Project 2021/Drachen Spire: Intamin Multi-Launch Shuttle Giga Coaster [Cancelled]

General Information:​

"Project Drachen Spire," is a community-generated identifier for the Intamin-made, multi-launch, shuttle giga coaster that was originally slated to open at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 2021. The attraction is planned to utilize the currently-vacant land behind Verbolten, Festhaus Park—the former home of Drachen Fire.

The coaster's main layout—as leaked before the addition was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic—featured two launches, two spikes (one spiral, one vertical-ish), and a couple of banked turns. Drachen Spire was designed to run two trains by means of a pair of switch tracks connecting the primary, shuttle portion of the layout to the station platform.

Important Articles:​

• Most Up-To-Date Understanding of the Layout:
  
  

  Leaked Electrical Plan Depicts Busch Gardens Williamsburg's 2021 Roller Coaster in Detail – BGWFans

  If there’s a god, he’s up there laughing this afternoon. Why? Because BGWFans just had one of those classic sitcom moments. Yesterday, we published our painstakingly detailed analysis of the footer plan for what we believe is Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s 2021 roller coaster—seemingly a huge...

  bgwfans.com
• Most Recent Status Update:
  
  

  Drachen Spire Height Waiver Extension Details – BGWFans

  Just over a week ago, we reported on the renewal of the notorious 355 foot Festhaus Park height waiver that was originally requested for the controversial, Intamin-made, multi-launch, giga, shuttle coaster we’ve dubbed Drachen Spire. In last week’s article, we were very careful to leave the door...

  bgwfans.com

NoLimits Model of the Layout:​

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Direct Link to Embedded Media Source

Additional Coverage (Newest to Oldest):​

• https://bgwfans.com/2022/drachen-spire-height-waiver-extension-details/
• https://bgwfans.com/2022/drachen-spire-height-waiver-renewal/
• https://bgwfans.com/2021/drachen-spires-slumber/
• https://bgwfans.com/2020/leaked-ele...-williamsburgs-2021-roller-coaster-in-detail/
• https://bgwfans.com/2020/busch-gardens-williamsburg-2021-shuttle-giga-coaster/
• https://bgwfans.com/2019/germany-expansion-site-plans/
• https://bgwfans.com/2019/2021-rpa-impacts-plan/
• https://bgwfans.com/2019/newly-leaked-document-depicts-project-2021s-station/
• https://bgwfans.com/2019/project-2021-height-waiver-vote-happens-tomorrow/
• https://bgwfans.com/2019/born-from-the-ashes/
• https://bgwfans.com/2019/bgw-project-2021/

Previous Thread:​

https://parkfans.net/threads/january-2019-festhaus-park-height-survey.5696/

 

[GrandpaD]

With the (seemingly) lack of any permitting and/or actual physical work on the site, I wonder what the "time constraints" alluded to in the waiver meetings meant? Could it have been simply budgetary...making a purchase/down payment within a budget period to allow Intamin to purchase steel, etc. Or something else?

 

[Jonesta6]

With the (seemingly) lack of any permitting and/or actual physical work on the site, I wonder what the "time constraints" alluded to in the waiver meetings meant? Could it have been simply budgetary...making a purchase/down payment within a budget period to allow Intamin to purchase steel, etc. Or something else?

You may have something there - beyond any theoretical discounts for buying 2 rides, hasn't there been a lot of talk about steel tariffs jacking up steel prices in the US?

 

[Diamond Dave]

We'll see if any construction starts as Pantheon winds down

 

[Jahrules]

Let me correct that slightly.

We'll see if any permits are filed as construction for Pantheon winds down.

Permits will happen way before any shovel hits dirt.

 

[Jonesta6]

So far we have a county height waiver approval and an RPA buffer approval and that's about it as far as official permit documents? No FAA approval, no additional environmental impact approvals, no electrical/plumbing approvals, no construction permits, etc?

 

[dude205]

Once pantheon construction is finished, Henderson could move some equipment over to the 2021 project site if they have permits by that time. They may not move anything if it isn’t in their time schedule and could use that equipment elsewhere. Also the equipment needed to start construction on 2021 isn’t what they have on site for pantheon right now.

 

[BGWnut]

So far we have a county height waiver approval and an RPA buffer approval and that's about it as far as official permit documents? No FAA approval, no additional environmental impact approvals, no electrical/plumbing approvals, no construction permits, etc?

I think there is an FAA permit already.

 

[warfelg]

Look for some permitting and the like to kick up late Jan-Early March.

 

[GrandpaD]

I think there is an FAA permit already.

The park filed on August 26. An approval (if there is one at this point) hasn't been posted here that I've seen.

 

[BGWnut]

Whelp, it looks like SeaWorld San Antonio didn't want to let SWSD or the Busch parks runaway with the 2021 hype...

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Maybe we will get a 2021 tease at the ACE event that is being held here in a couple of weeks.

 

[CoasterBGW]

The park filed on August 26. An approval (if there is one at this point) hasn't been posted here that I've seen.

It was approved on September 19th.

 

[Jonesta6]

Maybe I'm blind, when does the waiver expire?

 

[BGWnut]

Maybe I'm blind, when does the waiver expire?

It expires on March 18th, 2021. But that's only if they haven't started construction or applied for an extension. Beyond that the only requirement is to notify them within 5 days of the construction reaching the highest point.

 

[markp700]

This isnt very likely what about that Polar Coaster tower thing but like 300 ft tall?

 

[Jpineda96]

I’m guessing this is the old project madrid re-designed. We should start seeing details coming out in the coming months. It’s gonna be an Intamin possibly a new concept roller coaster.

 

[Jonesta6]

What if they went with something truly different and picked a new concept from someone other than Intamin given they got a launch concept in Pantheon.

 

[qdeathstar]

i read on the thread about tempesto from @Zachary that bgw wasn’t likely to work with intamin... that was 5-6 years ago now, what changed since then...

 

[snowman6996]

What if they went with something truly different and picked a new concept from someone other than Intamin given they got a launch concept in Pantheon.

A spinning giga coaster

 

[BGWnut]

I’m guessing this is the old project madrid re-designed. We should start seeing details coming out in the coming months. It’s gonna be an Intamin possibly a new concept roller coaster.

There are 0 indications of this. From what we know Madrid was completely scratched and replaced by two separate projects. Pantheon and this one.

 

[Zachary]

i read on the thread about tempesto from @Zachary that bgw wasn’t likely to work with intamin... that was 5-6 years ago now, what changed since then...

It’s basically a whole new SEAS to be honest. SeaWorld went to Intamin for Infinity Falls (which, admittedly, had a disastrous opening) and Wave Breaker (which seems to have gone far better). Despite the troubles with Infinity Falls, I guess Intamin proved to be a good enough partner to justify additional contracts. Pantheon is an Intamin product and it’s looking like SWSD 2021 is almost certainly going to be as well.

(For the record, a TON has happened internally since Tempesto was in the pipeline too. There are a lot of new faces throughout the company since then and, frankly, an entirely new philosophy too. SEAS wants big, original, marketable rides at the cheapest prices they can find. This had lead to some wild things lately—like a contract with S&S for Williamsburg, a GravityGroup coaster for Sesame Place Pennsylvania, etc. SEAS has been shopping the whole market lately and it doesn’t seem like we should expect that to change anytime soon.)