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Is it actually possible to despatch the second train just as the first has returned to the station, or close to it? Seems to be so slow on this ride.

Just for clarification the SDO has been formally submitted. They usually outline the visual strategy and environmental strategy and give an indication of what they want to build. With an SDO granted they wouldn't need to submit typical planning permission documents. So its possible we will never get to see detailed plans until development is well under way. Getting the Eurostar to Bedford would be an immense challenge due to differences in signalling systems. Not only that but route availability on that line is basically non existent. The guest split mentioned in the SDO is rather interesting with the first year expected to be 70% domestic and 30% international at a total of 8.5m with that changing to a 50:50 split in subsequent years woth 11.5m guests. Seems a bit of the high side but I do suspect those are marketing figures and not commercial targets.

I know what you mean about those visitor numbers - also the potential opening hours (standard from 7am to 11pm) are wild - we all moan about Merlin’s hours, but the reality is that when they do open (Alton after hours, Thorpe summer nights) the number of customers is extremely low. That said however, nobody is “on holiday” at either of those parks as such, as they would potentially be at Universal. Saying that though, even DLP don’t open those hours do they.

For context, 8.5 million is near the bottom of the Universal portfolio Japan 16 million Orlando 10 million (for each park) California 9.6 million Beijing 9 million Singapore 4 million Being bang in the middle of Orlando and the three Asian resorts, I think the scope is there for 8.5 million but the UK needs to get the infrastructure bang on. I really have doubts in Eurostar ever making it to Bedford, Disneyland Paris had Eurostar right on their doorstep and halted that right after Brexit so there's no way it's going to Bedford. Not with Thameslink from Kings Cross St Pancras already in place.

So true, but it annoys me that Merlin does not appear to pick up on the difference. How can they not assess their operations.

Sadly, there are some very optimistic visitor figures being bandied about. TP and AT get about 2.5 million annually, yet the PR for Universal are talking of 8.5 million which is a massive figure in comparison. There is a limit to the potential visitor market, though their plans appear to include larger entertainment venues and accomodation than Orlando to serve more, but to me, the more hype, the more doubt for longevity. The Government refer to the numbers employed to "build" but no mention of their future employment. It is a massive project and I do hope that it goes ahead. However, logically, it would deplete the number of visitors attending venues that exist now.

Until the plans are officially up and online anything is hearsay. Don't think anything has been submitted publicly yet given hasn't been 100 influencer videos going through the exact plans with a fine toothcomb. Eurostar is a different thing all together too. And requires a lot more to get through the system comparatively.

Ah are these not the official plans? I thought they were going for some sort of special development permission direct from government or something?

Eurostar extension would probably be finished before HS2 too. All pie in the sky stuff though until the official plans are in.

Yeah that’s true. I have only seen bits of what people have posted but there seems to be a few mentions in there about being able to compete with other parks in Europe when it comes to heights etc. Their height comparisons also cheekily don’t even mention Hyperia, but they do mention other European rides The image in the plans of the Eurostar route map going to Bedford is huge. That will also have Disney’s attention I bet, as they are no longer even served by Eurostar and rely on connections.

I find it interesting that the special development order has stated a potential ride height of 377ft. They also seem keen to focus on high thrills so I wonder if Thorpe will be more affected than first envisioned.

Colossus being closed would improve my visit 😉

First not-too-good day at Thorpe in a while it appears today. Colossus is closed all day, and was yesterday. Nemesis Inferno closed all day. Stealth on one train.

Would imagine the height with open trains (comparatively) really does intimidate a number of guests to not bother riding it.

Thorpe have certainly done a lot right the last couple years and its great to see. It was great to see an American enthusiast group so enthusiastic about Thorpe are Hyperia in particular on twitter. Believe Hyperia got its record throughput of 54 trains in an hour on their ERT too. I used to love Nemesis but have never liked reborn as much as the original. Inferno seems to get better and better every year, can't beat an old school B&M.

