Test Track

Image: DisneyDisney cast members must feel like Test Track is cursed. The first version of the ride was notoriously inconsistent in its reliability. Then, Disney built a newer, cooler, better version of Test Track…and it tears up a lot, too. To wit, when we were at Epcot last September, the attraction was down for at least an hour for three out of four days. And if you ever discuss ride breakdowns with other theme park tourists, most of them will have a Test Track story. Perhaps the only other ride that’s historically had so many downtime issues is Splash Mountain, an attraction that Disney’s done a much better job of keeping operational in recent years.

Why does Test Track tear up so much? In a way, it’s the deluxe version of Space Mountain. The ride system is largely computerized. There’s a master ride controller plus sensors throughout the attraction…and that’s a lot since Test Track takes place indoors and outdoors, with several well-themed, distinct sections.

Image: DisneyTest Track takes the premise of a computer system and extends it to the logical extreme. Each Test Track vehicle has a computer guidance system…and they communicate with one another. Imagineers take no chances on the fastest ride at Walt Disney World. They need to know that the lanes are clear, and the sensors achieve this task. If literally anything registers wrong, everything else in the system knows and adapts.

In those situations where the system notes a serious error, it shuts down everything. In some instances, resetting the system is easy. In others, a Test Track vehicle stops in the middle of the track, blocking the path for everything else. That’s when the entire ride goes down as cast members work to move that vehicle out of the way.

Toward the end of the attraction, you’ll sometimes see an open door that has the broken and replacement vehicles inside. This is actually a huge no-no since it breaks the illusion, but it still happens once a while. If you can ever sneak a look, you’ll notice a TON of extra coaster carts and several broken ones. Test Track’s operation really takes a toll on its ride vehicles.