Amusement park in Ohio to debut new steel roller coaster

MASON, Ohio – A new steel roller coaster is set to debut at one of Ohio’s largest amusement parks next year.

“Orion” will open at Kings Island in Mason in the spring of 2020.

Kings Island officials say it will be the tallest and fastest coaster at the Cincinnati-area amusement park.

Mike Koontz, vice-president and general manager of the park, says the ride is categorized as a Giga coaster. Park officials say coasters in that category have a height or drop between 300 to 399 feet. The Orion will move at 91 mph and feature a 300-foot drop.

Park officials say there are currently six other Giga coasters in the world.

The new coaster is being built in the area formerly occupied by Firehawk, a coaster that was dismantled last year.