Intamin Amusement Rides is a design and manufacturing company in
Schaan,
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German language, German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constit ...
. It is best known for creating
thrill rides
Thrill may refer to:
Music
* ''Thrill'', a 2000 album by Eleni Mandell
* "Thrill", a 1995 song by Tomoyasu Hotei
* "Thrill", a song by Band-Maid from the 2015 album '' New Beginning''
Other uses
* Thrill (TV channel), a Southeast Asian movie ch ...
and
roller coaster
A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are ...
s worldwide. The Intamin brand name is a
syllabic abbreviation for "international amusement installations". The company has offices throughout the world, including three in Europe, three in Asia, and two in the United States.
Intamin supplies numerous styles of
roller coaster
A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are ...
s,
vertical rides,
water rides, immersive rides,
swing rides, and observation attractions to
amusement park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
s. The company has installed scores of roller coasters in several countries. Intamin designed and built the first
river rapids ride, known as
Thunder River, and marketed the first
freefall ride (developed by
Giovanola
Giovanola Frères SA was a prominent steel manufacturing company based in Monthey, Switzerland. It was known for building electrical power stations, water storage tanks, pipelines, boilers, highway bridges, submarines, ski lifts and many other st ...
) and
drop tower.
Products and technologies
Intamin's product range spans two broad categories: rides and transportation.
Amusement rides
Roller coasters
Intamin created the first
hydraulic launch system (known as the
Accelerator Coaster), which catapults roller coaster trains from standstill to speeds upwards of in a few seconds before climbing to immense heights.
Kingda Ka at
Six Flags Great Adventure, for instance, is North America's tallest and fastest coaster, launching riders from 0– in 3.5 seconds.
Intamin is also known for its massive Mega and Giga Coasters, Intamin's terms for a
hypercoaster
A hypercoaster can mean one of two things:
*Any continuous-circuit roller coaster with a height or drop measuring greater than 200 feet
Or, more narrowly:
*Any complete-circuit roller coaster with a height or drop between 200 and 299 feet ( ...
. Intamin Giga and Mega Coasters currently occupy three of the top five
Golden Ticket Awards
''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspaper, which is based in Arli ...
with perennial favorites
Millennium Force,
Superman the Ride
Superman The Ride (formerly known as Bizarro and Superman – Ride of Steel) is a steel roller coaster at Six Flags New England in Agawam, Massachusetts. Built by Swiss manufacturer Intamin, the hypercoaster opened to the public as Superman ...
and
Expedition GeForce.
Intamin uses computerized and industrialized engineering and manufacturing methods for its wooden coasters, rather than traditional on-site fabrication.
Coasters such as
Colossos at
Heide Park,
Balder at
Liseberg and
El Toro at
Six Flags Great Adventure utilized this manufacturing technique. Unlike other traditional wood coasters, these rides use prefabricated track sections made of a high-strength wooden laminate that can be secured on-site when the superstructure is completed. This design enables the coaster to reach speeds and navigate course elements smoothly, like a steel roller coaster, while retaining the look and some of the traditional feel of common wooden coasters.
Another development by Intamin is the ZacSpin, a type of
4th Dimension roller coaster first seen in 2007.
Kirnu at
Linnanmäki
Linnanmäki ( sv, Borgbacken, colloquially ''Lintsi'', ) is an amusement park in Helsinki, Finland. It was opened on 27 May 1950 and is owned by the non-profit Children's Day Foundation (, ), which operates the park in order to raise funds for ...
in Finland was the first ZacSpin in the world and opened on April 27, 2007.
It has individual cars, each with 8 seats, arranged in two pods coming off the sides of the car, each with 2 seats facing forward and two facing backward. This car is either lifted to the highest point by a conventional chain lift, or propelled around the course at a constant speed by a
Linear Motor system.
The company is known for being the original home to
Bolliger & Mabillard
Bolliger & Mabillard, officially Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers, Inc. and often abbreviated B&M, is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabil ...
