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Next European Park to get a B&M

CrashCoaster

CrashCoaster

CF Legend
As of when I post this thread, there is currently only one B&M coaster under construction in Europe, being Gröna Lund's new Invert which will open next year. This will be three years since the company last opened coasters in the continent (Fēnix and Valkyria). Bearing in mind the Coronavirus pandemic, when are we likely to see the company open a new coaster/s in Europe? Also, which models are we most likely to see, and which park will they be built at?

I mean, I think anything is really possible. Merlin has a good history with B&M so it wouldn't surprise me if we see another one at one of their parks (plz Thorpe hyper). Apart from Merlin, I really couldn't say. Toverland and Gröna Lund are both family-owned parks, which could perhaps suggest independent parks are keener on purchasing B&Ms at the moment. Maybe we'll see a company such as Compagnie Des Alpes take an interest in the company, although I think this may be unlikely. I think one of the more likely options is for a park to build a Surf Coaster, depending on what that actually turns out like. Wouldn't put it past Towers to build one. I think its all up in the air really, but I'm interested in hearing your opinions.
 
Didn't Compagnie des Alpes build Oziris in Parc Astérix? Also I really hope Toverland builds a B&M Hyper someday. The nearest hyper is Silver Star which is 6-7 hours away...
 
Weren't there some rumoured concepts of a B&M hyper at Liseberg? After having one of the most recent B&Ms in Europe perhaps it is a possibility. But Corona may well have killed that idea off.

Thorpe Park needs that or a Surf Coaster if Hyper isn't possible (and something else too I'd argue, maybe a GCI or RMC).
 
Honestly, I can't think of any park which feels realistic to suggest?

It depends on what the Surf Coaster is and does to a degree, but I can't think of anywhere that would get anything..

Merlin parks. I don't see any of the parks getting hyper or giga or whatever. Merlin have an impression that flyers and wing riders are similar experiences so I don't so them investing in any of them. Equally don't see any of them getting a dive machine. Basically leaves a Surf coaster left.

Compagnie des Alpes. They've said they're slowing down investments due to Covid. Asterix is getting their Intamin in 2023 so won't be getting anything major for years. Walibi Belgium won't get anything major for a little while after next year I reckon. Only realistic option there is Walibi Holland, but even then, I just don't see it?

I always thoughts that Liseberg squashed the B&M hyper rumours and said their next major focus is on the hotel and won't get a new coaster for a while. And I don't see other big parks like Phantasialand, Port Aventura, etc investing in anything from B&M. I guess PA could get an invert from them, but aside from that, I don't see what B&M offer that those parks would get.

I'd be surprised to see Energylandia go for B&M when they have such a good relationship with Vekoma. Obviously stranger things have happened, and they have worked with Intamin. But I could only see them going for a wingrider from B&M.

Any smaller parks getting a B&M would be a surprise. Seeing Toverland thrown about feels particularly unlikely for now: Avalon and Port Laguna didn't give them the boost in attendance they hoped for, and I think their long term plan was to expand their non-coaster selection and build a hotel.

So honestly, I'd be surprised if we see a new B&M in Europe after Grona's one for a good few years.
 
Good question actually.
Don't know the answer though. ? Wherever it is, I hope it's a hyper. Sad to think that there's only 2 in the continent, we definitely need some more of those bad boys.
Just think, Carowinds alone has more B&M hyper track than the whole of Europe!!
Trouble is, I can't really think of anywhere that could build a B&M hyper. ?
 
Thorpe was rumoured to be getting one in around 2018, but that was when all the stuff about Project 2020 was still being circulated, and even if they still were planning one at some point, I’d imagine COVID could potentially have tampered with that.

I could definitely see Thorpe getting one at some point, however; the park is probably the only one in the country that could feasibly build one, as they are not limited in terms of space (Blackpool), money (most smaller parks in the country) or planning restrictions (Towers and Chessington, amongst many others). Whenever Thorpe’s next big thing comes, I could definitely see a B&M hyper in their sights. I definitely think we could see a new big investment at Thorpe by 2025, so we may not be waiting too long for a new hyper if their alleged plans from 2018 still hold true.

I don’t think Merlin would necessarily be averse to investing that amount of money, what with Derren Brown’s Ghost Train allegedly costing £30m+ in 2016. Especially seeing as Merlin no longer has public shareholders to answer to...
 
Matt N said:
I don’t think Merlin would necessarily be averse to investing that amount of money, what with Derren Brown’s Ghost Train allegedly costing £30m+ in 2016. Especially seeing as Merlin no longer has public shareholders to answer to...
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30 million....
? ???
 
As a few have already pointed out, Energylandia is probably one of the better estimations just based on the sheer number of large investments they have made over the last 5 years.

Josh - There is an argument that a good relationship with Vekoma could place B&M out of the picture but then if you look at the biggest coasters at the park, one is RMC and the other Intamin. So they do seem to consider alternative options to some degree.
 
