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.
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.