(B&M). The two engineers worked for
Giovanola
Giovanola Frères SA was a prominent steel manufacturing company based in Monthey, Switzerland. It was known for building electrical power stations, water storage tanks, pipelines, boilers, highway bridges, submarines, ski lifts and many other st ...
who in turn were frequently contracted by Intamin for their early stand-up roller coasters (Giovanola eventually started producing roller coasters independently). B&M broke away from Giovanola to form their own company which now supplies roller coasters as well. Similarities between the two companies are often obvious, such as the style of track used by B&M, which was used in a number of early Giovanola installations which were contracted by Intamin.
Ferris wheels
Intamin brokered a number of rides that were manufactured by
Waagner-Biro
Waagner Biro is a Vienna-based group of companies formerly part of the same group which have developed into separately owned, independent companies operating in steel and mechanical engineering. Collectively, the companies have about 1000 employees ...
. These included a series of rides for
Marriott Corporation, each comprising a vertical column supporting multiple horizontal arms, with each arm supporting a
Ferris wheel. The first was
Giant Wheel which operated at
Hersheypark in
Hershey, Pennsylvania from 1973 until 2004. Similar Intamin supplied Waagner-Biro wheels included Zodiac (
Kings Island,
Mason, Ohio) and Scorpion (
Parque de la Ciudad
The Parque de la Ciudad ( en, City Park) is a former amusement park in the Villa Soldati neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
History
The park was planned by the administration of Mayor Osvaldo Cacciatore in 1978. Cacciatore, appointed by ...
,
Buenos Aires, Argentina). All are now defunct.
Sky Whirl, the world's first triple Ferris wheel, which debuted at both Marriott's Great America parks (now
Six Flags Great America,
Gurnee, Illinois, and
California's Great America
California's Great America, often shortened to Great America, is a amusement park located in Santa Clara, California. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, it originally opened in 1976 as one of two parks built by the Marriott Corporation. Califor ...
,
Santa Clara) in 1976, was also manufactured by Waagner-Biro and brokered by Intamin. Also known as a triple Ferris wheel, Triple Giant Wheel, or Triple Tree Wheel, it was in height. The Santa Clara ride, renamed Triple Wheel in post-Marriott years, closed on 1 September 1997. The Gurnee ride closed in 2000.
The
Orlando Eye, which opened in April 2015, was designed and built by Intamin.
Transportation
Outside the amusement realm, Intamin supplies
monorail
A monorail (from "mono", meaning "one", and " rail") is a railway in which the track consists of a single rail or a beam.
Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurat ...
transportation system
A transport network, or transportation network, is a network or graph in geographic space, describing an infrastructure that permits and constrains movement or flow.
Examples include but are not limited to road networks, railways, air routes, ...
s which are used in both public transport networks and at tourist attractions across the world. Intamin was responsible for the design and building of the
Moscow Monorail (russian: Московская Монорельсовая Транспортная Система (ММТС)), which is long and is located in the
North-Eastern Administrative Okrug of
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
, running from the
Timiryazevskaya metro station to Sergeya Eisensteina street. Planning of the monorail started in 1998. It has six stations.
In 2016 two monorails using Intamin equipment were opened, the
Ashgabat Monorail in
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the s ...
and a monorail in the
Cross River State,
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
which connects the
Calabar International Convention Centre
The Calabar International Convention Centre it's found located in Calabar, Cross River, Nigeria. It opened in the third quarter of 2015.
About Calabar International Convention Centre
Calabar International Convention Centre (CICC) consists of ...
to the
Tinapa Resort
Tinapa is a business and leisure resort located North of Calabar municipality, Cross River State, Nigeria associated with the Calabar Free Trade Zone. It was developed in four phases under a Private Public Partnership (PPP) promoted by the Gove ...
.
In 2020 the
Marconi Express Monorail
A monorail (from "mono", meaning "one", and " rail") is a railway in which the track consists of a single rail or a beam.
Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurat ...
opened successfully as a shuttle between the
Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport
Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport ( it, Aeroporto di Bologna-Guglielmo Marconi) is an international airport serving the city of Bologna in Italy. It is approximately northwest of the city centre in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The air ...
and the
Bologna Centrale railway station
Bologna Centrale is a railway station in Bologna, Italy. The station is situated at the northern edge of the city centre. It is located at the southern end of the Milan-Bologna high-speed line, which opened on 13 December 2008, and the north ...
.
