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For more uses, see Batman: The Ride.

Batman: The Ride is a steel inverted roller coaster located in Movie Town at Six Flags Great Adventure. It was manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard and opened on May 1, 1993.

History[]

Conception[]

Batman The Ride's Updated Entrance

Batman: The Ride's Updated Entrance

After the huge success of the first Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great America, Six Flags decided to begin rolling out the ride at most of its parks across North America over the next 10 years.

Announcement[]

Sometime in the middle of the 1992 season, Six Flags Great Adventure officially announced Batman: The Ride for the 1993 season. A small bandstand located next to the future site of the ride was converted into a preview center showing footage of the ride from Six Flags Great America, and a full-scale replica of the Batmobile from Batman was placed in the Outer Mall area.

Construction[]

Construction of the attraction officially began in the fall of 1992. This would require the removal of the Lightnin' Loops shuttle coasters. Unlike its predecessor, the Great Adventure location would have a few changes. One of the things the park realized is that the queue line was too small and they always had to install a large temporary waiting line up front. Next, the station queue area was too small and would get too hot and uncomfortable for riders. These issues were resolved when extra land allowed Six Flags to build a huge Gotham City Park and larger back alley queuing area. The station building was expanded to allow a bigger Batcave. They also improved the switchback section of the waiting line by building a destroyed elevated roadway over the section of queue that goes by the crashed police car.

In the spring of 1993, construction was in full swing at the site of Batman: The Ride and the surrounding Movie Town area of the park. At the start of the season, the ride was already a full circuit and construction of the station had yet to begin. The queue area was still nothing but dirt and survey markers waiting for the theme elements and landscaping yet to come.

Construction materials included 1.7 million pounds of steel, 1,527 cubic yards of concrete, 10,200 bolts and 350 gallons of paint. The ride covers 2.5 acres of land, sitting on an 110,000 square foot area. The queue line materials included 42,000 square feet of sod, 43 trees, 917 shrubs and 300 tons of decorative stone. The sound effects used in the line were chirping birds, children and construction equipment in the first half and sirens, criminals, police chases, gunshots and barking dogs in the second half. Other elements included a fountain, a police car, a fire hydrant, junk and graffiti.

The landscaping and theme elements came together over the course of the month of April 1993 as the station building was completed. With all of the building complete and the landscaping in place, Batman: The Ride began testing in preparation for its opening day. Crowds gathered in the plaza in front of the ride to watch as the trains ran through the course.  The wide trains running below the rails were something few people had seen before.

Aerial View Of Batman The Ride At Six Flags Great Adventure In 1997

Aerial View In 1997

Grand opening[]

On May 1, 1993, Batman: The Ride opened to the public.

Operation[]

Batman: The Ride ran backwards during the 2015 season.

Experience[]

Queue[]

The Trademark Sign-0

The Trademark Sign

The plaza in front of the ride entrance was created with elaborately designed pavers to highlight the Batmobile, and an elaborate fence was added around the car to keep guests off of it. The biggest changes occurred in the plaza outside the ride, first with the removal of the Batmobile leaving the plaza empty for a time as the car was needed at another Six Flags park which had opened its own Batman: The Ride. The plaza would become a commercial display and later a test your strength game, until the Batmobile was finally returned to its rightful place.

Guests first enter through an archway that reads "Gotham City Park", which features art deco style twin statues and onto a winding pathway. After passing by the entrance, they pass by a Bruce Wayne plaque. In the queue line, guests stroll through Gotham City Park, going past some circling paths around a fountain and an extended queue area with winding curves. A tribute to Steven J. Ross can be found in this area. There are hidden speakers in the shrubs that play children and bird sound effects. At the back of the queue line is a gray construction wall. Prior to the 2010s, it was painted blue with the slogan that said "Gotham City: Building Toward a Better Tomorrow" and a stylized Gotham Public Works logo. Afterwards, guests walk through a gap in the wall and head to the Streets Area, which features a switchback section below a broken overpass. Originally, this area included a crashed police car near a fire hydrant, junk and graffiti. However, they were all removed when the ride was repainted after the 2003 season. The junk in the yard under the ride came from all over the park and the boneyard. Some of the pieces included the old control panels from the Monster Spin and Matterhorn rides. That section also features sounds of gangs and police chases coming from multiple speakers. Guests then go into a sewer tunnel and go left pass a fan, climbing up a staircase. This access tunnel leads into the Batcave which was full of stalactites and steel walls. and up some steps that leads to the station after a turn to the right. The queue line plays Danny Elfman's Batman score and Prince's songs from the Batman soundtrack - "Batdance," "Partyman," "Trust," and "Electric Chair."

Layout[]

The ride begins by climbing a 105-foot chain lift hill. Then the ride drops 85 feet to the left and reaches speeds of 50 mph. It goes into a vertical loop, then a Zero-G-Roll, followed by a second vertical loop. The ride goes then through several turns and 2 corkscrews. After that, the ride goes into the final brake run inside the Batcave.

Characteristics[]

Structure[]

Batman: The Ride features a maximum height of 105 feet, and has a length of 2,693 feet. It reaches a speed of 50 mph.

Ride layout[]

The ride's layout fits the surrounding Movie Town.

Color scheme[]

The ride opened with an all-black color scheme to match the theme of Tim Burton's Batman until 2004, when the track was painted yellow, and supports black. The Clone at Six Flags Great America was also repainted yellow the same year. The year prior, test patches of purple appeared in several places on the track. This ride would be once again repainted for the 2022 season.

Changes[]

  • For the 2004 season, the track was repainted yellow. Along with the new color scheme, the police car, junk and graffiti in the second half of the queue line were all removed. The removal of the police car was due to vandalism while the removal of the graffiti was due to confusion with real graffiti.
  • In the 2010s, the Gotham Public Works banner in the first half of the queue was removed.
  • In 2020, the ride's entrance sign was updated.

Gallery[]

Videos[]

Construction Photos[]

Queue Photos[]

Exterior Photos[]

Layout Photos[]

External links[]

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