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Nemesis: Sub-Terra

As I have said before, I know factually that something is happening in the building, but is it reopening as a ride? I don't know.

But it's rather exciting..... I can't imagine that there is that much to do in terms of testing/ getting it operational again so surely and work is basic, like replace queue boards, lighting etc?

Also, I am not sure they will advertise this. Why would you advertise something that is not new ? I half expect it to just open and reappear online like it never went away.
 
Jb85 said:
Also, I am not sure they will advertise this. Why would you advertise something that is not new ? I half expect it to just open and reappear online like it never went away.
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One thing that is worth taking into account is that by 2023, 8 years will have passed since the ride’s closure, therefore I wouldn’t mind betting that Sub-Terra has left the conscious of a fair percentage of current Alton Towers guests, if they’d ever even heard of it to begin with. Its previous role as a poorly received peripheral attraction as opposed to a much loved headliner probably exacerbates that, as well as its brief lifespan.

I would also consider that the experience is unlikely to be identical to that of its predecessor. There were apparently numerous flaws with the 2012-2015 form of Sub-Terra that partially led to its original closure, so I’d be surprised if Towers/Merlin didn’t try to rectify those to some extent, and given that the ride has been closed for the best part of a decade, why wouldn’t you try and change it up somewhat?
 
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Funnily enough, I definitely remember suggesting that I thought that Sub-Terra would eventually reopen in some form a while back, and people laughed me out of the room for suggesting it…

I know it’s not confirmed yet, but I’m now 95% certain that that ride will be back open in some form next season.

How things change! Admittedly, I can definitely understand people’s previous scepticism given Sub-Terra’s recent history, but I can’t hide the fact that it is nice to have the possibility of being proven right on this issue now within my grasp!
 
rob666 said:
Five years later...
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The wait is almost over... 😉

In seriousness, I've said it before and I'll say it again; Yes nothing has been confirmed or announced yet, but the evidence has been stacking up left, right and centre. Something is definitely happening. If it is Sub Terra coming back in some form I doubt It'll be announced till just before the start of next season. We just have to wait.
 
rob666 said:
We still have had nothing but some rotten wood being removed, uniforms recycled, indirect references to change at the park, and a can of WD40.
All the rest is still in the imagination of thoosies.
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My question there is; given that they've done next to nothing with the building since 2015 (even when they used it for Scarefest, very little was done to it), why would they be removing said wood now if they weren't planning to reuse the building for something in the immediate term?

Admittedly, there is the small possibility that they could be demolishing it, but I think that's unlikely given that they appear to have carefully removed the wood panels and left the frames underneath in place; surely if it were being demolished, they would have just ripped through all of it with a bulldozer and not left the frames in place? The way they've removed them implies to me that they're planning to replace those panels like for like, which would suggest that they intend to reuse the current building in some form.

I know that some are suggesting that it could be site offices or storage for the Nemesis retrack construction, but my friendly challenge to that would be; why wouldn't the park use the multitude of easier, cheaper areas located nearby for this purpose? Nemesis is located right next to both a backstage area and a huge car park, both of which could house such things more than sufficiently.

As @Skyscraper said, it all seems to add up in my mind. I am by no means declaring it a foregone conclusion, but the evidence is certainly there to support it, including:
  • The park have suddenly started doing construction on the exterior of the building, and work has been ongoing on the interior of the building; when the building has been left dormant for 7 years, why would they suddenly be doing work on it if they weren't intending to use it? That question becomes particularly apparent given that recent history suggests that Merlin don't typically demolish or do construction work upon SBNO attractions unless they absolutely have to.
  • The park have suddenly started making pretty blatant references to the Phalanx on Nemesis. Why would they be doing this given that the Phalanx have never played much of a role on Nemesis? Given their prominent role within the attraction, Sub-Terra being reused in some form would seem like a logical explanation.
  • There are many sources alluding to a Sub-Terra return. I know that sources are not always correct, but there are now a lot of sources spreading the same story, and everything in the rumour mill seems to be pointing towards that ride returning in some form. When the consensus is so united around something like that, I believe in the age-old adage of "There's no smoke without fire", and it must be said that there is certainly quite a bit of smoke rumours-wise at the moment.
  • It would make a huge amount of sense. Forbidden Valley will need the leg up capacity-wise without Nemesis, and it could also be a very effective marketing tool to drum up hype for the retrack. Not to mention that it would be a very easy win in getting another dark ride, and another "adult" ride that isn't a coaster, into the lineup, which many think is a gap that needs addressing.
I apologise if this comes across confrontational. I also sincerely apologise as, in hindsight, I think that I jumped the gun a tad in claiming to have been proven right earlier; "don't count your chickens before they hatch", as they always say! However, I am now 99% certain that something is happening with Sub-Terra in the not too distant future. I have a high amount of confidence that the years-long debate about Sub-Terra, and the "will it, won't it" of whether it will reopen in some form, will reach its climax very soon.