Matt N said:
... Merlin no longer has public shareholders to answer to...
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What have I not been paying attention to this time? If they were not relatively saturated already they would be the likely suspects. Unless they happened to feel like a cycle with someone new like, lets say Zierer.

Europe in general is full of surprises so anyone could, although few have spent more than 10+ years suggesting so.

Energylandia has the the highest ambiance to do so. A 3 year plan of interlocking Hyper/Giga/Strata is not entirely absurd.
 
I can see Energylandia adding a giga at some point. Their recent additions have been large and good quality so B&M would further support that direction. They have the space and Vekoma don’t have an equivalent model so should the harm the relationship.

A hyper would be great for Thorpe, but i think it’s unlikely to happen. Merlin might be interested in the Surf Coaster so they can market the world first gimmick irrespective of what it is. Merlin probably dont have the funds for a significant investmemt such as a B&M .
 
Matt N said:
Thorpe was rumoured to be getting one in around 2018, but that was when all the stuff about Project 2020 was still being circulated, and even if they still were planning one at some point, I’d imagine COVID could potentially have tampered with that.
Click to expand...

2018 rumours for Thorpe were from a looong time ago. If you go back 10 years ago, Thorpe (and the Merlin parks more generally) were on a 3 year investment cycle; investing in a major attraction once every 3 years. That traced back to Stealth (06), and had Saw (09), Swarm (2012), and, long-term, new coasters for 2015 and 2018. Merlin changed their investment strategy to a new major attraction once every 4 years in around 2012/12. And after Swarm's lukewarm first year, Thorpe changed plans to go for a dark ride over a coaster, leading to DBGT.

The rumoured 2020 project could well have been a B&M I guess, but certainly rumours and hopes leant more towards the likes of an RMC.


Sandman said:
Josh - There is an argument that a good relationship with Vekoma could place B&M out of the picture but then if you look at the biggest coasters at the park, one is RMC and the other Intamin. So they do seem to consider alternative options to some degree.
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Oh definitely. But a mix of them having Abyssus, the Mine Train and the rumoured tilt coaster coming up over the next couple of years would at least make me think we wouldn't see a new major ride their till at least 2023. And with Vekoma having alternatives to B&M's flyers and inverts, I'd be a little surprised to see them go to B&M over Vekoma.

Obviously it's Energylandia and they do whatever they want, so they're certainly a possibility. But I'd still be a little surprised.
 
I know when PA were considering Shambhala, they were choosing between a B&M Dive, Flyer and Hyper. Obviously they went for the hyper, but I don't think it means to say they wont build a flyer, or another model down the line. I imagine the park wants to expand Ferrari Land first, but I don't know what the park will go for for their next coaster.
 
Sandman said:
As a few have already pointed out, Energylandia is probably one of the better estimations just based on the sheer number of large investments they have made over the last 5 years.

Josh - There is an argument that a good relationship with Vekoma could place B&M out of the picture but then if you look at the biggest coasters at the park, one is RMC and the other Intamin. So they do seem to consider alternative options to some degree.
Click to expand...

They also seem to have a good relationship with intamin. Hyperion and Speed are both intamin aswell as a couple water rides. Energylandia always buys things in bulk and honestly I dont see B&M being able to offer the bundle deal Vekoma and Intamin can. Vekoma seems to always have a junior coaster to "add on" with a larger coaster and intamin can always add on a flat ride. Honestly with Intamin and Vekoma (including RMC and maybe S&S) I dont really see what benefit they could get with B&M.
 
The London Resort is going to open with the world's tallest wing coaster, featuring a gatekeeper-style flyover each of the resort's entrances.

I do wonder if there's any basis to the rumours of a wing coaster in a new Transylvania area at Europa Park?
 
There were some pictures of Liseberg with something that could resemble a B&M Hyper posted here:

Liseberg Future Additions

Spotted this by Lond on TPR, these are photos from the City Planning Office showing plans for a hotel and a hypercoaster over the current car park. Looks pretty interesting, the park has talked about a hotel before but I wonder how accurate these plans are.
coasterforce.com coasterforce.com

Would be lovely to see a B&M doing that. Especially at Liseberg.
4130a59c14616c7ddd05505c4cd20705.jpg


Great question in general though. I could believe we'd see something else crop up at Toverland or Walibi Holland - they would be good fits for a hyper and wing respectively.

I most want a hyper, I think, as @Howie points out we've got nothing like enough of them over here. I'd settle for a wing coaster though, but preferably something launched like Thunderbird as it's miles better than the next best wing coaster (some of which I really like, I should add).
 
Dar said:
The London Resort is going to open with the world's tallest wing coaster, featuring a gatekeeper-style flyover each of the resort's entrances.
Click to expand...
Uhh what? I'm guessing this is a joke but I'm struggling to detect it. Wouldn't make any sense since Swarm is virtually next door.

Also is anyone else getting this really dodgy grammar tone check on their posts? Very glitchy whatever it is.
 
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