December 5 - Fans of El Toro would have been excited to hear the news that the mighty coaster is set to reopen for the 2023 season. In a recent update we can see that certain sections of the coaster are being re-tracked. So far this can be seen at the bottom of the first camel back. There is also track visibly missing from the bottom of the first drop and turnaround.
We found out in the inspection report following the malfunction on August 25 where 13 people were reported injured that "Experts discovered a section of the ride sub-structure that requires repair." It makes sense that this section and any further parts of track that need it are being replaced. Check out the video below which was posted by Coliwood Studios to see how El Toro currently looks. .We will keep you updated with further progress on our news and Facebook page.
September 30 - According to a news story from Patch, we can expect the mighty El Toro to be ready to reopen for the 2023 season. Gabriel Darretta, a spokesperson for Six Flags Great Adventure said in an interview, "Experts discovered a section of the ride sub-structure that requires repair. The ride will remain closed to complete the review and make necessary repairs."
It was reported that 13 people in total were injured in the incident on August 25, with five being taken to hospital. Two people sustained back injuries, two were treated for mouth/tongue injuries and one had a neck injury.
Gabriel Darretta went on to say, "Prior to re-opening, which is expected in time for the 2023 season, the ride will be inspected again, including evaluations by the state of New Jersey and certified, independent ride safety experts,"
With some fans speculating that it could be the end of the road for El Toro after the malfunction on August 25, the news that the roller coaster will reopen in 2023 will be very welcome indeed. We will keep you posted on further updates regarding El Toro when they are announced on our news and Facebook page. Are you pleased to hear that El Toro is to reopen in 2023 at Six Flags Great Adventure?
September 22 - El Toro has been ruled as "structurally compromised" according to the first inspection report conducted by State inspectors. During the field investigation, inspectors have "identified structural damage affecting multiple wooden track support columns in a section of the coaster track".
Further investigations are ongoing and El Toro will remain closed indefinitely at Six Flags Great Adventure until the track has been repaired and all safety tests have been passed. So far we don't have a timeline for when El Toro is likely to reopen.
El Toro had only been open for five months following its closure due to a partial derailment in June 2021. We will update you with further details regarding the incident on August 25, 2022 and when El Toro is set to reopen on our news and Facebook page.
September 2 - There has been a further update regarding the malfunction which occured on El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure on Thursday August 25. According to News 12 New Jersey, Six Flags has reported that the "primary and back-up safety systems did their job allowing the train to complete the ride without major incident."
Six Flags hasn't commented on the allegations made by an employee to CBS New York saying, “maintenance has known about it, and they have tried fixing it, but for how it is, it just keeps, like… happening. The employees keep telling them that there is an an issue with the pothole and maintenance has done nothing about it.”
It has been confirmed that the section of the track where the malfunction happened which is the location of the "pothole" will be fixed, inspected and signed off before El Toro will reopen. There is currently no exact timeline for how long this will take and when guests will be able to ride El Toro again. We will keep you posted on our news and Facebook page.
August 29 - It has now revealed by an employee at Six Flags Great Adventure that the cause of the malfunction which caused 13 people to be injured on Thursday August 25 was known about by the maintenance team at the park. What we know is that the malfunction was caused by a pothole, a term used to describe a slight separation between the track and wooden structure, towards the end of the ride, before the last turn.
The employee spoke exclusively with CBS New York saying, “maintenance has known about it, and they have tried fixing it, but for how it is, it just keeps, like… happening. The employees keep telling them that there is an an issue with the pothole and maintenance has done nothing about it.”
The only statement Six Flags Great Adventure has released is this, "The ride will remain closed for inspection. Any maintenance and repairs necessary will be completed and the ride will be re-inspected by our engineers, maintenance professionals, our 3rd party independent safety inspectors and the state of NJ prior to re-opening,"
We are not expecting El Toro to be back in action for the rest of the 2022 season and we will update you with any further information as soon as we have it on our news and Facebook page.
August 27 - El Toro is closed at Six Flags Great Adventure after an incident took place on the evening of Thursday August 25, 2022. It will remain closed for the foreseeable future as the cause of the malfunction is being investigated and extensive testing is done.
The Department of Community Affairs were alerted on Thursday evening when witnesses at Six Flags Great Adventure reportedly heard a loud bang followed by seeing the roller coaster jolting. The roller coaster completed its cycle and all guests exited in the normal way.
It has been reported that 13 people in total were injured with five being taken to hospital. Two people sustained back injuries, two were treated for mouth/tongue injuries and one had a neck injury. All people were successfully treated and have now been released from hospital.
We are expecting this investigation to be a lengthy process as was the case last year when El Toro experienced a partial derailment in July 2021 and was subsequently closed for the rest of the 2021 season.
El Toro opened in 2006 and it featured the steepest drop of any wooden roller coaster in the world at the time - an intimidating 76 degrees. It is one of the tallest and fastest rides of its type in the world, hitting a top speed of 70 miles per hour at the base of its 176-foot first drop. Uniquely, a cable lift is used in preference to a chain lift to get to the top of this hill.
Dominating the Plaza Del Carnival area of Six Flags Great Adventure, El Toro features a lengthy 4,400-foot circuit. It is renowned among coaster enthusiasts for the extreme amounts of "airtime" that it offers, and frequently places highly in "world's best coaster" polls.
We will continue to keep you posted on reviews of the overhauled El Toro and any other updates on our news and Facebook page. Let us know your thoughts by leaving us a comment below.
Comments
I been told people this roller coaster was the worst. I got hurt on this roller coaster years ago 2012-13. Still going to the doctor for the neck and back issues and taking meds everyday for it