Do I think that Sub-Terra will reopen in its exact 2012-2015 form? Not necessarily. However, do I think that the building will be reused for some sort of Nemesis-related dark ride experience of a similar vein, using the ABC drop tower ride system, next year? I'm now pretty confident that it will be.
 
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Just because there hasn’t been any announcement yet (still ages to go anyway) doesn’t mean you can’t be pretty confident that something is happening.

The evidence is overwhelmingly in favour of it returning in some capacity. Saying it’s in someone’s imagination is absolutely daft. Adding absolutely nothing to the discussion by saying that and denying the evidence.

For those that actually don’t think anything is happening, please walk over to sub terra currently, have a look, and explain what possible other reasons could be happening for it to be in the state it is now
 
It could be being used for scarefest/lightfest storage.
In using that storage, it was realised the decking needed replacing for health and safety reasons.
It will be replaced for health and safety reasons, to continue using it for either...
Storage, a ride, or other use relating to the nemesis reconstruction work.
It does not mean that the ride has been confirmed as returning, as some have said.

"Something is definitely happening"...yes.
"Confirmed reopening of the ride"...no.
 
rob666 said:
It could be being used for scarefest/lightfest storage.
In using that storage, it was realised the decking needed replacing for health and safety reasons.
It will be replaced for health and safety reasons, to continue using it for either...
Storage, a ride, or other use relating to the nemesis reconstruction work.
It does not mean that the ride has been confirmed as returning, as some have said.

"Something is definitely happening"...yes.
"Confirmed reopening of the ride"...no.
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We never said the ride was "confirmed" as returning, just that it returning is the most likely option. Do you really think FV would survive on just Galactica and Blade (we also don't know if Funk n Fly will return)? I don't. I think Towers are using Nemmy's closure as an excuse to bring Sub Terra in some form, and doing so would make the most logical sense in my opinion. As I said, though, we all just have to wait and see.
 
rob666 said:
It could be being used for scarefest/lightfest storage.
In using that storage, it was realised the decking needed replacing for health and safety reasons.
It will be replaced for health and safety reasons, to continue using it for either...
Storage, a ride, or other use relating to the nemesis reconstruction work.
It does not mean that the ride has been confirmed as returning, as some have said.

"Something is definitely happening"...yes.
"Confirmed reopening of the ride"...no.
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One thing I would say there is… wouldn’t Sub-Terra’s building need a bit too much modification to be feasible as anything other than a ride? It’s not just a shipping container that can fill any purpose; it’s very bespokely designed around that ABC drop tower ride system and previous Sub-Terra experience.

With that in mind, aren’t there many easier and cheaper places where Towers could store things? As I’ve said before, Nemesis has a huge backstage area directly next to it where this stuff could be housed, and that backstage area wouldn’t need anywhere near the same amount of modification as Sub-Terra’s building.

I’d also wager that Towers wouldn’t want a storage facility or office directly within the view of a public pathway.

My point is; I’m not saying that it’s 100% confirmed that the ride is being reused in some form in 2023, nor am I saying that it’s a foregone conclusion by any means, but it seems to me like the most likely explanation by quite some margin given the evidence currently before us. With that in mind, I am fairly confident that we will see the ride reopen in some form next year.
 
From what I understood it was expensive to run, likely because of the actors required. I can imagine them bringing it back but removing the live actor scenes at the end?
 
rob666 said:
You could always stick a couple of zombies from Duel in there.
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TBH, not a bad idea...do some minor tweaks in having them redress as Phalanx troops getting devoured by Nemesis babies could work on the exit using still as static models but with flashing strobe lighting just to give a bit more life. Not moving figures but dead cheap to do.

And let's face it, if it is true that many working at Towers have song since hated the Duel retheme in the first place then they have a sneaky chance to express their displeasure in the most public and graphic way possible. 🥴
 
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