Ohio's Kings Island joins giga coaster club with 300-foot Orion, opening in spring 2020
Come spring 2020, Ohio will boast two of the world's seven giga coasters, an elite group of full-circuit roller coasters that tower over 300 feet.
Kings Island, located north of Cincinnati, announced Thursday that spring 2020 will mark the debut of Orion, its largest coaster at 300 feet, and its longest at 5,321 feet.
Orion's cost is comparable to what it took to build the entire park in 1972. The budget? $30 million.
”I expect to see a lot of people coming from all over the world to ride,” said Kings Island general manager Mike Koontz.
The coaster will plunge riders down an exhilarating 300-foot drop before sending them on a high-speed journey over seven airtime hills at speeds of up to 91 miles per hour, making it North America's seventh-fastest coaster.
Racing along 5,321 feet of track, it will be one of only seven giga coasters in the world – having a height or drop of 300-399 feet.
Cedar Point, located in northeast Ohio, became the first theme park to feature a 300-foot roller coaster when it opened Millennium Force in August 2000.
The other three North American members of the giga coaster club: Intimidator 305 at Virginia's Kings Dominion, Fury 325 at North Carolina's Carowinds and the 306-foot Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland. (Orion was designed by Switzerland-based Bolliger & Mabillard, the same firm behind Leviathan.)
Red Force, located at Spain's Ferrari Land, is the world's tallest at 367 feet. Japan also boasts a giga coaster: Steel Dragon 2000, which stands at 318 feet, according to CoasterCritic.com, a ride-review website.
Koontz said Kings Island was waiting for the right moment to introduce a 300-footer to Cincinnati.
”There’s a right time for everything,” he said. “So this is our time.”
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Kings Island plans Orion, world's 7th giga coaster, for 2020
