Hyperia is a steel Hypercoaster currently under construction at Thorpe Park in Chertsey, Surrey, England, UK. It will be the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the UK. It is being built on the site formerly occupied by both Loggers Leap and Rocky Express, and is expected to open in Spring 2024.[3] The choice of the name "Hyperia" is a reference to the coaster's classification as a "hypercoaster", with the theming of the ride being inspired by the fearless goddess, Hyperia, aligning with the slogan "Find your fearless".[citation needed]
History
Background
Loggers Leap opened in 1989 in the southern corner of the park, where it became the tallest log flume in the UK at the time of its debut. The ride operated through to 2015, but failed to open the following year and was addressed by park representatives as being "under redevelopment".[4] In February 2019, Thorpe Park confirmed that the attraction had been permanently closed, stating that "the area [which] Logger's Leap once dominated will be forming part of our long term development plans".[5] The rest of Old Town officially closed for good in October 2021, which included the retirement of the park's Rocky Express and Timber Tug Boat.[2] Lumber Jump was rethemed as High Striker and relocated to the Amity area of the park for the 2022 season.[6]
Planning and Approval
In December 2021, Thorpe Park officially held a public consultation for their new coaster project in Old Town, releasing various renders and information online.[7] Codenamed Project Exodus, the proposed ride promised to become the tallest coaster in the UK at 236 feet (72 m) tall, displacing The Big One's 213-foot (65 m) height at Blackpool Pleasure Beach after nearly three decades.[8] Although a manufacturer was not listed at the time, park officials confirmed that they'd conducted noise tests on "a similar ride in Turkey" (correctly assumed to be Mack Rides' Hyper Coaster at Land of Legends Theme Park).[9]
On 14 March 2022, Thorpe Park submitted an extensive planning application to Runnymede Borough Council detailing the proposed redevelopments of Old Town and Project Exodus construction.[1][10] While the council eventually supported the park's development, sustained flood risk concerns from the Environment Agency prompted a project referral to the Secretary of State, who posed no objections to the project.[11] Runnymede Borough Council officially granted permission for Project Exodus on November 2, 2022, although the application's case officer Christine Ellera would later criticize the Environment Agency's poor communication in the approval, stating that, "A rollercoaster which was partly in the functional flood plain was never going to be straight forward planning application but it should not have been as difficult as it was. We had a positive working relationship with both the planning agents, Lichfields UK and the applicant Thorpe Park. The difficulty was the lack of ability to engage effectively with the Environment Agency. I’m sure the level of service they are providing or lack thereof, is not how they want to deal with matters".[12][13]
Announcement
On 9 February 2023, Thorpe Park launched Club 236, a passholder competition to visit the park with the chance of being among the coaster's first public riders in 2024.[14] It was also confirmed that Project Exodus would be built by Mack Rides.[15] Further details were submitted to the council in May, depicting a Pearl Gold and Papyrus White colour scheme – the structure's upper sections would be painted white in order to reduce its visual impact outside of the park.[16] In August 2023, it was announced that Project Exodus would not only be the UK's tallest coaster, but also the fastest.[17]
During the development phase, Merlin Entertainments – through the alias Vista Maxima Services LTD – initially filed a trademark for ICARUS in March 2023. However, HYPERIA was submitted later on in August, and would go on to become the final name of the ride.[18] Hyperia was formally announced on 5 October 2023 and accompanied by a promotional video that not only introduced the coaster's name but also presented its slogan, "Find your fearless." The video further provided a point-of-view (POV) glimpse into the ride experience.[19][20]
Construction Timeline
2021 - 2022
2 November 2022; Project Exodus approved by the Runnymede Borough Council.[12]
December 2022; Demolition begins on Logger's Leap and the Old Town area.[21]
2023
9 January; Ride foundation cages delivered to the park.[22]
April; Construction crews mark out locations for the structure's foundations.[23]
22 July; First delivery of coaster supports arrive from Mack Rides.[24]
28 September; First coaster track pieces arrive at Thorpe Park.[25]
9 October; First support structure pieces installed at the ride's outerbank.[26]
11 October; First track sections lifted into place.[27]
16 October; Steel framework begins to be set up for the coaster's station.[28]
22 October; A separate set of steel framework begins going up for the maintenance shed.[29]
In mid-November 2023, Thorpe Park placed tickets for Sunday 24 March on general sale to the public. This represented the first day of the 2024 season that was on sale, and combined with the tickets purchase link being placed on Hyperia's webpage, it became expected that 24 March 2024 was the targeted opening date for Hyperia.[30]
Characteristics
Plans released by the park suggest that the ride will be around 72 meters tall, reach a maximum speed of ~128 km/h, and feature 2 inversions.[31]
The golden elements in the logo correspond to the golden and white track.
The rollercoaster's speed is predicted to be roughly 81 to 82 miles per hour, potentially dethroning Stealth (also at Thorpe Park), having a top speed of ~80mph, as the fastest rollercoaster in the UK. However, considering the minimal difference between these speeds, there is some ambiguity regarding whether Hyperia will indeed surpass it in reality.[32]