Totally agree with that. While Towers has had a huge fall from grace, Thorpe has worked incredibly hard and really have turned it around, especially over the last 5 years or so. Not many years ago, Thorpe’s reputation was at rock bottom. That’s certainly not the case anymore. There isn’t a single SBNO attraction anywhere in the park, the operations are excellent, and most of the park itself is in great shape actually. I agree about the ride lineup too. It’s actually a very good and diverse list of rides. To be honest I’ve always thought that, but Hyperia really has boosted it. (Shame we lost a log flume for it though!) Staff is also something that has stood out for me at Thorpe in my last few visits. Again, as said in Mark’s post, they really do work very hard, and it does show. With a new entrance and security area, and a little money spent on maintenance of effects, Thorpe would really be punching above its weight. It’s definitely the most exciting Merlin park that shows the most promise isn’t it. I really hope attendance is good at Thorpe and they continue with all the improvements.

I'm really impressed by the ride teams at Thorpe. We really take for granted how hard they work to keep the rides moving so efficiently. It's really telling how good we have it, The Swarm probably had the worst ops but they were still only stacking trains for about 10 seconds per cycle (and that is an exaggeration). The Hyperia team must have been chosen by the goddess themselves, because they run that ride so well, never stacking, always dispatching as soon as they can. Also shout out to Inferno's team who were doing a great job. They need a batcher though as lots of trains going out with two empty seats next to each other. And finally, the older I get the more I see myself preferring Thorpe's coaster line up to Altons. As much as I like Nemesis Reborn, I think the rest of the line up is either gimmicky nonsense, run awfully or just dull. Whereas Inferno is running the best Ive seen it (honestly, it's so good right now), Stealth and the Swarm are just so much fun, Hyperia manages to be open ( ) and I still love hanging out around Colossus and hearing that music. In general Thorpe is just a better experience all round. Better hours, better rides, better food, better operations. I would have never said that 20 years ago, but now, to me, Thorpe is in a different league.

Riding this Saturday, it was incredibly smooth, couldn't notice a hint of vibration or roughness. And actually riding this so soon after riding Helix two weeks ago, it's amazing how forceless Hyperia feels. Maybe the new wheels making it faster has taken some of the weightless feeling out of the ride (well for me anyway). Majority of guests clearly still love it although I found it interesting on my trip that Inferno was far busier throughout the day. I was expecting Hyperia to range in the 100 minute wait time, especially with the beautiful weather, but it never went above 50. As intimidating as it is, sometimes the majority of guests just want a smaller, more manageable ride like Inferno and the Swarm.

Stealth's station audio has made a soft return, with the revving and pre-launch message now playing again!

Ooh that’s a good point… Everyone used to show up with a cutout of a barcode on a cereal box or bag of chocolates to get their 2for1 or 50% off tickets. Those deals were very good value weren’t they

I wonder if their idea has been to increase price, reduce volume of guests but still bring in similar amounts of money? But that then increases profit by reducing staffing costs / keeping ingredient costs stable. I will always maintain that Aramark has improved Thorpe's recent food offerings. It's a downgrade compared to like 15 years ago, but a recent improvement. Across the other parks it's very patchy though. The prices though are becoming ridiculous. I will however add again that Merlin's food is by no means the worst theme park food I've had, either by quality or price. Plopsaland de Panne and Plopsa Coo are massive offenders and take the crown.

Yeah ORPs are slowly becoming more digital, especially in the UK. It's weird as European parks have them significantly cheaper (Phantasialand has been 5€ per photo for the past 10 years at least). Inferno's list is pretty comprehensive of all the things I can think of though. I think one thing you see significantly less though (and it sounds kind of obvious) is the long lines outside a park. Ticket offices are a thing of the past what with buying online being the norm / default. Some parks don't even sell on the day tickets anymore. Long gone are the days where you turn up to a park with a printed out ticket from home and you can feel a tiny bit smug walking past everyone who's queueing to buy a ticket (and probably paying more than you did!)

The restaurant formerly known as Woodcutters was £19 for a burger. Prior to discount of course but still. £19! We jogged on and went to the slightly cheaper Burger Kitchen. The quality has dropped and the prices increased. As you mentioned though off peak is even worse (especially at Legoland) for having food options actually open. Options for proper sit down indoor meals are more and more limited too. People are now wise to it and its telling that many outlets are quiet even with MAP discounts. Though MAP holders are notoriously stingy these days.

The push for digital only ORPs. That said they're still about and have 2 physical ones that I've purchased since 2023. Can I change it to things you now see all the time? Because vloggers. And (especially at Towers) cosplayers are just everywhere. Saw someone last weekend in full Phalanx get up complete with name badge and box with fake egg of Nemesis creature in it. It’s weird to me.

Inspiration taken from Paultons' motorway services entrance.