Kings Island Announces The World's Longest Inverted Coaster for 2014!

[BoddaH1994]

Kings Island, Ohio – The longest inverted steel roller coaster in the world, “Banshee,” will make its debut at Kings Island in April of 2014. The first female-inspired thrill ride at a Cedar Fair Entertainment Company amusement park, Banshee will send riders screaming through 4,124.1 feet of track and seven mind-bending inversions at speeds up to 68 miles per hour during the 2-minute, 40-second ride.

Built over hilly terrain and incorporating the most exciting features of the very best inverted roller coasters in the world, Banshee will feature several unique elements that distinguish the ride from others.

he ride begins with a lift taking riders up to the maximum height of 167 feet. After plunging down 150 feet, riders will go through a dive loop, followed by a vertical loop, zero gravity roller, two batwing inversions, a second vertical loop and a 170-foot long heartline finale.

Two of the most unique features about Banshee are the massive size of every loop, and unlike other roller coasters, the top speed isn’t reached until halfway through the ride’s course. Since Banshee’s lift hill is on a higher elevation of terrain than the other side of the ride that goes down into a valley, the total elevation change is 208 feet from the highest point at the top of the lift hill to the lowest point, which is the bottom of the batwing between loops four and five.

Passengers will be seated in cars four across. A total of three trains, each containing eight cars, will enable Banshee to accommodate approximately 1,650 riders per hour. “Banshee reflects our commitment to providing the best in world-class thrills and value for our guests and is an investment in the Ohio tourism industry,” Kings Island’s vice-president and general manager Greg Scheid said. “People from around the world will plan a visit to Ohio next summer specifically to experience this ride."

Banshee will be the 15th roller coaster at Kings Island, which is home to some of the top-ranked roller coasters in annual industry and enthusiast polls including The Beast and Diamondback, and represents the biggest new product investment in the park’s 41-year history at $24 million. Banshee was designed by Bolliger and Mabillard of Monthey, Switzerland, one of the premier leaders in roller coaster development.

Since 1990, B&M have designed a number of ground-breaking and critically acclaimed roller coasters. In fact, B&M features 14 of the top 25 roller coasters on the Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards Top Steel Roller Coasters list for 2012, five of which are listed in the top 10. They have more top-ranked steel roller coasters than any other ride manufacturer on the list. B&M roller coasters are renowned for their smooth ride, comfortable seats and restraints, reliability, low maintenance, impeccable safety record and ride capacity.

As of 2013, B&M has more than 85 roller coasters operating worldwide, including Diamondback at Kings Island and this year’s sensation, Gatekeeper at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. The construction of Banshee is currently underway in the Action Zone area of Kings Island. Park visitors can see the ride being built from the ground up with great aerial views and photo opportunities available from the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower on International Street.

Those who cannot wait until 2014 may take a virtual ride on Banshee at visitkingsisland.com/Banshee. Visitors to visitkingsisland.com/Banshee may also access exclusive Banshee updates, virtual videos and renderings, ride statistics and more.

[Sonofbeast2.0]

I loved the scream they gave it!

I think ride will be quite fun as well. 😃

[UnrealNightmare]

This was the best coaster reveal I've ever seen! Hands Down the marketing department at KI did one hell of a job! Also the T-shirt I bought tonight is pretty darn cool! Who's ready for April.

Oh and I brought my box of Kleenex to the announcement... No one seemed to need them.

[SonofBaconator]

I love the ride concept. I'm so happy that Kings Island has a record breaking invert with a zero-g-roll

[teenageninja]

Not sure if this was posted anywhere, but how do they plan on reaching that capacity number with no Mid Course Break Run?

[Thrill_Biscuit]

I loved it when Greg said "Time to let the cat out of the bag... or The Bat out of the cave..." and the crowd was like, "Awww, man?" And then the video with the crumbling SOB (wherever did they get that concept? ) and the blue columns came bursting out of the ground, followed by teaser bird's eyes with the superlatives, each greeted by loud applause, then finally, the new logo, met with the kind of roar you hear at Paul Brown Stadium after a TD... against the Steelers!

Oh, man, this adrenaline is going to take awhile to settle down, which is a good thing; because I'm looking forward to the next rush of it next spring! Excellent, KI! Most excellent!

[ZeroGee]

Attended last nights announcement and I don't think anyone went home disappointed . Love everything about the layout (certainly not a cookie cutter), can't wait til next April . Going to be another jewel in KI's crown !

[jzarley]

Well, we may have had to wait 21 years, but this finally makes up for my disappointment that our Top Gun wasn't a B&M inverted like the others installed at the same time :-)

[upstop]

Not sure if this was posted anywhere, but how do they plan on reaching that capacity number with no Mid Course Break Run?

