The time has finally come.
After 28 years of service, Corkscrew at Alton Towers will be no more come the end of 2008. In a press release today, Alton Towers Resort confirmed that the park’s most iconic rollercoaster will be removed at the end of this season in preparation for a new development, rumoured to be opening in 2010.
Over the 28 years, Corkscrew has carried 43.5 million riders and has travelled over 820,000 miles to date - the equivalent distance of travelling to the moon and back nearly four times.
Russell Barnes, Divisional Director at Alton Towers Resort had the following to say…
“The corkscrew has played a key part in the heritage of the Alton Towers Resort, and I am sure millions of our guests will look back with fond memories of the first time they were inverted upside down, twice within three seconds.
“We are extremely proud to have hosted Europe’s first double helix rollercoaster, but it is now the right time to say goodbye to the attraction as we look forward to continuing to pioneer fantastic family entertainment of the future.”
For those who want to see the ride off and have a ride for the very last time, Alton Towers have announced that they plan to hold a special “Goodbye Corkscrew” event on Sunday 9th November. A number of attractions will be open including Oblivion, Rita - Queen of Speed, Nemesis, Air and of course Corkscrew!
Be sure to check out the link below as there is some excellent footage of Corkscrew back in 1980 - the year it opened. And be sure to visit Alton Towers Blog tomorrow when I’ll be giving my views on this breaking news!