Europa-Park Reveals Much of New-for-2024 Coaster

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originally posted on 4/15/2023

Europa-Park’s new-for-2024 coaster nears completion structurally. All Photos: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.

As coaster fans await the opening of several new-for-2023 roller coasters, Europa-Park (Rust, Germany) is already whetting appetites for next year.

At the park’s press conference in March, a model was revealed, as well as animation of the ride’s layout. It immediately drew heavy interest.

There is no sense in trying to keep the ride a secret, as it is visible to guests as they drive to the parking lot. Likewise, it is noticeable while in the park. So instead of any attempts to ignore it until 2024, the park is already promoting it.

Signage near the site already draws visitors in. View full-sized image.

The new ride is the anchor attraction to a newly created themed land: Croatia. Fans who have visited the park in the past will recall a massive, 45-meter-diameter satellite dish reportedly repurposed from Russia. It was located next to Euro-Mir. That has since been disassembled to make way for the new area. While walls stand between the main midways and the construction site, colorful signage teases the coaster and the Croatia addition.

Just as the park did when Rulantica, its spectacular indoor (and now outdoor) water park, was being constructed, storylines brought great awareness to the project. For this season, the park’s 360-degree movie dome features the film “Nikola Tesla’s Beautiful Croatia.” Later this season, the park’s 4-D Cinema will also debut a film that sets the stage for the ride’s introduction. With roots to Croatia, Tesla is a focus for the new addition, and the coaster will be themed around electricity.

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Construction is so far along that work has resumed after Easter, and the physical track layout is expected to be completed by the end of April.

Does that mean it could open in 2023?

No.

As Europa-Park so expertly does, the ride will be heavily themed, landscaped and engineered. Not to mention, ACEers know that just because a ride is structurally done, there is still work to complete.

A model shows the ride’s layout, including its intertwined inversions. View full-sized image.

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Mack Rides has already installed two of its Big Dipper genre, with two more under construction. A Mack Rides spokesperson said this will be a larger version, which the company refers to as a Stryker coaster, instead of Big Dipper. The original models operate with single cars of two rows of four passengers. The Europa-Park installation will feature two cars, meaning each train will seat 16 riders. Just as with the Big Dipper model, the outside seats are cantilevered over the sides of the track, giving a floorless feel.

Michael Mack stated, “We aren’t building the tallest, fastest or longest roller coaster. We are building the best roller coaster in the world.”

That’s a big claim, but it does have some serious engineering and design creativity to bolster the bravado.

The station building will be cavernous, with trains entering and exiting on an upper level. View full-sized image.

While the queue will be partially outside and inside, the station building is massive. Part of this is because the ride will operate seven trains, giving it an hourly capacity of 1,600 riders — that’s a dispatch of every 36 seconds. (Anyone who has seen the park’s bluefire Megacoaster in action knows it can be done.) The interior is expected to be heavily themed, and as Tesla’s invention involves electricity, expect a cool dispatch.

The park has stated its length (4,544 feet) and speed (56 mph), but as noted, it isn’t shooting for records. The Bolliger & Mabillard Silver Star will surpass those stats. But it does feature multiple launches, a turntable, architectural theming and seven inversions.

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[Editor’s note: Apparently ACE spurred a major discussion among Mack Rides. During a March visit, park personnel described the inversions and stated that there would also be some heavily banked elements. When it was mentioned that Roller Coaster Database lists any maneuver over 135 degrees as an inversion, key figures said the park entered a serious discussion with Mack Rides. ACEers are fun that way.]

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Some of the elements are new for Mack Rides.

While much is now known about the ride, not everything has been revealed. Rumors of potential names are out there, but the park has not confirmed anything. Also, while the use of the turntable will provide a notably unusual experience, the outdoor moment is still expected to have thematic elements to it.

Tesla Rendering: Courtesy of Europa-Park. View full-sized image.

Two mushroom-topped electrical towers will certainly make the ride iconic. Tesla’s invention is to transport individuals from one tower to another (think Star Trek’s transporter room).

All eyes are sure to be on this amazing new coaster when next year arrives. For now, more can be seen on ACE’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnwVoH5fdzc.

— Tim Baldwin, ACE News