Alton Towers, the Staffordshire theme park, has announced that its £10m Nemesis rollercoaster is closing. Nemesis was Europe’s first inverted rollercoaster.
In a tweet on Wednesday, September 21, Alton Towers shared the news and gave the date that thrill seekers need to visit before to book one of the last seats on the ride. Riders experience 3.5 G-force as they race past the rocks and rivers of the theme park’s Forbidden Valley at speeds of up to 50mph.
Taking to social media, Alton Towers Resort wrote: "Nemesis is closing. You have until 6th November to ride." After providing a link to its booking department, the message continued: "Please make your way to Alton Towers Resort in an orderly fashion."
Fans were quick to react to the news. One Twitter user simply wrote: "Why!!!". Another said: "noooooo!" A third said: "What a ride, one of the originals." And someone else, with a crying face, added: "Gutted it won't be open for the Alton Towers 10k weekend."
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A sign in the Park from the "secretive Phalanx organisation", stated that Nemesis will be closing due to the beast’s ‘abnormal behaviour’. However, fans soon worked out that this wasn't a permanent closure.
One fan revealed that in January 2022, Alton Towers submitted an application for track replacement work with the intention "to increase the rollercoaster’s lifespan" and strengthen and improve the foundations of the ride.
Alton Towers said that the ride "will return in 2024 after an exciting revamp". It added: "Until then, visitors to the theme park will have just a few more weeks to enjoy its corkscrews and loops before it starts its transformation this winter."
Fan reaction to the news continued: After one person said of the closure news: "Wait, for good?" another person added: "Calm down guys, it’ll be back. Just having the track changed and an update." Relieved at the news, another fan of the resort added: "Oh my god I nearly had a heart attack I thought they were getting rid of it permanently".
Details of the transformation are being kept under wraps for now with more information to be revealed nearer the time of the reopening. Kate McBirnie, head of product excellence at Alton Towers Resort, said: “Nemesis is Europe’s first ever inverted rollercoaster, which has been exciting thrill seekers since 1994. The legendary rollercoaster is loved by thrill seekers across the UK and beyond, and we want to give fans of the ride the opportunity to experience Nemesis in its current form before it closes on November 6."
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