The mcbr is actually at the very end of the ride after the final helix. There is probably a signal somewhere that says it is ok to release the train, but it will not crest the hill until the train reaches the final brake run. then the car in the brake run will advance until it is in the transfer track position, leaving space for the newly released train to emergency brake if needed.

[IndyGuy4KI]

We hit a record last night of most people online at 10:23 PM of 1,755! That is a lot of KIC'ers online at once. I can't remember what the previous record was?

[BavarianBeatle]

Not sure if this was posted anywhere, but how do they plan on reaching that capacity number with no Mid Course Break Run?

1650 passengers per hour would mean sending out 51.5625 full 32-passenger trains per hour, which is a full train about once every one minute and 10 seconds.

[emileeee]

It's so nice to come on here and see everyone happy and appreciative of Banshee! Last night I couldn't help but squeal with glee when they announced we were getting a B&M invert! However, I got on Facebook this morning, and so many comments about Banshee were negative, comparing KI to CP and saying nobody would be satisfied unless we got a "record breaker," or "something taller and faster than Diamondback." It's like nobody can appreciate that we are getting a $24 million ride that is going to be a blast regardless of how tall and fast it is.

Last night was also my first "unveiling" event and I can definitely say it was some of the most fun I've had at the park!

[spoonface]

Not sure if this was posted anywhere, but how do they plan on reaching that capacity number with no Mid Course Break Run?

Trains will be able to send up the lift while the other train is still on the ride. I imagine there might be a manipulation of the lift speed depending on when the first train hits that final break run.

[CoastersRZ]

Brad, the amazing thing that record that was achieved last night, is that myself and several other KIC`ers were at the park. If people were on KIC at the park, it was all via mobile devices. Pretty cool.

Its also really cool to finally see the rendering. This ride will be a huge hit, and I love the layout and concept. The station looks really awesome too.

On a side note, for those of you who know me, you know that I am extremely happy with my new job and some of the projects that I get to work on!

[jzarley]

Not sure if this was posted anywhere, but how do they plan on reaching that capacity number with no Mid Course Break Run?

1650 passengers per hour would mean sending out 51.5625 full 32-passenger trains per hour, which is a full train about once every one minute and 10 seconds.

Well, as I learned years ago from reading rec.roller-coaster (and most likely, from Dave Althoff's knowledgable posts) there's a big difference between *theoretical* ride capacity, and *actual* ride capacity :-)

[IndyGuy4KI]

Not sure if this was posted anywhere, but how do they plan on reaching that capacity number with no Mid Course Break Run?

1650 passengers per hour would mean sending out 51.5625 full 32-passenger trains per hour, which is a full train about once every one minute and 10 seconds.

No way are they are going to get people on and off that quick. Now, if they have people like us who don't carry their basketballs, drink cups, and mosey over to the bends and back, they might have a chance!

[ohiocolts]

This was very exciting! The crowd was huge and this was very hyped! I'm excited for Banshee!

Also where is Adventure Express in the videos?

[RailRider]

Rather than jump in last night I wanted to digest what I saw regarding Banshee.

I am amazed at how well KI executed the teaser campaign, created a rock concert like announcement event, and delivered with a very impressive ride like Banshee. Well done and I am still in some what awe in how amazing the build up was, the respect shown to this site, and the amount of fun and enthusiasm they had during the process. On to Banshee...

Banshee

This addition is amazing and I'm not even talking about the ride experience. This ride will drastically change the Action Zone. The paint scheme screams notice me, the ride roars like a Banshee, and the new Entry Plaza and Midway elements are going to be a spectacle for non riders. Son of Beast seemed almost hidden in the Action Zone, it had no real presence or interaction with the midway, but seemed somewhat tucked away in the corner of the Action Zone. There was a big lift hill and that was it. Banshee screams at guests to ride it. Diving drop towards the midway, dive loop at the entry plaza and then vertical loop encircling the lift. Awesome Eye Candy.

The ride itself looks very nice. I think the pacing is what will make this ride, like The Beast it will continue to pick up speed as the ride goes on. Which should make for an intense ride. The pacing of the inversions and diversity of inversions is great. The fact it uses a Dive Loop instead of Immelman is a bonus in my book as is the 2nd Vertical Loop (it may be the most forceful element at 60+ miles per hour). The size of the inversions is going to be staggering. I picture the lift hill loop being as awe inspiring as that of Kumba's. Also the Batwing has a different setup than most. Montu enters and exits the same direction and most Batwings are a combination half corckscrew half loop, while Banshee enters with a Dive Loop followed by an Immelman and heads off in a new direction right in to the 2nd Vertical Loop. The forces through this inversion combination should be great. Last thought on the layout is the Carousel at the end. Coming out of the InLine Twist and then entering the Carousel at the top and picking up speed as it traverses the element. Rather than burning speed off before the brake run Banshee should pick up speed in to the break. Think if Diamondback entered its Carousel at the top rather than at the bottom, more force.

