Ghost Train (Thorpe Park)

Ghost Train is a dark ride attraction located at Thorpe Park in Surrey, England. The ride combines motion simulation, visual illusions, multisensory special effects, and live actors to present a narrative-driven experience. It is themed around a haunted railway station set in the mid-1980s, in which guests assume the role of passengers boarding the last train service to an abandoned crypt. The ride hardware was manufactured by Intamin, Simworx and Severn Lamb. It first opened in July 2016 as Derren Brown's Ghost Train, then reopened as Derren Brown's Ghost Train: Rise Of The Demon in March 2017. The reimagined Ghost Train opened in May 2023. History Derren Brown's Ghost Train Opening Derren Brown's Ghost Train was first teased on 8 July 2015 after reportedly three years in planning. The project name was referred to as 'WC16'. Merlin Magic Making, the development division of Merlin Entertainments, designed the attraction in collaboration with British mentalist Derren Brown and his team. The main experience was a simulator dark ride built by Simworx with on-board virtual reality (produced by Figment Productions). Severn Lamb and Intamin designed and engineered the complex transit system. The project altogether was reported in the Financial Times as having a cost of £13 million. In anticipation of the new attraction, Thorpe Park began a "Get in for a Bob" promotion, where 1871 people would be able to purchase a ticket into the resort for the modern-day equivalent of a shilling in Victorian times, which equals 5 pence. The website was published earlier than the scheduled time which resulted in many being unable to get tickets. The resort offered that those who registered their name before the website closed would be entered into a raffle, where a further 4,000 12 pence tickets would be allocated at random. The attraction was originally set to open on 6 May 2016, as announced on their social networks. However one week before the attraction was set to open, the resort announced the attraction would not be ready due to "some illusions not working as anticipated". After the 2022 operating season, the ride’s virtual reality elements were removed, and its association with Derren Brown was discontinued. Ghost Train's Opening Ghost Train was first announced to the public on 1 February 2023. The reimagined attraction was described as featuring a new storyline, updated multisensory effects, the removal of virtual reality components, and an experience led by live actors. On 2 May, Thorpe Park announced via its official social media platforms, website, and mobile application that Ghost Train would open to the public on 26 May. The announcement was accompanied by newly released concept art depicting part of the interior of a deteriorated London Underground train, as well as the Grim Reaper standing outside a graveyard. On 17 May, Thorpe Park announced a revised minimum height requirement of 1.3 metres, reduced from the previous 1.4 metres, and released an additional piece of concept art. Ghost Train held a preview day on 25 May and officially opened to the public as scheduled on 26 May. Upon its opening, the attraction received mixed critical and guest reception. On 11 June, Thorpe Park announced that Ghost Train would be temporarily closed from 12 to 15 June to allow for minor improvements. The attraction reopened with these changes on 16 June. Ride experience As Derren Brown’s Ghost Train (2016-2022) Guests join the attraction’s queue outside the ride building, which is themed as a derelict railway depot and features mock protest posters referencing fracking. Between 2016 and 2018, designated photo opportunities were available within the queue line. The experience begins in a darkened pre-show room, where guests view a Pepper’s ghost projection of Derren Brown delivering a presentation on fear as a form of entertainment. Guests then proceed into the main station area, which features a Victorian North Eastern Railway carriage displayed as if suspended from the ceiling by chains. Boarding the train, guests enter the interior of a modern London Underground 1995 Stock carriage, hosted by uniformed staff. Riders are seated and fitted with HTC Vive virtual reality headsets, while an in-universe advertisement for a fictional fracking company, “Sub Core,” plays in the background. Once the train appears to depart, the ride experience begins. Through the virtual reality sequence, guests witness events involving a passenger discussing the consequences of a fracking-related disaster, followed by the appearance of an infected passenger who appears to attack the viewer. After a simulated train crash, guests are instructed to leave their seats and evacuate the carriage. Guests then enter a derelict present-day Underground station, where the exterior of the train is revealed to be a modern London Underground 1995 Stock unit. This section originally featured live actors, an animated train crash sequence, and smoke projection effects before guests re-boarded the carriage; however, in 2018 this scene was replaced with a strobe-lit maze. Upon re-boarding, guests don the headsets again as the train appears to resume movement. The second virtual reality sequence depicts the train and its passengers being attacked by a demonic entity, culminating in the illusion of falling from the train into a fiery underworld and into the creature’s mouth. The experience concludes with a voiceover from Derren Brown announcing the end of the attraction, followed by a final jump-scare and a brief surprise scene before guests exit through the gift shop. As Ghost Train (2023-present) The ride system for Ghost Train largely retains the format introduced with Derren Brown’s Ghost Train. Guests queue outside the attraction building, which is themed as a mid-1980s British Rail station, before entering a waiting room. There, an actor performing as a Thorpe Rail porter instructs guests to stand in designated areas, followed by a scripted scene and an announcement advising guests to switch off their devices. A Pepper’s ghost projection then introduces the fictional Angelus Mortis, the station master, who explains the backstory of a group of believers who travelled to Chapel Station, a railway station abandoned after a séance held there ended in their deaths. Angelus offers guests the option to leave or take the last train; the room’s windows then slam shut sequentially as a jump-scare, signalling the continuation of the experience. Guests are directed to Platform 13, where the last train awaits. Guests board the train and are greeted by two actors playing conductors, Tripis and Thogs, before taking their seats as the train appears to depart. During the initial sequence, the conductors describe the believers’ desire for immortality and explain the closure of Chapel Station, accompanied by ominous lighting and sound effects. As the sequence intensifies, the train abruptly stops outside Chapel Station, where guests disembark. Guests proceed into Chapel Station and through a dimly lit corridor featuring skull motifs and hanging ivy, before entering St. Giles’ Chapel. Inside, Tripis and Thogs provide further information about the chapel, the members of the believers, and the phrases used during their séance. This scene escalates into a series of effects in which the conductors appear to become possessed, a ghoul passes over the guests, and statues within the chapel illuminate and rotate. Guests then exit the crypt area and return to Chapel Station as cloaked demonic figures appear to pursue them. Guests are guided back onto the train for the next sequence, during which the conductors discuss the crypt and the intentions of the station master. This is followed by another possession sequence and an intense finale incorporating performers portraying demonic nuns, ultraviolet lighting, smoke effects, and strobe lighting. The experience concludes with a tongue-in-cheek public address announcement instructing guests to report any suspicious activity to a member of staff, followed by the phrase “See it, say it, sorted,” which mimics a slogan widely used across public transport networks in Great Britain. Guests then disembark and exit through the gift shop and the Last Call Café. During the attraction’s opening year, guests were briefly directed into a false gift shop for a final surprise scene featuring live actors and special effects; this sequence has been closed to guests since 2024. See also HTC Vive, the VR headsets the ride formerly used. References