Ghost Train (Thorpe Park)

Ghost Train
Exterior of the ride
Thorpe Park
Area	The Dock Yard
Status	Operating
Cost	£13 million (reported)
Opening date	8 July 2016 (2016-07-08) (Derren Brown's Ghost Train) 26 May 2023 (2023-05-26) (Ghost Train)
Closing date	31 October 2022 (2022-10-31) (Derren Brown's Ghost Train: Rise Of The Demon)
Ride statistics
Attraction type	Dark ride Live action
Manufacturers	Simworx & Intamin
Designer	Merlin Magic Making, MDM Create
Theme	Train station Death Séance Ghost train
Music	Archie Music Productions
Site area	2,306 m2 (24,820 sq ft)
Capacity	750 riders per hour
Vehicle type	North Eastern Railway coach (exterior) London Underground 1995 Stock carriage (interior)
Vehicles	3
Riders per vehicle	46
Rows	2
Riders per row	23
Participants per group	Max 46
Duration	13–15 minutes
Height restriction	130 cm (4 ft 3 in)
Wheelchair accessible
Must transfer from wheelchair

Ghost Train is a dark ride at Thorpe Park in Surrey, England. The attraction incorporates motion simulation, illusion, multisensory effects and live actors to help execute the storyline. It is set in a haunted mid-1980s railway station and mainly focuses on passengers taking the last train to an abandoned crypt. It first opened in July 2016 as Derren Brown's Ghost Train, then reopened as Derren Brown's Ghost Train: Rise Of The Demon in March 2017. The reimagined Ghost Train opened in May 2023.

History

Derren Brown Ghost Train's Opening

Derren Brown's Ghost Train was first teased on 8 July 2015 after reportedly three years in planning. The project name was referred to as 'WC16'.

Merlin Magic Making, the development division of Merlin Entertainments, designed the attraction in collaboration with British mentalist Derren Brown and his team. The main experience was a simulator dark ride built by Simworx with on-board virtual reality (produced by Figment Productions). Severn Lamb and Intamin designed and engineered the complex transit system.

The project altogether was reported in the Financial Times as having a cost of £13 million.

In anticipation of the new attraction, Thorpe Park began a "Get in for a Bob" promotion, where 1871 people would be able to purchase a ticket into the resort for the modern-day equivalent of a shilling in Victorian times, which equals 5 pence. The website was published earlier than the scheduled time which resulted in many being unable to get tickets. The resort offered that those who registered their name before the website closed would be entered into a raffle, where a further 4,000 12 pence tickets would be allocated at random.

The attraction was originally set to open on 6 May 2016, as announced on their social networks. However one week before the attraction was set to open, the resort announced the attraction would not be ready due to "some illusions not working as anticipated".

After the 2022 season, the virtual reality on the ride and association with Derren Brown was removed.

Ghost Train's Opening

Ghost Train was first announced to the public on Wednesday 1st February 2023. The reimagined attraction was set to feature a brand new storyline, new multi-sensory effects, the removal of the VR, and an actor-led experience.

On Tuesday 2nd May, Thorpe Park announced on its social platforms, website, and app that Ghost Train would open to the public on Friday 26th May. The announcement came with brand-new concept art showing part of the interior of an old, dirty London Underground train and the Grim Reaper standing outside behind a graveyard.

On Wednesday 17th May, Thorpe Park announced a new minimum height restriction of 1.3m instead of 1.4m and revealed another piece of concept art.

Ghost Train had a preview day on Thursday 25th May and was officially opened as planned on Friday 26th May.

Due to the number of actors the ride relies on, the ride opens from 12pm each day. Upon opening, the ride was met with mixed reviews.

On Sunday 11th June 2022, Thorpe Park announced that they would be closing Ghost Train between 12th and 15th June for minor improvements. Ghost Train reopened with the new changes on Friday 16th June.

Ride experience

As Derren Brown’s Ghost Train (2016-2022)

Guests join the queue for the ride outside the ride building, decorated as a derelict railway depot, featuring mock protest posters about fracking. From 2016-2018, photo opportunities were available in the queue line.

Guests enter a dark pre-show room to watch a Pepper's ghost projection of Derren Brown speaking, as he delivers a presentation on the concept of fear as entertainment. Guests then proceed to the main station room where a Victorian North Eastern Railway train carriage is seen as if suspended from the roof in chains. Boarding the train, guests enter a modern London Underground 1995 Stock carriage interior, hosted by uniformed staff. Guests are seated and put on HTC Vive headsets, whilst an advertisement for a fracking company called "Sub Core" is played in the background.

The train sets into motion and the ride begins. Riders watch the events through virtual reality, involving a passenger on the train discussing the consequences of a fracking disaster and an infected passenger appearing to attack the rider. Following the scene of a train crash, guests are instructed to leave their seats and evacuate the train.

Riders disembark and walk out into a derelict present day tube station, where the exterior of the carriage is now seen to be a modern London Underground 1995 Stock train. The following show scene originally involved live actors, an animated train crash and smoke screen projection effect, before guests are ushered back onto the carriage. However, this scene was replaced with a strobe maze in 2018.

Riders put the headsets back on and the carriage appears to move again. This second VR sequence involves the train and its passengers appearing to be attacked by a demon. Guests appear to fall out of the train, plummeting through a huge hole into a fiery Hell and into the mouth of the demon.

Derren Brown's voice is then heard announcing that the experience is now over, only for the demon to reappear as a jumpscare. Guests are then ushered into a surprise scene before entering the gift shop.

As Ghost Train (2023-present)

The overall ride system remains the same from Derren Brown’s Ghost Train. Guests queue outside the entrance to a mid-1980s British Rail station and enter into the waiting room where a Thorpe Rail conductor instructs them to stand in a designated area followed by an announcement asking guests to turn off their devices. This is followed by a Pepper's ghost projection of Angelis Mortis, the station master who explains the story behind a group of believers’ journey to Chapel Station - a station that was abandoned after the believers held a séance which ended horribly, killing them. Then, Angelis offers guests a choice to leave or take the last train. The windows on each side of the room slam shut, one by one as a jumpscare, sealing the guests’ fate. Guests are then sent to Platform 13 where the last train awaits them. Guests board the train and meet Tripis & Thogs - two conductors onboard the train. Guests take a seat and the train sets into motion.

The ride begins as Tripis & Thogs explain how the believers wanted to live forever and why Chapel Station is closed. This is surrounded by gloomy noises and lighting. As the intensity starts to build up, the train comes to a screeching halt outside of Chapel Station, where the riders disembark.

Riders walk out into Chapel Station and then through a dimly lit corridor with skulls on the walls and ivy hanging from the ceiling. Riders enter into St. Giles’ Chapel where Tripis & Thogs provide information about the chapel, the different members of the believers and what they said to summon death. This is followed by a disturbing sequence of events where the two conductors get possessed by death, a ghoul flies over the riders and the statues in the chapel glow and start to rotate. Riders run out of the crypt into Chapel Station as demons follow them.

Riders are ushered back onto the train by Tripis & Thogs for the next sequence. They discuss the crypt and what the station master wants. Tripis & Thogs get re-possessed followed by a loud, intense sequence featuring demonic nuns, UV lighting and smoke effects alongside strobe lighting.

An announcement is heard on the speakers asking riders to report any suspicious activity to a member of staff, followed by the iconic phrase ‘See it, Say it, Sorted.’ being announced. Guests disembark the train and exit into a gift shop where a surprise final scene takes place, involving live actors, strobe lighting and smoke. This scene has been out of action since 2024.

See also

• HTC Vive, the VR headsets the ride formerly used.