Future of the Congo River Rapids

[Benjsh]

Call me an eternal optimist or delusional (both probably true) but I'm expecting an announcement of a major overhaul in the rapids to come within the next few years. I seriously can't see them allowing them to continue to exist in the state they are in.

Would love a total revamp including a brand new name for the ride, new audio, new safer more modern boats and some brilliant theming. It's long long long overdue. It's actually a really good layout for a rapids ride and has so much potential that's currently being wasted party due to neglect and obviously partly due to the terrible incident at DMP.

With the best line up of coasters on these shores by miles it really is time Towers did something about the other attractions. Rapids and Duel being the most pressing.

 

[Tibble]

Id like to see this and I think they could improve the area quite easily and well. The sector needs investment and I think once the DMP investigation is over and they know where they stand they can edit plans to incorporate that.

But I guess any plans they have will be on hold because there's no point making changes and making it more choppy / bringing in new boats for there to be significant rule changes and then having to change it again

 

[AT86]

The former owners of DMP have today been fined £1millon for the Splash Canyon Incident
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-56426318
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-56426318

This brings to a close the investigation.

I wonder if this will result in the re-instatement of any of the removed featured on the Towers rapids, mainly the waterfalls.

I guess it comes down to whether mitigation measures such as CCTV and the amended boats are enough to counter the risk of people standing up during this section of the ride.

 

[Thameslink Rail]

The former owners of DMP have today been fined £1millon for the Splash Canton Incident https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-56426318
This brings to a close the investigation.

I wonder if this will result in the re-instatement of any of the removed featured on the Towers rapids, mainly the waterfalls.

I guess it comes down to whether mitigation measures such as CCTV and the amended boats are enough to counter the risk of people standing up during this section of the ride.

I wouldn't be surprised if Alton and Thorpe are waiting to hear what will happen to splash canyon before they decide what to do with their rapids

 

[pluk]

I wouldn't be surprised if Alton and Thorpe are waiting to hear what will happen to splash canyon before they decide what to do with their rapids

They wont care what DM do with Splash Canyon, they will care about the intracaies of what HSE consider to be acceptable operating risk management procedures.

 

[Error]

RIP river rapids in general.

 

[tayspru]

Jumping onto a comment made about a new modern Rapids system , with new boats, water system and safety measures , I would love to see it one step further .

The rapids route and length are largely great, but what I think would be a very marketable upgrade would be to add a vertical lift and drop section, not dissimilar to Infinity Falls at SeaWorld . I’d suggest the best place to add this would be to have the vertical lift installed behind Pizza Pasta (to the left as you enter Katanga Canyon from Mutiny Bay) , and then the drop will pass over the pathway , and a runoff area created could by rerouting some of the path in the main lake area . The route could then be connected back to the waterfalls .



This of course is pie in the sky , but it wouldn’t be impossible to revamp the rapids in a marketable way !

 

[jon81uk]

Not gonna happen as they would have to dig out a new clean water lake for the splashdown. Safety rules are now that diseases in the water need to be considered more so they couldn't use the existing lake.
Would be easier to just build a new tidal wave elsewhere (or go to Thorpe Park and ride that one for a similar effect).

 

[tayspru]

Not gonna happen as they would have to dig out a new clean water lake for the splashdown. Safety rules are now that diseases in the water need to be considered more so they couldn't use the existing lake.
Would be easier to just build a new tidal wave elsewhere (or go to Thorpe Park and ride that one for a similar effect).

Safety rules mean that they can never build a water attraction again without a new water source , which I don’t see happening, so it would be in their interest to find a way to update the water systems. Adapting the rapids system that needs updating anyway would be a sensible option and could cost less in the long run

Heaven forbid we share our ideas of what we would like to see as enthusiasts, it’s great being shot down straight away

 

[Thameslink Rail]

I don't really see any reason to keep the rapids going unless they can come up with some way to make the ride more thrilling that satisfies the HSE.
The status quo is a compromise that no one really likes (most guests believe that the rapids are too boring now and are not particularly happy with the age limits)

 

[jon81uk]

Safety rules mean that they can never build a water attraction again without a new water source , which I don’t see happening, so it would be in their interest to find a way to update the water systems. Adapting the rapids system that needs updating anyway would be a sensible option and could cost less in the long run

They could quite easily build a new attraction with clean water, look at Tidal Wave and Storm Surge at Thorpe and the Viking rapids at Legoland.
I'm pretty sure if they made significant redisigns to the rapids they would also have to do the same and it just wouldn't be economically practical to do so. Far cheaper and easier to build a new ride.

What the Congo rapids needs is tidying up of the theming, sorting the tunnel out so it isn't so concretey and maybe adding animatronics or something. Make it a great rapids ride rather than trying to shoe-horn in a big drop that won't fit in with the current lake.

 

[jon81uk]

I don't really see any reason to keep the rapids going unless they can come up with some way to make the ride more thrilling that satisfies the HSE.
The status quo is a compromise that no one really likes (most guests believe that the rapids are too boring now and are not particularly happy with the age limits)

The age limit only comes in during school trip season due to the Splash Canyon incident, they (sensibly) don't want any boats of school kids riding without an adult. The rest of the time only those between 1.1m - 1.3m must ride with an adult, over 1.3m can ride without adults most of the year.

