Universal Studios Singapore has confirmed that the Battlestar Galactica dueling rollercoasters will reopen on February 21, 2011, after almost a year out of action.
The park has completed several months of safety tests and received approval from the Singapore authorities to enable the coasters to return to operations. The news will be a big boost to Universal Studios Singapore, which has been without two of its headline attractions since opening in March 2010.
A serious incident during a routine test led to Battlestar Galactica’s closure just a week after it first opened, when a seat flew off one of the ride’s trains. The fault was attributed to fatigue cracks in the component which attaches the seats to the trains, which ultimately resulted in one shearing off. Manufacturer Vekoma has since replaced the original welded parts with new machined ones, and the new parts have undergone severe stress-testing.
Located in the Sci-Fi City area of the park, Battlestar Galactica first opened to the public on March 18, 2010. It features two coasters, dubbed Human and Cyclon. Cyclon is an inverted coaster and features several inversions, while Human features none and is a sit-down steel coaster. Both coasters feature a launched start, and at a height of 140ft are the tallest dueling rollercoasters in the world.
Universal Studios Singapore has suffered from major teething problems since opening, with two major rides in particular causing headaches for the park’s management. In addition to Battlestar Galactica, the Madagascar: A Crate Adventure family boat ride has had a troubled gestation period, and is yet to open at all despite originally being scheduled to debut alongside the rest of the park.
Universal Studios Singapore had previously stated that it expected both Battlestar Galactica and Madagascar: A Crate Adventure to open to the public during the first half of 2011. They are due to be joined by a new attraction based on the Transformers movies, which is currently under construction, later in 2011.
