Nigloland is preparing to celebrate its 40th anniversary with the largest investment in the French park's history.
Supersonic 1887, a custom launch rollercoaster developed with Mack Rides, is due to open in 2027. The €18 million attraction will reach a height of 47 metres, accelerate to 91 km/h and combine forward and backward travel across a shuttle-style layout.
It is a major statement from a park already known for attractions including Alpina Blitz and Krampus Expédition, and one which could place Nigloland firmly on the travel plans of many more European coaster enthusiasts.
A custom Mack Rides Stryker Coaster
Supersonic 1887 will use Mack Rides' Stryker Coaster system, but this is far from a standard off-the-shelf installation. Nigloland has worked with the German manufacturer on a custom layout, bespoke trains and an operating system designed specifically for the attraction.
The physical track will measure 355 metres, although riders will cover around 770 metres during the complete experience. That extra distance comes from the shuttle format, with the train travelling through the course in both directions rather than completing a conventional continuous circuit.
Three magnetic launch zones will deliver six acceleration sequences across the outward and return journeys. At either end of the layout, the train will climb one of two imposing spike elements, with the tallest point reaching 47 metres above the park.
A top speed of 91 km/h may fall just short of the attraction's deliberately exaggerated "supersonic" name, but the combination of repeated launches, reverse travel and compact elements should create a particularly intense ride.
Six upside-down moments and a new signature element
The course features three physical inversion elements, which riders will experience across both directions of travel for a total of six upside-down moments.
Among them will be a traditional vertical loop positioned over the lake, creating what should become one of the attraction's most recognisable views. Nigloland has also teased a distinctive element called the Supersonic Spin, developed around a double Immelmann-style movement.
There will also be six airtime moments during the full experience. With around half of the course constructed above water and across islands in the park's Mississippi area, the coaster is being designed to interact closely with its surroundings rather than simply sitting on an open plot of land.
Wing seats offer two ways to ride
Two custom trains will operate on Supersonic 1887, each carrying 16 riders across four rows.
The seating arrangement is one of the project's most intriguing details. Eight places on each train will be floorless wing seats, leaving riders' feet suspended beside the vehicle, while the remaining seats will offer a more traditional position above the track.
This means the same coaster could provide noticeably different sensations depending on where riders sit. Those in the wing seats should feel more exposed, particularly while travelling backwards through the inversions and climbing the vertical spikes.
A heavy-duty rotating platform will allow one train to be loaded and unloaded while the other completes the course. Once boarding is complete, the platform will turn the train into alignment with the launch track. The minimum height requirement is expected to be 1.30 metres.
An imagined World Exposition from 1887
Nigloland is not relying on the hardware alone. Supersonic 1887 will anchor a wider themed environment inspired by the grand World Expositions of the 19th century.
The story centres on Émile Delaroche, a fictional engineer and former student of the École des Mines. Inspired by the development of steam technology, Delaroche has created a rapid-launch vehicle which he claims can reach previously impossible speeds.
Guests will enter an imagined Exposition Universelle held at Nigloland in 1887, where the unpredictable prototypes are being demonstrated inside the French Pavilion. Steam-powered machinery, ambitious inventions and the risks of experimental engineering will shape the identity of the attraction.
Several existing features around the Mississippi area are also expected to become national pavilions within the new setting. This should help the project feel like a complete destination inside the park rather than a rollercoaster with theming limited to its station.
Nigloland's biggest project to date
The development will occupy approximately 8,500 square metres, with the station building alone covering around 850 square metres. Work has already required substantial foundations, including 1,200 cubic metres of concrete poured during the winter construction phase.
Supersonic 1887 has been in development since 2022, making its arrival the result of several years of planning between Nigloland's creative and technical teams and Mack Rides.
The timing is deliberate. Nigloland opened in 1987, and the new coaster will form the centrepiece of its 40th-anniversary season in 2027. It will also be the first shuttle configuration created for Mack Rides' Stryker platform, giving the French park a version distinct from the model's debut installation, Voltron Nevera at Europa-Park.
A major new reason to visit Nigloland
Nigloland has traditionally balanced family attractions with a smaller number of substantial thrill rides. Supersonic 1887 looks set to push that thrill offering into a new category without abandoning the detailed presentation and landscaped surroundings associated with the park.
The unusual train configuration, repeated launches and backward traversal already make it one of Europe's most interesting confirmed coaster projects for 2027. Add the over-water layout and a fully developed historical theme, and this feels like far more than an anniversary addition.
For UK enthusiasts who may previously have overlooked Nigloland, Supersonic 1887 could provide the reason to finally make the journey to north-eastern France.