Overall Banshee is going to be a signature addition to park, appeal to the masses, and may be one of the if not best Inverts B&M has ever done.

Send in the Cranes

[fanofFirehawk]

I was very excited watching this over the live stream, Thanks CoasterGeek.

As I listened to it, and tried to watch, I chatted with my friend razmatz99 on google's chat thing.

I am not the biggest fan of inverts but this truly looks awesome, a very unique layout, awesome colors, and from what I can see the theming, at lease from the renderings looks outstanding. FlightDeck still appears to remain at least one more year.

This was defiantly not disappointing.

[warriordog10]

I'm very pleased with this ride & everything about Banshee - Colors, station, inversions, logo, etc. Love everything about the attraction. It makes me sad seeing all the negative comments Kings Island is receiving on Facebook & Twitter. People seem to be upset.

[calakapepe]

Well, we may have had to wait 21 years, but this finally makes up for my disappointment that our Top Gun wasn't a B&M inverted like the others installed at the same time :-)

And because of that we seem to have a modernized and better version of a B&M invert with a longer length, in-line twist (which probably wouldn't have appeared 'less the wingriders brought that to B&M, interacting loop (which would've been harder with the old lift supports I imagine), and new restraints!

--

I imagine this ride will have stacking issues or lift hill speed changes, but seeing as how the lift is about equal the time of the rest of the ride, there could be close to no stacking if people move fast enough and the ride team goes fast enough too.

[thedevariouseffect]

As long as the previous train clears the safety brakes (first set of brakes on the run) the next train can advance no issues.

So far here's the block system for what I see using this image and what appears to be brakes in the track (also in the POV they make noise, I hope magnetic brakes are used here as well, B&M did a great job with those

Station (Block One),

End of Station to lift crest (Block Two)

Lift Crest to First Brake Run--Safeties (Block Three)

First Brakes to Second Set (Trim/Transfer brakes)

Transfer brake overlap previous block

Completed loop back to station

So theoretically, they will have one train running course, next train advancing on lift, train one on course hits brake & passes it, slides through, block is clear, train on lift advances. Third train either advancing or in station awaiting next dispatch. This theoretical can be hit, there are several other coasters without MCBR's that send early as long as they don't dispatch prior to interval, the blocks shouldn't set and there shouldn't be an issue. I also will say as much as I'm surprised by the restraint design change, looking at wingriders with this restraint, the ride should be able to load and unload fairly quickly given a quick and easy restraint. The only thing that would hold this back is a crew that doesn't have senior experience ride ops running it, which I doubt they'll do.

Only question I have as I've never thought about it, most B&M transfer tables take load off of the wheels and the train sits on skids and brakes lock it in place, however being an invert, do the wheels get relieved of pressure or do they stay on the rails at all times?

[fanofFirehawk]

Raptor I believe stays on the wheels at all times.

[jdawg1998]

The amount of complaining on KI's Facebook is ridiculous.

"Just a pink and blue Raptor"

"Kings Island continues to suck"

"Zzzz I want speed! We need something like Top Thrill Dragster!"

"Why'd they tear down Son of Beast for something like this?!"

[westcoaster]

If anything its not negative its positive the 15th coaster at Kings Island, and who knows what time will tell for the rest of Action Zone/// But if anything this is huge for the park, and yes not a cookie cutter:

[UnrealNightmare]

Lol most of these comments are from the same 5 or 6 ppl who wont quit whining. Maybe I'll mail them boxes of Kleenex.

[BeastForever]

This

The amount of complaining on KI's Facebook is ridiculous.

"Just a pink and blue Raptor"

"Kings Island continues to suck"

"Zzzz I want speed! We need something like Top Thrill Dragster!"

"Why'd they tear down Son of Beast for something like this?!"

This one literally made me laugh out loud:

"Really.. a whole whoppin' 68 mph? All this thing is is a inverted Vortex. 7 inversions.. sound familiar?"

XD

[Diamondbacker]

Those 6 people don't want to look to the future, they want to stay in the past. KI absolutely knocked it out of the park with this one, and the SOB crumbling shown in the teaser perfectly symbolizes what this new ride will do to the stain of that mess. This is perfect for KI, and I don't think many people have noticed how the theme relates to Kings Island, which makes it even more unique.

This ride will be great, but I hope they keep some of the Celtic gravestones and fog and use them as theming for Banshee. Also, right as you start to drop from the first hill they should play that screech. Now THAT would be awesome.

[emileeee]

Did anyone happen to see which news channels were covering the announcement last night? I'm trying to find videos, but I can recall news cameras pointed at the crowd a few times during the night.

[UnrealNightmare]

This comment wins the award for most ridiculous comment I've ever seen.

"Just another piece of crap that will probably be torn down within a few years. Why is it Cedar Point keeps all of their rides and Kings Islands' constantly tearing down and rebuilding? Oh I know.. it's because we always get the generic rides!!"