Six Flags Great Adventure retires Kingda Ka, once the world’s tallest and fastest roller coaster
By Joe Brandt
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JACKSON TOWNSHIP, New Jersey (KYW) — Kingda Ka, the world’s tallest and formerly fastest roller coaster, has been retired along with the Green Lantern roller coaster as Six Flags Great Adventure makes room for two new roller coasters at the New Jersey theme park.
After rumors swirled on social media and news reports this week, Six Flags announced its plans in a press release Thursday. Parent company Six Flags Entertainment Corporation said it will remove Kingda Ka, along with The Twister and Parachutes rides, to make room for a new “multi-record-breaking launch coaster” that will debut at Great Adventure in 2026.
More details on that ride are yet to come. But in the release, park president Brian Bacica called the unnamed new coaster “a must-ride attraction sure to capture fans’ imaginations.”
The park is also set to debut the long-awaited The Flash: Vertical Velocity coaster in 2025, which would be the world’s first super boomerang roller coaster.
Kingda Ka provides a great vantage point for seeing both Philadelphia and New York’s skylines, with its peak height of 456 feet, or over 40 stories. The ride sends passengers up to the top before a sharp 418 feet drop through a 270-degree spiral.
Both the tallest and fastest coaster in the world when construction was complete, Kingda Ka launched riders to a top speed of 128 mph. The height record held through its lifetime but the speed record was broken by Formula Rossa, a coaster at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The coaster opened in 2010 and boasts a top speed of 149 mph.
Kingda Ka has carried more than 12 million riders since it opened in 2005, Six Flags said.
The park is also removing The Sky Way, an elevated cable car that travels around the park. It opened in 1974.
“We understand that saying goodbye to beloved rides can be difficult, and we appreciate our guests’ passion. These changes are an important part of our growth and dedication to delivering exceptional new experiences. We look forward to sharing more details next summer,” Bacica said.
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