The HSE have only advised that they need to remove effects that encourage standing. In my opinion they should be fine with rapids and wave machines. Waterfalls are in-between as many guests do stand to move and avoid the water and squirters are a big encouragement for standing. I don't think the rapids were ever "thrilling" really just because a hosepipe squirted at you.

But if they did add a big drop then it would need seatbelts and high-backed boats (like the versions in Florida) anyway as it becomes a completely different ride really.

 

[tayspru]

What the Congo rapids needs is tidying up of the theming, sorting the tunnel out so it isn't so concretey and maybe adding animatronics or something.

None of that is marketable and wouldn't be justifiable financially. The only thing that will happen with the Rapids is a full upgrade (with a marketable change) or a removal. Removal results in Battle Galleons being the only water ride so that would probably want to be avoided too.

 

[Thameslink Rail]

The age limit only comes in during school trip season due to the Splash Canyon incident, they (sensibly) don't want any boats of school kids riding without an adult. The rest of the time only those between 1.1m - 1.3m must ride with an adult, over 1.3m can ride without adults most of the year.

The HSE have only advised that they need to remove effects that encourage standing. In my opinion they should be fine with rapids and wave machines. Waterfalls are in-between as many guests do stand to move and avoid the water and squirters are a big encouragement for standing. I don't think the rapids were ever "thrilling" really just because a hosepipe squirted at you.

But if they did add a big drop then it would need seatbelts and high-backed boats (like the versions in Florida) anyway as it becomes a completely different ride really.

Thrilling was the wrong word, I just mean a bit less dull than it has been recently (last few times I came off bone dry)

 

[jon81uk]

None of that is marketable and wouldn't be justifiable financially. The only thing that will happen with the Rapids is a full upgrade (with a marketable change) or a removal. Removal results in Battle Galleons being the only water ride so that would probably want to be avoided too.

No but other things took place as part of TLC that aren't directly marketable (Duel soundtrack and tweeks to Hex were the major ones). There is no reason why the park shouldn't consider looking after their rides and making small improvements.
I agree it is unlikely to happen, but I think it would make a nicer family attraction if it was more presentable.

They almost certainly won't remove them and a large upgrade that you are proposing is probably more expensive than building another new (much more marketable) ride due to all the other changes (such as new boats and a new clean water splashdown and a new runoff lake) that would be needed for a large water splash ride.

 

[tayspru]

You then come to the issue of space for a large scale water attraction , which the park doesn’t really have . There’s a trough already there that is perfect , and they can’t go on in the state they are forever. We’re going to eventually left with a large empty trough waiting for something to be added in, so I think it simply isn’t impossible that the park would consider a large scale facilities upgrade (for example annexing the lake away from the ride water) to create a new offering

 

[Benjsh]

A huge rapids refresh is very high up on my must do's for the park.

Sadly we are in very difficult financial times so I think it's unlikely going to come in the next 2 to 3 years even though it badly needs it.

In fact I'd prefer the entire SW9 budget to go on getting the Rapids and Duel back to their former glories possibly with new names and slight rethemes.

 

[pluk]

The HSE have only advised that they need to remove effects that encourage standing.

I've not seen his confirmed, do you have a link to this advice, and importantly it being the only advice? There was a letter from the coroner early on but this is not what that said. It feels a bit over simplistic.

Effects which encourage standing? That will be all water! Any water encroaching into the boat encourages standing. As does the on ride photo camera. Stick some castors on the bottom if the boat and send it down a dry trough.

 

[jon81uk]

I've not seen his confirmed, do you have a link to this advice, and importantly it being the only advice? There was a letter from the coroner early on but this is not what that said. It feels a bit over simplistic.

Effects which encourage standing? That will be all water! Any water encroaching into the boat encourages standing. As does the on ride photo camera. Stick some castors on the bottom if the boat and send it down a dry trough.

there is a bit more to the advice note around other things that were immediate lessons from the Splash Canyon incident such as CCTV monitoring.

but the main relevant statement to this discussion is “
Any theming or participatory items such as water cannons or similar items whether on the boat or the bank, should not encourage riders to adopt unsafe positions”

So I think this is why water guns and squirters have been removed and Alton Towers also seem to think the waterfalls come in the category of theming items that may encourage unsafe positions. Basically as I said, effects that may encourage standing.

the advice note is here
https://www.naflic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/428-HSE-Information-Note-water-rides.pdf

also I don’t think many people really stand for the photo, just face the camera. But people do switch seats to avoid the waterfalls.

 

[DistortAMG]

You see, I feel the investigation is slightly unfair to places like Alton.

The girl at Drayton fell in at the end of the ride where there is quite a sharp 90 degree turn. Boats were notorious for slamming into the wall really really hard. They tried to mitigate this over the years with spring loaded buffers and what not. To no avail.

The design of Altons rapids mean there is no section where boats slam into any wall so hard, full stop. Meaning just by design, risk of people falling in, even standing, is much reduced. But alas, an accident and everyone gets tarred with the same brush so to speak.

I actually really like the idea of putting a vertical lift and drop onto the ride. It would be possible and they would not have to supply a filtered water system as they are retro fitting an existing ride. The legislation applies to new ride builds only, adding a drop to an existing water ride would not constitute a new ride, so they should be able to get away with it. I believe the legislation might apply to old rides when over 50% of the ride is changed, effectively making it more new ride than old. This is not the case by adding a drop.

In any case, if they did decide to filter the water system, it would require lining the holding pool with a non porous material. Then adding a filtration system, not the most difficult or expensive thing in the world.