I would anticipate walls/greenery to be up July 7th when the park opens. We don't really know how it will happen but personally I anticipate the full area around Rivers of America will be blocked off for the duration of the building of this new Cars-themed land.
I’d rather see the train go in a modified “hogwarts express” esque shuttle mode instead of close completely
That's exactly what they will be doing as announced today. Shuttle mode between Fantasyland and Main Street as the Frontierland station will be closed.
WDWNT said construction walls won't be erected for a few weeks after closure, and that a rep from Imagineering said when the walls are in place they won't obstruct guest pathways or parade viewing areas. link I'm wonder if whether or not the path along the river will be walled off for the duration. Rather looks like it survives in the new concept art so maaaaybe there's a chance it stays around for a bit?
A decade? Oof. It's all the rage to dunk on Disney these days and boy howdy they don't have a great rep for building quickly- but don't let the speculators get you that down. Nobody knows if they're going to keep the train closed through this and Villains land construction, that seems ridiculous as it appears the train will only affect a small amount of Villains land. Speculation is Disney is looking at getting cars open by 2029ish so half a decade unfortunately sounds in the cards but a whole decade seems egregiously negative.
