The Swarm

Thorpe Park itself is a water-born place, made from a former gravel pit that was partly flooded before the park opened in 1979. Into that unusual Surrey setting came The Swarm, placed on its own reclaimed island beside the park’s lakes, reached by bridge like a small expedition from the main shore. thorpepark.com· en.wikipedia.org

Planning for the coaster began under the working name Project LC12. The scheme developed one of Thorpe Park’s subsidiary man-made islands into a full ride area, with a station, bridge, and scenic features arranged around Bolliger & Mabillard’s winged steel track. attractionsource.com· en.wikipedia.org

By late 2011 the track was complete, and testing followed in January 2012. On 15 March 2012, visitors were admitted to Britain’s first B&M Wing Coaster, a new kind of machine in which the seats sit out to either side of the rail rather than above it. en.wikipedia.org· thorpepark.com

For the 2013 season, Thorpe Park turned the rear rows to face backwards and added a billboard fly-through; the trains returned to all-forward seating in 2016. The Swarm also found outside recognition, appearing at number 30 among steel coasters in the 2015 Golden Ticket Awards listing. en.wikipedia.org