After Coney Island’s iconic roller coaster failed on the park’s opening day, new questions are surfacing over the safety of the country’s aging roller coasters.
The New York City Coney Island amusement park ride got stuck forcing stranded passengers to make their way down side maintenance ramps with the help of park staff. There were no injuries.
About 24 passengers in all were stranded at the peak of the ride’s first drop on the wooden structure. The Coney Island Cyclone had its maiden ride in June 1927, making it 88 years old.
The Cyclone is a renowned part of Americana, known in the roller coaster world as the “Big Momma” of Coney Island, and is a longtime tourist attraction.
It has 2,640 feet of track, 12 drops, and 27 elevation changes.
The highest drop is an 85-foot, 60-degree drop that accelerates to 60 miles per hour.
After the ride’s debacle on Sunday the park described it on their Facebook page as “an isolated issue” that is “quickly being resolved.” The ride is being inspected.
