July 3Jul 3 comment_326144 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.
July 3Jul 3 comment_326146 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.
July 3Jul 3 comment_326147 Eurostar extension would probably be finished before HS2 too. All pie in the sky stuff though until the official plans are in.
July 3Jul 3 comment_326151 Ah are these not the official plans? I thought they were going for some sort of special development permission direct from government or something?
July 4Jul 4 comment_326152 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.
July 4Jul 4 comment_326155 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.
July 4Jul 4 comment_326157 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.
July 4Jul 4 comment_326158 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.
July 4Jul 4 comment_326166 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.
July 5Jul 5 comment_326187 I understand that due to the water table in that area, they will not be incorporating service tunnels, which means that all staff and services will all be served at ground level. It is going to be interesting to watch progression and see what Merlin may have to do.
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