Canada: “Canada’s Fastest Launch Coaster” Announced for Playland Amusement Park
courtesy of PNE
The Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) non-profit organization, which among other events and assets operates the Playland Amusement Park in Vancouver, Canada, has announced the purchase of what it says will be “the fastest launch coaster in Canada”, which is scheduled to go into operation at Playland Park in the 2024 season. With a top speed of 72 km/h (45 mph), riders will rush along the attraction’s over 380-meter-long track, experiencing acceleration forces of up to 1.3g. The new coaster, in which around 6.7 million euros (nine million Canadian dollars) are being invested, is being supplied by Italian manufacturer Zamperla. For the launch coaster, the company is relying on LSM propulsion technology and its innovative “Lightning” train design, which was unveiled during the IAAPA Expo in Orlando (Florida) last year and will be presented again at the largest trade show event of the international leisure industry next week. A train unit with three cars and a total capacity for twelve passengers per ride is to be used on the new roller coaster, the highest point of which will be 18 meters.
“This is an incredibly exciting day. Despite the financial effects of the COVID pandemic, the PNE has displayed its resiliency and innovation by not only surviving the pandemic but by pivoting our business throughout it to emerge in a place to invest in this spectacular ride and into Playland’s future. We know that the new coaster will be an impressive addition to Playland’s ride roster, and we look forward to introducing it to our guests in 2024,” said PNE President and CEO, Shelley Frost.
“We’re very excited to work with the Pacific National Exhibition on one of their largest investments. This LSM coaster will be the fastest launch coaster in Canada. Playland and Zamperla have a long partnership, and their team started discussions with us over a year ago about their long-term planning and helping them grow the park’s offerings. This year we opened a Gryphon (Skybender at the park), which was a huge success and allowed Playland to market the first ride of its type in the world,” explained Michael Coleman, Zamperla’s North American Sales Manager.
Adam Sandy, Roller Coaster Sales and Marketing Director at Zamperla, added, “The Lightning represents the next step of roller coaster design […]. We thought about every square centimeter of the Lightning, from the bottom of the wheels to the top of the seat. The Zamperla engineering team kept our core design values at the forefront: safety, ergonomics, the total cost of ownership ... and of course pure fun for thrillseekers!” The new launch coaster at Playland Amusement Park is being built on the site of the former Corkscrew ride (by Vekoma), which operated from 1994 to 2018 before being dismantled. (eap)
