UPDATE January 24 – All eyes continue to be on Thorpe Park as UK theme park fans are eager to keep up with all the latest construction updates on what will be the new tallest and fastest roller coaster when it opens this year.In the new construction video posted to YouTube by Jack Silkstone, we get to see a major milestone for the record breaking roller coaster. The last piece of track for the non-inverting Immelmann which stands at over 150ft has now been put into place on Hyperia. The non-inverting Immelmann is the first element riders will experience after the initial drop.We also see that the support tower is being put into place for the dive loop which is yet to be completed. Dirt is now being removed from the lake which was originally put there back at the start of construction in order to be able to construct Hyperia successfully. The lake is now being restored to its former glory.Plants and foliage have started to be delivered to site in preparation for landscaping to begin. We are expecting to see construction commence on the lift hill very soon and we will continue to keep you updated on all the latest developments on Hyperia over the coming weeks as progress continues on the new tallest and fastest roller coaster in the UK.Are you excited to ride Hyperia? Which element are you looking forward to the most? Let us know your thoughts by leaving us a comment below or on our Facebook page.January 22 – We explore the question, Will Hyperia Open At The Start Of The 2024 Season In March? All eyes have been on the construction progress taking place on Hyperia at Thorpe Park in recent weeks with the burning question in everyone’s mind being, will it be ready for the opening day of the 2024 season on Sunday 24th March?Well, although very good progress is being made as can be seen in the construction updates below, there still appears to be a long way to go before we will get the chance to ride the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the UK.
Image: Thorpe Park
In recent developments, it is thought that 80% of the track and supports have now been installed and the top of the non-inverted Immelmann has been completed. Next we will see the exciting work being started on the lift hill.Project Exodus officially begun at the end of December 2022 with the start of the demolishing of Old Town. If we go back to the original plan, the construction timeline was predicted to be 15 months. So, if this prediction was to hold true that would mean that an end of March opening should be possible.However, we need to take into consideration the unsettled weather which has battered the UK in recent months which has likely caused some delays.If you take on board current predictions, it looks like Hyperia is more likely to open in May or June of this year rather than at the start of the 2024 season on 24th March.We will continue to inform you of construction updates on the highly anticipated Hyperia roller coaster at Thorpe Park and will let you know regarding an official opening date as soon as it is announced.
Image: Thorpe Park
January 16 – In the new Hyperia construction update posted to YouTube on January 15 by Jack Silkstone, we get to see all the latest developments on this record breaking roller coaster which is opening at Thorpe Park this year.We can now see that the track for the bottom of the first drop is in position. In the video, new track sections are being lifted into place for the central support structure.In an interesting development, Jack talks about the unexpected trim brakes that have appeared just before the insane twist element. We had already seen trim brakes installed in the splash down section. Trim brakes are a safety precaution to slow the ride down if needed. Jack explains that the likely reason for the trim brakes at this point is so MACK can perfect the rider experience over this world’s first twist element where riders will experience airtime and hangtime.Two more large support columns have also been put into place in this central section. We see that a concrete perimeter has been put into place on the splash down area to separate the water from the actual lake that will return to the area prior to the opening.Gold panelling continues to be installed on the station building and the gift shop and photo booth building now has all the steel framework in place.Construction on the lift hill is expected to commence in the coming weeks and we will update you as soon as there is confirmation on this.
Image: Thorpe Park
December 28 – In the most recent construction update posted by Jack on Christmas Eve, we get to see a new support structure that is rising on the site down by the station for Hyperia that will join with the existing support tower. Jack gets to go up in a cherry picker to see the current progress on Hyperia and the view is amazing. Track is now nearly at the inversion and we get to clearly see the head chopper effect.Over at the station, the panelling has begun to be put up. You can see the gold mesh details contrasting against the black which looks really striking.Deconstruction has started on the current offices of the Merlin Magic team where the new retail and on ride photo unit will be. Steel has arrived for this new retail unit and we expect construction to begin along with the installation of further track for Hyperia when crews return after the Christmas break.December 22 – In the latest construction update uploaded to YouTube by Jack Silkstone we get to see Jack having visited the B&E factory where all the fabricating has been done for the steel work for Hyperia which when it opens in Spring 2024 will be the UK’s tallest and fastest roller coaster, taking the title from The Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach which has held the record since it opened in 1994.We get to see the new queue line fences being fabricated which will be erected for Hyperia on site in the coming weeks. We also get to see the large metal panels for the station and maintenance building being worked on.Powder coating in the striking gold colour is taking place on the new parts in order to protect the structure from chipping, flaking and adverse weather. Once the powder coating has been applied the parts are put into a huge 8x4m oven and baked at 200 degrees before being packaged in readiness to be shipped to Thorpe Park for installation.We will continue to bring you further construction updates from Thorpe Park over the coming weeks as construction on this highly anticipated roller coaster continues as we heard into 2024.December 18 – The roller coaster construction crew working on Hyperia which will be the UK’s tallest and fastest roller coaster when it opens in 2024 continue to make huge progress at Thorpe Park. In the latest construction video update from Jack Silkstone we can see that the central support structure is rising and track is now being added to it.Work is also continuing on the transfer track which will be able to allow trains to be moved into the maintenance building for necessary work to be done. It is very exciting to see Hyperia continuing to rise at Thorpe Park and we will follow the progress over the coming days and weeks.December 8 – More supports and track are continually being brought to the Hyperia site. In the latest video posted to YouTube by Jack Silkstone you can see that the supports and track are going in for the slow outer bank element as soon as you leave the station before you get to the base of the 236ft lift hill.Work is also happening on the transfer track which will enable trains to be moved from the Hyperia track over to the maintenance building for necessary work to be done. The colossal support structure for the central section of Hyperia is beginning to rise with further work expected on this in the coming days and weeks.
