza, located beneath the landmark Astro Orbiter. The TTA's leisurely pace, and lack of long queue lines, along with the sneak previews of other more extreme Tomorrowland attractions it offers make it a favorite attraction among repeat visitors.
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The WEDway PeopleMover opened on July 1, 1975, based on the PeopleMover at Disneyland in California. Because it did not utilize the propulsion system of rotating Goodyear tires used in the original, (instead using linear synchronous motors), Goodyear did not sponsor the attraction. This made the Peoplemover one of the only attractions in the Magic Kingdom without a sponsor. The original narration was provided by longtime Disney voice, Jack Wagner. In June of 1985, his narration was replaced by the voice of 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, tour-guide style narration track.
The line is a one-way loop, with one place at the entrance to Space Mountain with two-way traffic. At this point, the trains pass so close to one another that it is possible to reach out and touch hands with people in the oncoming train. The only switches are at Space Mountain, where the main track passes through the attraction and storage tracks run around it. The design of the station platform has guests boarding and disembarking the the cars onto a moving walkway. This allows the vehicles to remain in motion at all times. The trains travel at speeds varying from 1.84 mph in the station to 6.84 mph maximum.
The TTA'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 elevated train system. The Red Line takes riders 'off-planet' to other destinations in the galaxy, while the Green Line provides local transportation to Tomorrowland's "Hover-Burbs." There is a diorama of a hub station where all three lines intersect located on the second floor of the Convention Center. Other services provided by the Transit Authority (interstate highway maintenance and long distance space travel) are alluded to in the ride's narration.
Though only one exists, other destinations are announced while riding:
- Rockettower Plaza (the only real station)
- Tomorrowland Interplanetary Convention Center
- Mickey's Star Traders & Red Line/Green Line Transfer Station
- Space Mountain
- Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress
- Star Command Headquarters
- Metropolis Science Centre
- Rockettower Plaza Station
- Rockettower Plaza
- Avenue of the Planets
- EPCOT Center model
- Transfer Station/Star Traders
- Indy Speedway Overpass
- Space Mountain
- Around the Arcade
- Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress
- Buzz Lightyear's SRS show building
- Interstellar Salon
- Avenue of the Planets (again)
- Return to Rockettower Plaza
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.
- Tomorrowland Transit Authority is at coordinates Coordinates: