Images: The Swarm rollercoaster construction underway at Thorpe Park

Workers are racing to construct The Swarm in time for its spring 2012 opening date at Thorpe Park.

Work to install Thorpe Park’s new ride for 2012, The Swarm rollercoaster, is well underway.

Visitors to the park’s Fright Nights 2011 Halloween events have been able to catch a glimpse of the construction site for The Swarm, which is located close to the existing Stealth rollercoaster. Track pieces for the new attraction, the first Bolliger & Mabillard Wing Rider coaster to open in the UK, are now being put in place. Meanwhile, work is also ongoing to install several major theming elements.

The theme for the new ride is based around war and destruction, and this is reflected in a prominent advertising hoarding placed close to Thorpe Park’s entrance bridge. The slogan for The Swarm, “War is Coming”, can be seen in multiple locations around the park.

The Swarm is being heavily promoted throughout Thorpe Park.

The construction site itself, situated on an island behind Flying Fish, is a hive of activity. Sections of charcoal-grey track are being manoeuvred into position by an enormous crane, in order to make up The Swarm’s 2,700-feet-long circuit.

Sections of The Swarm's circuit are currently being put into place.

Meanwhile, there are signs that Thorpe Park will follow through on its plans to incorporate extensive theming alongside The Swarm. The steel frame of a large building has already emerged, and this is expected to form the shell of the bombed-out church that will act as the ride’s station.

The shell of The Swarm's station building can be seen on the right.

The Swarm's station will be based inside a ruined church.

The Swarm's construction site is located close to Flying Fish and Stealth.

The entrance to The Swarm will be reached by walking over a new bridge, which will be accessed via a walkway close to Stealth. This is currently closed off by a temporary wall, which describes the ride as “the UK’s first winged rollercoaster”.

The entrance to The Swarm will be reached via a pathway close to Stealth.

Thorpe Park is continuing its viral marketing campaign around The Swarm. This has included video footage being posted online of “activists” in the park warning of numerous disasters. This has continued during the Fright Nights 2011 events, with a man adorned with a billboard proclaiming that “The End is Coming” being accompanied around the park by a uniformed “policeman”.

"The End is Coming" at Thorpe Park - the claim of this camera-shy activist.

For full details of the planned new rollercoaster, read Theme Park Tourist’s full preview of The Swarm at Thorpe Park.

You can keep up to date with the latest confirmed and rumoured opening dates for new attractions through Theme Park Tourist's "New Attraction Watch" section, and by signing up for our weekly newsletter.

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