The Vortex roller coaster at Kings Island will close at the end of the 2019 season, the park announced today.
Vortex is an Arrow steel roller coaster that opened on April 11, 1987. It replaced The Bat, which was the world’s first suspended roller coaster but was removed after the 1984 season.
While still popular, Vortex “has simply reached the end of its service life,” said Don Helbig, Kings Island’s digital marketing manager.
The custom-design, 3,800-foot-long coaster touted some impressive stats at its debut, including:
- a 148-foot high lift and drop of 138 feet at a 55-degree angle
- two vertical loops
- two corkscrews
- a double-inversion “batwing” element
- a 360-degree helix turn
- a top speed of 55 mph
Vortex was the world’s first continuous-circuit roller coaster to feature six inversions.
The coaster cost $4 million to build.
More than 45 million guests have ridden Vortex in its 33 seasons.
“Only six attractions have given more rides since Kings Island opened its gates in 1972,” according to the announcement.
Vortex On-Ride Video
Watch an on-ride POV video of Vortex at Kings Island below:
Vortex will operate until Sunday, October 27, 2019, at the conclusion of the park’s Halloween Haunt event.
The park announced that “2019 and 2020 Gold and Platinum season passholders may use their pass for early rides on Vortex 30 minutes before Kings Island opens to the public every Saturday and Sunday through the end of the fall season.”
What are your thoughts on Kings Island closing Vortex? What do you think the future holds for that plot of land? Discuss in the comments section below.
Wow that was a surprise! That sits on prime land too. Very odd timing, normally with a closure of this scale it is normally timed out with a replacement. But in this case I wonder what is going to replace it, if anything. I guess when the ride is done its done.
My guess is a dive coaster will go in within a few years. Cedar Fair likes those.
I rode it this year. I guess I was one of the last riders.