Matt.GC
TS Member
I would second that. It generates queues (then quickly deals with them mostly) when the Smiler suffers down time or is particularly busy. I waited 10 minutes at the station a few weeks ago during Ert just for 1 other person to arrive to come on with me, if not they were going to send me on with a member of the despatch team as I wasn't allowed to ride on my own.I don't disagree with the bulk what you're saying, but Alton isn't a museum, no park is. Things need refreshing from time to time. With the age, the maintenance budget keeps growing - you have to make it worth your while.
I'm not sure it is that popular anymore, either.
Remember it's a public perception of the rides that we're questioning here and I don't think queue lengths are always a great indicator of how it's perceived. If you've paid for a day out at Towers, you're going to make sure you're going to ride everything anyway. It's worth remembering than even on 3 craft and 2 stations, Air used to generate pretty large queues but it still got refreshed.
Oblivion and X sector in general needs TLC, and Oblivion will cost more to maintain as it gets older. Towers would be foolish to spend increasing amounts of money on a ride diminishing in relevance. I believe this is completely different to Nemesis where the ride has an iconic status.