Grand National riders rescued after Blackpool rollercoaster breaks down at 60ft
Rollercoaster riders were left stranded 62ft in the air at Blackpool Pleasure Beach on Tuesday morning (June 1) when the theme park’s Grand National ride ground to an unexpected standstill.
30 passengers – including families – on the racing-themed rollercoaster had to be escorted back down to Earth by staff after the carriages suddenly stopped climbing the tracks on an incline.
The ride was just approaching its summit when it broke down.
A spokesman for the park told the BBC that a “stoppage occurred on the lift hill” and “all riders were safely escorted down”.
The Grand National reopened at around 1pm – just over an hour after the error occurred.
One frustrated rider posted a picture of the malfunctioning ride and expressed frustration he’d only been given a “bottle of water” as compensation.
The Grand National – which is one of the oldest dual track wooden rollercoasters of its kind in the world – is inspired by the horse race of the same name and features two separate trains riding alongside one another.
The ride – which hits speeds of 40 miles per hour – was first opened in 1935 and given Grade II listed status in 2017.
This is the second time that riders have had to be evacuated from a malfunctioning rollercoaster since Blackpool Pleasure Beach reopened for business almost two months ago.
In April, passengers on The Big One were forced to walk down from the top of the UK’s tallest rollercoaster when the ride unexpectedly stopped at 200ft.
All riders made it to the bottom safely and the ride was reopened later that day.
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons