Jump directly to the content

A NEW 'giga' rollercoaster that reaches speeds up to 91mph willl open in the US next year.

Orion will be one of just seven gigacoasters in the world.

 A brand new 'giga' rollercoaster is to next year in the US
8
A brand new 'giga' rollercoaster is to next year in the USCredit: kings island

A gigacoaster is one that has a drop of at least 300 feet (91m) and up to 399 feet (122m).

And Orion features a 300ft drop on the first leg.

The sends passengers up a steep incline after leaving the station - before the huge drop.

Passengers then weave around the 5,321-feet track which has eight inclines throughout.

Riders will get their value for money while queuing, with the ride almost three minutes long.

 The new rollercoaster will open in Cincinnati next year
8
The new rollercoaster will open in Cincinnati next year
 The ride will drop passengers from 300 feet
8
The ride will drop passengers from 300 feet
 The King's Island ride features eight drops and over 5,000 feet of track
8
The King's Island ride features eight drops and over 5,000 feet of trackCredit: kings island

The new ride will open at King's Island in Cincinnati, and is the first gigacoaster for the park.

It has been designed by Swiss firm Bolliger & Mabillard, who also designed Nemesis at Alton Towers and Swarm at Thorpe Park.

The story behind the rollercoaster is based around a meteor storm.

The website explained: "Scientists are in a race against time to develop technology capable of weaving transport vehicles through a coming meteor storm and travelling to a new planet within the Orion constellation.

 Riders will drop from the top of the gigacoaster before being propelled along the track
8
Riders will drop from the top of the gigacoaster before being propelled along the track
 The ride will carry up to 1,650 passengers per hour
8
 The ride will carry up to 1,650 passengers per hourCredit: kings island
 The gigacoaster has a number of twists and turns along the way
8
The gigacoaster has a number of twists and turns along the way
 The rollercoaster is set to open in 2020
8
The rollercoaster is set to open in 2020Credit: kings island

"For the program to be successful, it needs volunteers to help with testing.";

While not disclosing how much the new rollercoaster would cost to build, Kings Island general manager Mike Koontz said it cost "the same to build this entire park in 1972," according .

According to , this was approximately $30 million (£24.6 million).

The theme park has broken records in the past after building the tallest, fastest and longest rollercoaster in 1979, called The Beast, as well as the first suspended rollercoaster The Bat in 1981 - the latter of which closed down three years later.

It isn't the only exciting new ride to open next year.

The world's first 'launched watercoaster' called the Cheetah Chase is to open in the US at Holiday World and Splashin' Safari theme park.

A six-storey water slide called the Venus Vortex is to also open in Connecticut next year at Lake Compounce.

Topics