Oblivion is located at Alton Towers Resort in the beautiful Staffordshire countryside. The £12m ride was the world’s first vertical drop roller coaster.
Oblivion at Alton Towers
Oblivion was the world’s first vertical drop roller coaster when it opened to the public on 14th March 1998. The roller coaster has a simple layout with a 180ft drop at 87 degrees. As each car reaches the drop it is held by a holding chain for a maximum of five seconds, giving the rider a clear view of the long drop, before a brake is released allowing the car to drop into the tunnel. Each car features two rows, with the back row being slightly raised in order to give passengers a clear view of the drop.
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Oblivion Statistics
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Top Speed – 110km/h 68mph
Original Cost – £12m
Est Cost Today – £22.5m
Length – 1220ft 373m
Height – 66ft 20m
Manufacturer – Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M)
Type – Steel Dive Coaster
Lift/Launch – Chain Lift
Inversions – 0
G-Force – 4.5
Trains – 7
Passengers per Train – 16
Ride Duration – 1m 15s
Theme Park – Alton Towers Resort
Year Opened – 1998
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Descend into the Unknown
The Storyline
Oblivion is located in the X-Sector section of Alton Towers. This area has an industrial feel with warning lights on the entrance that flash as you enter the area. Oblivions’ storyline is based on the idea that you will disappear into the depths beneath the park. The ride descends into a mist-filled tunnel from which, according to the story, riders don’t always emerge.
Ride Theming
Whilst queuing for Oblivion, look out for the circular building which houses a large mechanical object lit by strobe lighting that you will walk around. The unusually shaped object is actually the projector from Planetarium a former attraction that operated from 1973 until 1987. The Planetarium was located within the conservatory of the Towers themselves with the projector in the centre of the room. Images were projected onto all of the walls whilst guests were taken on a short tour of the Universe, narrated by Sir Patrick Moore.
Alton Towers Secret Weapons
The roller coasters at Alton Towers Resort often claim title to World’s First elements. Alton Towers Resort often give as little away as they can when building these new rides, giving them Secret Weapon codenames. As the construction of the ride progresses marketing campaigns are launched giving thrill seekers little insights into what is to come, this always leads to lots of speculation on Social Media. During construction Oblivion was referred to as Secret Weapon 4.
Alton Towers Secret Weapons Timeline
Secret Weapon 1: 1991 – Arrow Pipeline Rollercoaster (Never Built)
Secret Weapon 2: 1992 – Arrow Pipeline Rollercoaster (Never Built)
Secret Weapon 3: 1994 – Nemesis in Forbidden Valley
Secret Weapon 4: 1998 – Oblivion in X-Sector
Secret Weapon 5: 2002 – Galactica in Forbidden Valley (originally named AIR)
Secret Weapon 6: 2009 – Th13teen in Dark Forest
Secret Weapon 7: 2013 – The Smiler in X-Sector
Secret Weapon 8: 2016 – The Wicker Man
Top 10 Listings
Oblivion is featured in a number of our Top 10 listings.
UK Roller Coaster Rides
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Alton Towers Roller Coasters
There are seven thrilling roller coasters on offer at Alton Towers. Follow the links below to learn more about each of them.
🎢 Wicker Man is the UK’s first new wooden coaster built in over 20 years, a globally unique experience that will reconnect riders with the primal essence of rollercoasters.
🎢 Galactica is a flying roller coaster located in the Forbidden Valley area of the Theme Park.
🎢 One of the best roller coasters here in the UK, Nemesis Reborn is an angry alien creature trying to rip its way out of the ground. It was Europe’s first inverted roller coaster and features a truly thrilling storyline.
🎢 Oblivion was the world’s first vertical drop roller coaster featuring a 180ft drop at 87-degrees. As each car reaches the drop it is briefly held giving the rider a clear view of whats ahead before falling into Oblivion.
🎢 Rita starts with the train racing forward from the station area, accelerating from 0 to 98.3 km/h (61.1 mph) in 2.5 seconds.
🎢 The Smiler is the world’s first and only 14 loop roller coaster.
🎢 The £15m Th13teen ride was the world’s first vertical freefall drop roller coaster, on which the track and train freefall in darkness.
Attractions at the Alton Towers Resort
In addition to the famous Theme Park, you will also find a wide range of other Attractions at Alton Towers Resort.
Learn more about whats on offer at Alton Towers Resort.
Theme Park
