Kings Island’s Orion giga coaster track is complete. Here’s what it took to build it.
The final steel piece was installed on Orion, the new roller coaster at Cincinnati’s Kings Island theme park Thursday, park officials said.
With its last piece in place, Orion weighs in at nearly five million pounds, according to the press release.
But if we’re talking Orion numbers, we’re just getting started.
The giga coaster (a term used to describe rides over 300 feet tall) will be the tallest, fastest and longest steel coaster at Kings Island amusement park when it officially opens on April 11.
Orion by the numbers:
- It took nearly 160 truckloads to deliver all the steel for Orion.
- Manufacturers used 4,000 gallons of paint on the track and support structures.
- 16,000 high strength bolts were used to assemble the steel structure.
- The budget for Orion was $30 million – which Kings Island general manager Mike Koontz says is comparable to what it took to build the entire park in 1972.
- The coaster will feature a 300-foot drop.
- Orion will reach speeds of up to 91 miles per hour.
- The track is 5,321 feet long.
- Orion will be the seventh fastest roller coaster in North America.
Next, the construction team will focus on the operational, electrical and mechanical work necessary for Orion to function, according to the press release.
Can’t wait until April 11? You can ride Orion before anyone else by donating to A Kid Again, a nonprofit organization that benefits families raising kids with life-threatening illnesses.
