Runaway Mine Train (Alton Towers)

The Runaway Mine Train is a powered steel roller coaster made by MACK Rides of Germany. The ride is located in the Katanga Canyon area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England.

Runaway Mine Train
Alton Towers
Location	Alton Towers
Park section	Katanga Canyon
Coordinates	52.989668°N 1.885612°W / 52.989668; -1.885612
Status	Operating
Opening date	21 March 1992 (1992-03-21)
Cost	£1,000,000
General statistics
Type	Steel – Powered – Mine Train
Manufacturer	Mack Rides
Model	Powered Coaster
Track layout	Steel
Lift/launch system	Onboard motors
Height	36 ft (11 m)
Drop	36 ft (11 m)
Length	1,000 ft (300 m)
Speed	22.4 mph (36.0 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	1:50 (2 laps)
Max vertical angle	29°
Capacity	1062 riders per hour
G-force	2.4
Restraint style	lap bar
Height restriction	110 cm (3 ft 7 in)
Trains	Single train with 12 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 48 riders per train.
Fastrack available[1]
Runaway Mine Train at RCDB

The train normally makes two circuits for each ride, although on the final cycle of the day, it has been known to run for three circuits.

The ride runs alongside the Congo River Rapids, with which it shares a tunnel section. Passengers on the two rides occasionally wave to each other if they pass in the shared tunnel. Passengers must be at least 1.1 m tall to ride, and passengers between 1.1m and 1.3m tall must be accompanied by an adult.^[2]

It is currently the park's oldest roller coaster, after The Beastie was removed prior to the 2013 season.

Incident

On 20 July 2006, the failure of a coupling on the train caused it to split into two sections, which then collided in the tunnel. 20 people were injured, six of whom were hospitalised.^[3]