Alton Towers Closes On Quiet Weekdays As It Unveils New Galactica Virtual Reality Rollercoaster

Alton Towers will close on quiet days in 2016 after visitor numbers plummeted following last summer’s crash on its Smiler ride.

Bosses at the park announced that it will not be open on some weekdays in the coming season - the first time it has done so in its history.

Two women lost their legs and 14 others were seriously injured in the horrific crash at the park last June, which has led to a steep drop in visitors.

But despite the upcoming closures, today Alton Towers unveiled a new ride which will open in April.

The attraction will be called Galactica and will be the world’s first rollercoaster that is fully dedicated to virtual reality.

The new ride was revealed at a ceremony in London’s Science Museum.

In a tweet, Alton Towers said: “Galactica will combine the amazing elements of our flying coaster with a virtual reality journey that sends you soaring into space!”

Customers will be given Samsung VR headsets when they go on the ride.

Galactica will be a relaunch of the existing Alton Towers ride Air.

Alton Towers cut 190 jobs last year after the Smiler crash, in which one of the £18 million rollercoaster’s carts crashed while travelling at full speed.

The Smiler ride has remained closed ever since. An investigation last November by park owners Merlin Entertainments reported that the crash had been caused by “human error”.

Leah Washington, 18, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, and Vicky Balch, 20, from Leyland, Lancashire, both had to have a leg amputated after the crash.

An Alton Towers spokesman said: “The park will be closed on a small number of days when guest visitation has historically been very low, which is mid-week during our quieter periods.

“This action will also allow us to focus our efforts on those days when we know we will be busy.”

(Pictures: Merlin Entertainments/Rex)