Six Flags' El Toro Coaster To Reopen In Spring, Park Says

JACKSON, NJ — El Toro, the Six Flags Great Adventure roller coaster that was shut down by the state last June after a partial derailment, is anticipated to reopen to riders this spring, park officials announced.

"Get ready to take the bull by the horns, the park said Monday in a post on its Facebook page. "El Toro is expected to reopen this spring following extensive testing, inspections, and state certification."

The state inspections and certification are expected to be done in the coming weeks.

The ride was shut down June 29 after a train came to a stop short of the brake run with the rear wheels of one car off the track, according to a report by Six Flags officials to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.

There were no injuries in the incident, but because the train stopped a few yards before the brake run, riders had to be evacuated, according to the Six Flags incident report.

In that report, Six Flags officials said the rear wheels of the A6 car "came out from their normal position in the rails."

"The train traveled most of the ride with the rear wheels in this position," the report by Six Flags officials said. "During the ride cycle the vehicle axle position caused damage to the rear wheel assembly, track wood and track steel bolts." The investigation was expected to include a detailed track gauge and track steel inspection as they tried to determine why the wheels moved out of position.

The state "red-tagged" the ride after the incident, which meant the ride was prohibited from operating until an engineering review was conducted, Lisa M. Ryan, a spokeswoman for the Department of Community Affairs, said at the time.

Ryan on Wednesday said the department's Carnival-Amusement Ride Safety Unit has since received information from the ride manufacturer that explained the cause of the incident along with a written description of how it would be repaired.

That repair plan was approved by the state department's ride engineers, and field inspections have been conducted and documentation provided by Six Flags "indicating that all work on El Toro has been performed in accordance with the ride manufacturer’s recommendations," Ryan said.

"The annual ride permit for El Toro for the 2022 season has been applied for but has not yet been issued as DCA is waiting for Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) reports to arrive," Ryan said.

"With that said, the El Toro ride has been subjected to extensive testing and inspections. DCA does expect it to open this spring following an annual inspection and ride permit release," she said.

Though Ryan last summer referred to it as "a partial derailment," Six Flags spokeswoman Kristin B. Fitzgerald rejected that characterization.

"The train's safety systems worked as designed and the train remained on the track," Fitzgerald said.

El Toro was designed by German thrill-ride engineer Werner Stengel, who has worked on many of the world's record-breaking roller coasters, including Kingda Ka at Great Adventure.

It was manufactured by Intamin, a Swiss company whose name is shortened from "International Amusement Installations." The company has created dozens of coasters around the world.&Intamin contracted with Rocky Mountain Construction to build El Toro, according to Coasterforce.com.

Note: This article has been updated with comment from the state Department of Community Affairs.

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