Battlestar Galactica soars again at Universal Studios

The roller-coaster ride on Battlestar Galactica continues, and the popular attraction at Universal Studios Singapore was back again in the news as it reopened yesterday.

Ms Jolene Tan, a 20-year-old student who visited the theme park yesterday, said: "I come here around once a year. I love roller coasters, so I came here specially because I knew it would be open."

Other thrillseekers such as Dr Nikita Patel, who was on holiday here from India, added: "The speed was awesome. It was thrilling."

The 25-year-old doctor was one of the first few people to take the ride after it opened to the public at noon yesterday. By around 12.30pm, the waiting time for the roller-coaster ride was already about 50 minutes, with several thousand going on it throughout yesterday (May 27).

The Battlestar Galactica was touted as the main attraction of the theme park in Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) when it first opened in 2010.

However, until yesterday, it had been shut for nearly two years as the management was making changes to the ride.

Themed after the American science-fiction series about a war between humans and a robot race, the pair of duelling roller coasters climb to around 14 storeys, or 42.7m, at their highest point, travelling at up to 90kmh for 90 seconds.

The roller coaster's previous four-seater vehicles have been replaced by two-seater vehicles to allow riders a better view of their surroundings.

Mr John Hallenbeck, senior vice-president of attractions at RWS, said that new vehicles had to be designed and approval had to be sought from the authorities before the ride could be open again.

He expects good visitorship over the June school holiday period. "We look to have a healthy summer, having all our attractions up and running now. We are going to have an upswing through the summer season for sure."

cherylw@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on May 28, 2015.
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