ThunderVolt: Playland’s new high-speed launch coaster takes off

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to ThunderVolt!” exclaimed Shelley Frost, the president and CEO, during Friday morning’s media preview of Playland’s brand-new launch coaster.

ThunderVolt officially opens to the general public at 11 am on Saturday, July 6, 2024, as part of Playland’s regular operating season.

At a cost of $16 million, it is the PNE’s most significant single investment in a ride in the history of Playland.

“This investment into Thunderbolt is also an indication of our commitment at the PNE into making a strong, vibrant, bright future for Playland, and I just really want to take a moment and applaud our team for their tireless work over the last couple of years to get us to this day,” said Frost.

This new flagship ride complements the existing iconic Wooden Roller Coaster for Playland’s roller coaster offerings.

With its bright yellow and fuchsia colours, ThunderVolt is impossible to miss in the Hastings Park skyline, located at the northern end of Playland on the former footprints of the Corkscrew roller coaster, Drop Zone, and Revelation rides.

The experience begins at the ride’s entry plaza, where a giant archway denotes the main entrance into the regular and RapidPass queuing areas. A very long queuing area surrounded by landscaping has been created, given the expectation that this will be an extremely popular ride, with a portion of the queuing area covered for protection from the elements.

It should be noted that the minimum height to ride the ThunderVolt is 132 cm (52 inches). Individuals can measure their height using the minimum rider height marker at the archway.

The ride system itself is state-of-the-art, using new linear synchronous motor (LSM) technology — a highly advanced propulsion system that uses electromagnetic propulsion without any moving parts. This is more advanced than the current common use of linear induction motors for similar launch coaster rides.

In just nanoseconds, the polarity on the track is reversed from positive to negative.

The electromagnetic propulsion mechanisms can be seen embedded within the short stretch of track along the station platform and the launch tunnel, which features strips of ever-changing colourful LED lights.

After a countdown, riders will feel a sudden jolt from the train, immediately reaching high speeds — the launch acceleration of 1.3G, as in G-force, is equivalent to the first stage of the Saturn V rocket launch or the Bugatti Veyron’s acceleration.

According to the PNE, ThunderVolt is Canada’s fastest launch coaster of its kind.

My front-seat footage on the brand new #ThunderVolt launch coaster at #Playland.

The launch speed of 1.3Gs is exhilarating.

I ended up riding this 3 times back-to-back-to-back. #PNE https://t.co/mPZP33NI2m pic.twitter.com/n0CWBR5Nn0

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) July 5, 2024

From 0 km/hr to super high speeds in a split second! #ThunderVolt #Playland #pnefc https://t.co/mPZP33NI2m pic.twitter.com/E5mTIvoL9P

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) July 5, 2024

#ThunderVolt launch coaster perspective from the rider exit overpass above the tracks. #Playland #PNEhttps://t.co/mPZP33NI2m pic.twitter.com/KeeK0gmaxb

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) July 5, 2024

After the launch, the ride train soars upwards to reach a maximum ride height of about 60 ft (18 metres), before beginning a series of roller coaster twists and turns. The track’s total length is 1,247 (380 metres).

Based on Daily Hive Urbanized’s onboard recording of the ride experience, the entire ThunderVolt experience from launch to stopped return at the station is 40 seconds.

ThunderVolt uses a single 27-ft-long (eight-metre) “Lightning” train of three cars, with each car consisting of four seats for a total capacity of 12 riders per train or at any given time.

The ride is designed by Italian theme park ride company Zamperla, which is also the PNE’s contractor for over a dozen other rides, including Playland’s 2022-opened Gryphon-type ride named “Skybender.”

ThunderVolt’s twisting roller coaster structure is refurbished from a previous ride, Senzafiato, which is located at the Miragica theme park in Italy.

After the theme park closed in 2018, Zamperla acquired the ride — originally known as Senzafiato — to refurbish and redesign it to its own train specifications. This also includes replacing the entire original launch system with Zamperla’s new LSM launch technology.

Long before this weekend’s official opening, ThunderVolt had already seen some international accolades and attention.

In January 2024, UK-based international attractions publication Blooloop ranked the ThunderVolt as the eighth-best new roller coaster in the world for 2024 — out of a ranking of 24 new rides that will open this year.

In November 2022, Zamperla unveiled its brand-new “Lightning” train model for ThunderVolt to the crowds at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo (IAAPA) in Orlando.

According to Zamperla, the “Lightning” train used for ThunderVolt has a body made of aluminum and lacks a steel welding. Its innovative design reduces annual operating and maintenance costs for such thrill rides, and the seats in the vehicles are larger — more friendly for people with larger bodies, although there are still limitations.

The first official passengers to ride ThunderVolt during Friday’s ceremonial opening for media were BC Minister of Tourism Lana Popham and Vancouver City Councillor and PNE board chair Sarah Kirby-Yung.

“What a thrilling day it is here at the PNE. I have to tell you that I love roller coasters. I’m a bit of a roller coaster connoisseur. I used to come here with my grandma and my cousins, and I used to make us go repeatedly on the Wooden Roller Coaster until everybody got sick,” said Popham, who gave herself the temporary title of “Minister of Roller Coasters.”

“This next roller coaster is going to be absolutely thrilling… This is going to be an amazing season for the PNE.”

Kirby-Yung added, “Having a new attraction added to our city is fantastic, added to the PNE here, which has a long and storied history throughout our province. I think it’s very on-brand for Vancouver that we are leading and having the fastest coaster.”

🚨 New ride alert!! 🚨

We got exclusive access to Playland’s newest coaster, Thunderbolt, the fastest launch coaster in #Canada🎢💨

Would you try it? pic.twitter.com/Nu8LhebvB1

— Daily Hive Vancouver (@DailyHiveVan) July 5, 2024

ThunderVolt will also likely provide Playland and the PNE Fair with a much-needed attendance boost.

Based on the latest annual reports, Playland’s regular operating season attendance in 2022, impacted by the pandemic, reached 174,000 visitors and generated $15 million in total revenue — down from 286,000 visitors and $16.1 million in pre-pandemic 2019.

Playland’s Fright Nights Halloween operating season in 2022 attracted about 66,000 visitors and generated $5.3 million in total revenue — down from over 82,000 visitors but up from $4.4 million in 2019.

At this point of the 2024 season, Playland is now open Wednesdays to Sundays in July and August from 11 am to 5 pm and extended hours on select Fridays and Saturdays from 11 am to 10 pm. Playland’s regular operating season ends on August 16; from August 17 to September 2, Playland will be open as a part of the PNE Fair.

ThunderVolt represents the first big step of the PNE’s long-term plan to redevelop and significantly expand Playland, evolving it from its current amusement park typology to a theme park. Playland’s footprint would also grow from 15 acres to 22 acres, which enables the significant addition of new rides and experiences and a complete refresh of its existing footprint and attractions.

Immediately to the west of ThunderVolt, construction is well underway on the project to build a brand-new 10,000-capacity outdoor amphitheatre with a landmark mass-timber roof. The $104 million project on the former footprint of the 1960s-built temporary amphitheatre is scheduled to reach completion in 2026, just in time for the PNE fairgrounds’ use for Vancouver’s five-week-long official 2026 FIFA World Cup Fan Festival.

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