MASON, Ohio — The wait is almost over.
Kings Island’s giga roller coaster, Orion, will open on April 11, the park announced Friday. When it opens, Orion will be the tallest, fastest, longest steel coaster at the park.
A giga coaster is a type of roller coaster with a height or drop of at least 300 feet. For reference, Diamondback, the park's tallest coaster, is just over 200 feet tall.
Orion is one of just seven giga coasters worldwide. It will reach speeds of 91 mph, making it the 10th-fastest roller coaster on Earth, according to vice president Mike Koontz.
The 300-foot-tall steel coaster will have eight hills and will open at the former site of the Firehawk.
Constructing Orion's 5,321-foot track cost roughly what constructing the entirety of the original park did in 1972, according to Koontz.
