Alton Towers have announced that the theme park will reopen tomorrow, Monday 8th June. The park has been closed for 5 full days following last Tuesday’s incident on The Smiler, where two trains collided on the batwing/Staffordshire Knot element of the ride. 16 people were injured in the incident, 4 of them seriously. The Health and Safety Executive have removed the two trains from the ride to their facility in Buxton for further investigation.
Ride availability changes
Although the park is to reopen, X-Sector (Including The Smiler, Oblivion & Enterprise) and Sonic Spinball will not reopen. There will also be no Extra Ride Time (ERT) for hotel guests and pre-booked tickets. The resort are still allowing pre-booked ticket holders to use their tickets at other Merlin attractions if they wish.
Whilst closed, the park have offered those who have paid for pre-booked tickets the option of a refund, or revalidation for another date this season. Alternatively, guests were offered the option to visit one of the park’s sister attractions using their ticket. Warwick Castle, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures and LEGOLAND Windsor were all accepting pre-booked Alton Towers tickets on the day, as well as those with free tickets through the promotion run annually with The Sun.
Resort activities continue
Meanwhile, over at the hotels, those due to stay over the duration of the closure have been offered a refund of their stay. Alternatively, those who have still chosen to stay have been offered a second stay later in the year free of charge, as well as free waterpark, golf and Tree Top Quest access for the duration of their first stay. Those on resort this weekend have also seen members of the CBeebies entertainment team head up to the Enchanted Village, giving children the opportunity to learn circus skills.
Branding changes across the resort
All merchandise relating to The Smiler has been removed from the resort shops in the last few days, as well as the signage for The Smiler suites at the hotels. Posters and billboards for the recent ‘Big Six’ promotion have also been removed across the resort. As The Smiler was one of the coasters in campaign, and with the colours of the ride used prominently in print and online material, it is presumed the decision was made to remove this for the time being. Following criticism in the press, The Smiler game has also been removed from Android and iOS app stores.
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