The £2.5 million expansion of Europe’s only Thomas Land at Drayton Manor is now open.
It was hats off as the Fat Controller officially unveiled the extension to the attraction and the crowds in Sodor were delighted when a host of familiar faces, including Percy, James, Rosie and of course the star of the show, Thomas himself, chugged into Knapford Station to join in the opening celebrations.
Thomas Land has increased in size by 40% and is now home to a host of exciting new rides as well as Sodor Airport, which is set to be a soaring success. The airport complex includes balconies that offer ‘jet-setters’ unrivalled views over Thomas Land and beyond, with Thomas & Friends themed event rooms, which will be opening in Summer 2015 and it’s very own Sodor Coffee Shop.
Excited visitors couldn’t wait to climb aboard, fasten their seatbelts and prepare for take-off as they became the first to experience the three brand new rides – Captain’s Sea Adventure, Flynn’s Fire & Rescue and Toby’s Tram Express.
Jeremy Jet’s Flying Academy retained its popularity in its new location outside the Sodor Airport complex and Merrick the Crane, a new addition to the Blue Mountain Engines, was also a big hit. The newly improved attraction is now 3,200 square metres bigger, allowing visitors to move around more freely and rider capacity has surged by 23% to a whopping 5,130 people per hour.
The first of the new Thomas & Friends character rides is Flynn’s Fire & Rescue which is equipped with on-board hoses so riders can help to put any fires out! There is also Captain’s Sea Adventure that features six rotating Captain lifeboat carriages, all complete with their own cannons to squirt water. Toby the steam tram who wobbles, spins and turns also arrives with the Toby’s Tram Express! Merrick the sleepy gantry crane has also joined Blue Mountain Engines Sir Handle, Skarloey, Rheneas and Peter Sam all the way from Skarloey Railway where visitors simply climb aboard and enjoy the ride.
In addition to the new rides and café there is also a fountain of the ever-popular Fat Controller and three Victorian fairground games plus a bandstand for live performances.
Colin Bryan, CEO of Drayton Manor, commented:
Since its launch in 2008, Thomas Land has been hugely popular, attracting guests young and young at heart from all over Europe. It is due to this popularity that we made the decision to expand the attraction and accommodate the increasing visitor numbers, which have surged year-on-year. We hope that this investment will delight visitors, offering even more Thomas & Friends themed fun. The atmosphere here today has been fantastic and we are all really excited about the season ahead.
Drayton Manor is also home to some of the biggest, wettest and scariest rides around including the 54-metre tower drop,Apocalypse, voted UK’s scariest ride by Channel 5’s The Gadget Show, and Europe’s only stand up coaster, Shockwave. It also boasts a stunning 4D Cinema hosting a brand new resident this coming season, as well as a fantastic 15-acre Zoo which is home to over 100 different animal species.
