Press Release from Antonio Zamperla S.p.A.

July 5th, 2024: Playland is a different park since its CEO Shelley Frost announced a new launch coaster for the property in November 2022. ThunderVolt, with its yellow track, pink columns and thrills has brought the next generation of screams to Vancouver’s hometown park.

“We are extremely happy to be opening this state-of-the-art Zamperla designed launch coaster at Playland. Aptly named the “Thundervolt”, we know that this ride will thrill and amaze our Playland guests as well as visitors from across Canada and around the world. Positioned next to our historic Playland Wooden Coaster, the Thundervolt represents a significant investment into the future of our park.” affirmed Shelley Frost, PNE President and CEO.

ThunderVolt launches from a stop to full speed in a matter of seconds. In fact, it is Canada’s fastest launch coaster. The sequence begins with a specially designed tunnel lined with LED lighting and then flies up into a hill. All of these start the experience off in a fantastic way. After the airtime hill the coaster flies through a gigantic figure-eight helix.

“This is an extremely exciting day for our company,” said Antonio Zamperla, CEO of Zamperla Group. “ThunderVolt uses our new Lightning trains, and they represent the next generation of roller coaster design. They are light, have a low maintenance cost and are extremely comfortable. A decade’s worth of research was put into creating these fantastic coaster vehicles,” he exclaimed.

The installation has redefined the northeast corner of the park. ThunderVolt stands next to the future site of the new PNE Ampitheatre, which will debut in 2026. These two projects combined have changed the face of Playland, so it speaks to current and future generations of Vancouverites.

“The new launch coaster compliments the rest of the park extremely well,” said North American Sales Manager Michael Coleman. “The park had a classic wooden roller coaster and now a next generation launch coaster. Playland truly offers something for every type of thrill seeker,” he noted.

Playland already has several Zamperla attractions, including the prototype Gryphon, which debuted in 2022. ThunderVolt is the largest project the Italian manufacturer and the park have worked on together.

Ride Stats.

Total Track Length: 380 meters (1246 feet)

Maximum height: 18 meters (60 feet)

Number of Trains: 1

Passengers per-Train: 12

Height Restriction: 132 cm (52 in) minimum

Hourly Capacity: 510 people per-hour

About Zamperla Antonio Zamperla S.p.A. is a renowned Italian manufacturer of amusement rides located in Vicenza, Italy. The company’s 58 years of experience creating amusement rides makes them a go-to manufacturer. Zamperla traditionally manufactures more amusement rides annually than any other company.

Zamperla’s Roller Coaster Business Unit is a division that designs, engineers and fabricates thrill-makers of all sizes. The company has invested heavily in its roller coaster team over the past decade and has become a key roller coaster manufacturer across the world.