Hair-raising ‘Thunderbolt’ roller coaster coming to Coney Island
Sheer vertical drop, upside-down at 65 mph
A major new roller coaster, the “Thunderbolt,” is going up at Coney Island and will open in time for next year’s summer season, the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) announced on Tuesday.
EDC said in a release that the new attraction, which it called a “milestone in Coney’s rebirth,” would thrill riders with speeds of 65 miles per hour, reach 125 feet in height and feature over 2,000 feet of track. Thunderbolt will sit near the historic B&B Carousell and the new Steeplechase Plaza, at the site of the old Thunderbolt, torn down in 2000 by then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
The agency’s description of the new Thunderbolt is hair-raising. The coaster will take its riders up a sheer vertical lift to a staggering height of 110 feet. Once riders reach the top of the lift, the train is unleashed onto the first vertical drop and then through a series of elements and inversions – meaning you’ll be upside-down — while traveling at 65 mph. The ride will then make its return through a series of “bunny hills” that the designers say will give riders “a floating sensation” until the train returns back into the station.