Intamin has also constructed monorails at amusement parks
Xi'an and
Ningbo
Ningbo (; Ningbonese: ''gnin² poq⁷'' , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises 6 urban districts, 2 sate ...
in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
and the Asia Park Monorail in
Da Nang in
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...
.
Notable Intamin rides
Safety incidents
Intamin has been in the news for a number of safety-related incidents.
* In 1984, three passengers riding
The Edge at
Six Flags Great America were injured and briefly hospitalized. The ride experienced a malfunction that caused it to fall backward down the wrong shaft.
* On June 9, 1991, 32-year-old Candy Taylor of
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnat ...
, fell to her death from Flight Commander, an Intamin Flight Trainer, located at
Kings Island. Investigators determined that a design flaw in the seat divider could allow a rider to slide into an unoccupied seat and become free from the restraint. A coroner's report later revealed that the victim had a blood-alcohol level of 0.30 which may have also contributed. Speculation suggests the rider lost consciousness during the ride and slid out from the restraints.
* On May 16, 1999, a guest was unable to close his lap bar on
Ride of Steel at
Six Flags Darien Lake
Six Flags Darien Lake is a 1,200-acre (4.86 km2) amusement park and resort located in Corfu, New York, off of Interstate 90 between Buffalo and Rochester. Six Flags Darien Lake features a theme park, water park, campground and lodging. It ...
. As a result, he was ejected, fell approximately 9 feet as the ride went over a camel hump hill, and suffered serious injuries. He sued the park and the ride manufacturer for negligence and was awarded US$3.95 million.
* In August 1999, a 12-year-old mentally disabled boy fell from the 207-foot (63 m) high
Drop Tower: Scream Zone, at
California's Great America
California's Great America, often shortened to Great America, is a amusement park located in Santa Clara, California. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, it originally opened in 1976 as one of two parks built by the Marriott Corporation. Califor ...
, and died. The victim's family claimed his harness was not locked properly. An investigation was inconclusive and no charges were filed.
* In September 2001, a 40-year-old woman fell from
Perilous Plunge (
Knott's Berry Farm) into the water, was hit by the boat, and died. An investigation showed that the woman had loosened the safety restraints, so she could fit more comfortably into the ride.
* On April 16, 2004, a 16-year-old girl from
Pontypool was killed after falling approximately 30 m (100 ft) into shallow water from the top of Hydro (now called Drenched) at
Oakwood Leisure Park,
Narberth, Pembrokeshire,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
. During a lawsuit brought by the victim's family against Oakwood, a jury returned a narrative verdict stating that the victim had fallen out due to being improperly restrained.
* The second incident of 2004 was on one of Intamin's mega coasters,
Superman: Ride of Steel, at
Six Flags New England
Six Flags New England, formerly known as Gallup's Grove (1870–1886), Riverside Grove (1887–1911), Riverside Park (1912–1995) and Riverside: The Great Escape (1996–2000), is an amusement park located in Agawam, Massachusetts, a western s ...
in
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
. The ride, again with lap bar restraints, was dispatched with a rider who had
cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sens ...
in the front seat; this passenger subsequently died after being ejected from his seat. According to an investigation, the ride operators were primarily to blame, for not ensuring the rider was properly secured. Intamin was also partially blamed, as the ride's safety system allowed the train to be dispatched without all of the restraints properly secured.
* The third incident of 2004 happened on July 14 and involved one of Intamin's launched stratacoasters. Four people were injured while riding on
Cedar Point's
Top Thrill Dragster. The riders were struck by metal debris that sheared off from the coaster's launch cable; during the initial launch, the train accelerates from 0 to 100+ miles per hour in a matter of seconds, before climbing up the 400+ foot vertical structure and back down again. The majority of guests waiting in the queue line would be standing no more than 10 to 15 feet from the track, at closest range. They were treated at the park's first aid station. Two were further treated at Firelands Regional Medical Center.
* In June 2007, a 13-year-old girl shockingly lost both feet at the ankles on Superman: Tower of Power, at
Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, when a ride malfunction caused a cable to snap. She was brought to the hospital in critical condition, but miraculously survived, with doctors being able to re-attach her right foot. The park was later fined a mere $1,000 for not properly maintaining the ride; An undisclosed settlement was later reached with Six Flags, which will provide for her for the remainder of her life.
