shuttle coaster

Not all roller coasters have a complete circuit track. A shuttle coaster is one such coaster. A shuttle coaster does what the name implies: shuttles the rider to one position and back. Instead of completing a full circuit the train travels one direction, comes to the end of the track, stops, and returns to the station backwards through the same track. To date, and more than likely to remain this way, all shuttle coasters are steel and involve at least one inversion, though most are multielement coasters.

Most shuttle coasters are reverse-shuttle launched meaning the train travels as follows:

1. Train is pulled backwards out of the station up an incline to gain potential energy (usually with a chain lift hill).
2. The lift disengages and the train drops down, through the station, and through the course.
3. The train reaches the end of the track, is stopped or even raised up higher to achieve more potential energy.
4. The second lift hill or hold disengages and drops the train to travel backwards through the track, through the station, up the initial backwards lift hill.
5. The initial lift hill gently returns the train to the station.
   Shuttle coasters include:
   
   • Boomerang – an off-the-shelf coaster that has existed in 25 different parks worldwide and has three inversions
   • Déjà vu – built at three Six Flags parks in 2001, not only is this an inverted coaster but has a 90-degree descent from the two lift hills
   • Face/Off – built only at Paramount’s Kings Island to date, this is an inverted coaster that seats riders back to back so they are facing two different directions and most riders are facing another rider
   • Mind Eraser – located at Six Flags Worlds of Adventure (SFWoA) is a classic design as described above
   • Superman Ultimate Escape – also located at SFWoA is an example of the new impulse shuttle coasters that use LIM/LSM launches