* On September 16, 2009, two guests were injured when a cable snapped on
Xcelerator
Xcelerator is a steel launched roller coaster at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. It was Intamin's first hydraulically launched coaster, while also the fourth Intamin installation at Knott's, alongside Sky Cabin, Calico River Rapi ...
at
Knott's Berry Farm. This ride is a smaller version of Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point in Ohio, or Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey. The train launches riders from 0 to 80 miles per hour in a matter of seconds, ascends a vertical top-hat, and descends down the other side. The 12-year-old victim had
lacerations on his leg, while the adult victim complained of back injuries.
* On April 29, 2010, a ride train on
Expedition GeForce partially derailed from the track, fully occupied with passengers. Riders were stranded 20m in the air, with eight of them complaining of nausea and bruising.
* On July 8, 2011, a 29-year-old guest was killed when he was ejected from
Superman: Ride of Steel. The rider, an Iraq War veteran whose legs had been amputated, was on the front row of the roller coaster when he was thrown from the train during the course of the ride. Park officials stated that the ride was in proper mechanical order and that the various safety restraints were also working normally at the time of the incident, but that the attraction would remain closed pending an investigation. It was determined that, unfortunately, ride operators at the time should not have permitted the man to get on the ride, due to his status as a double amputee.
* On February 24, 2012, a 14-year-old girl died in an accident at
Hopi Hari,
Vinhedo
Vinhedo is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Campinas. The population in 2020 was 80,111 and its area is . It has a population density of 777 inhabitants per square kilometer. The elevat ...
,
São Paulo State,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. She fell from the
La Tour Eiffel drop tower ride, suffered cranial trauma, and died on the way to hospital. Initial investigations suggested the possibility of mechanical failure in a restraint latch.
* On July 24, 2012, the launch cable of the accelerator coaster
Rita
Rita may refer to:
People
* Rita (given name)
* Rita (Indian singer) (born 1984)
* Rita (Israeli singer) (born 1962)
* Rita (Japanese singer)
* Eliza Humphreys (1850–1938), wrote under the pseudonym Rita
Places
* Djarrit, also known as R ...
at Alton Towers, Staffordshire, UK, snapped during a morning test run. There were no passengers aboard at the time and no injuries occurred.
* On July 19, 2013, a boat on the
Shoot the Rapids log flume (at
Cedar Point) rolled back down the ride's lift hill and flipped over, injuring seven, and was said to leave them stranded under water for a few minutes before guests and park employees could get them out. Six were cleared by park medical staff, and one was examined at a local hospital before being released. The ride closed during the investigation. Cedar Point reopened the ride in May 2014.
* On July 7, 2014, a teenager was killed after his harness sprung open on Inferno, a ZacSpin
fourth-dimension roller coaster at
Terra Mítica
Terra Mítica () is a theme park located in Benidorm, Comunitat Valenciana, Spain. The park is divided into five themed zones: Egypt, Greece, Rome, Iberia, and the Islands (of the Mediterranean). The park opened in 2000.
In 2001, a year after p ...
in
Benidorm, Spain.
* On May 9, 2017, an 11-year-old girl Evha Jannath died from her injuries after she fell from the Splash Canyon ride and into the water at
Drayton Manor Theme Park in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
. The water ride has remained closed for the foreseeable future, following the HSE safety examination.
*On July 3, 2021, an 11-year-old boy died and five others were injured on the Raging River at Adventureland Park in Altoona, Iowa. The raft was carrying six riders, all of whom suffered injuries with two, including the boy, suffering critical injuries.
*On August 15, 2021, a female guest was injured at Cedar Point when an unknown metal object dislodged from Top Thrill Dragster and struck her in the head.
References
External links
*
Amusement DivisionTransportation DivisionIntamin Bahntechnik (official site of Intamin's factory in Germany)Accidents involving amusement roller coasters manufactured by IntaminAlton Towers Secret Weapon 6 believed to be built by Intamin
{{Amusement rides
Amusement ride manufacturers
Roller coaster manufacturers
Manufacturing companies of Liechtenstein