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Throughput Timings Thread

Matt N

Matt N

CF Legend
Hi guys. I don’t know about any of you, but one thing I personally like doing in queues is throughput timing. I have an app on my phone called Dispatch Timer which allows me to time how quickly trains are being dispatched on a ride, and I often try and get a number of readings while I’m in the queue. So I decided to make a thread to just post any throughput timings you’ve done on a recent park visit. Whether they’re from Oakwood or Europa Park or Cedar Point or Happy Valley Shanghai or wherever, I know I’d certainly be thoroughly interested to hear your timings, and I wondered whether anyone else might find a throughput timing repository like this one interesting. I’m growing increasingly fascinated by throughputs/operations, so this thread suits me down to the ground, but I don’t know if I’m the only one who’s vaguely interested in this…

I’ll get the ball rolling with some timings from my recent visit to Alton Towers. I managed to time every coaster (even Octonauts, which I didn’t ride), and here are the timings I got:
  • Galactica (Theoretical: 1,500pph): 1,039pph (7th August 2022, 3 trains/2 stations, average of 9)
  • Galactica (Station 1 alone, Theoretical: N/A): 534pph (8th August 2022, average of 2) Note: Both stations were open, but this was just me deciding to time the throughput of one station on its own for fun.
  • Nemesis (Theoretical: 1,400pph): 531pph (7th August 2022, 1 train, average of 5), 1,164pph (7th August 2022, 2 trains, average of 3), 1,172pph (8th August 2022, 2 trains, average of 7)
  • Oblivion (Theoretical: 1,900pph): 1,056pph (7th August 2022, 6 shuttles/1 station, average of 8)
  • Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure (Theoretical: 450pph): 218pph (7th August 2022, 1 train, average of 2) Note: I did not ride this, I just got a very good vantage point from Spinball’s queue line and thought I might as well time it!
  • Rita (Theoretical: 1,150pph): 654pph (8th August 2022, 2 trains, average of 5)
  • Runaway Mine Train (Theoretical: 1,061pph): 597pph (8th August 2022, 1 train, average of 4)
  • Spinball Whizzer (Theoretical: 950pph): 623pph (7th August 2022, 6 cars, average of 10) Note: The constantly moving loading system was not in operation, so 3 cars were stacked stationary in the station at once.
  • The Smiler (Theoretical: 1,000pph): 736pph (8th August 2022, 3 trains, baggage hold open, average of 5)
  • Thirteen (Theoretical: 1,100pph): 884pph (7th August 2022, 3 trains, baggage hold open, average of 10), 939pph (8th August 2022, 3 trains, baggage hold open, average of 3)
  • Wicker Man (Theoretical: 952pph): 1,015pph (7th August 2022, 3 trains, average of 10), 978pph (8th August 2022, 3 trains, average of 10)
I hope you find these interesting! I know I certainly found them interesting to time…

So if anybody has any random throughput timings from their recent park visits, post away; I’d certainly be keen to read them!

Part of me feels like this thread will simply comprise of me posting new readings every time I visit a park, but I wondered whether there might be any other throughput geeks on here…
 
Nice topic, looking forward to seeing more of these. Apologies if you've posted them elsewhere but do you have throughput estimates from when you went to Europa Matt? Would be interesting to see those.
 
Benenen said:
Nice topic, looking forward to seeing more of these. Apologies if you've posted them elsewhere but do you have throughput estimates from when you went to Europa Matt? Would be interesting to see those.
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Indeed I do! I certainly couldn't go to a park famed for its efficiency and not whip out the Dispatch Timer as many times as possible! My rough timings for Europa were as follows:
  • Alpenexpress Enzian (Theoretical: 1,100pph): 896pph (27th April 2022, 1 train, average of 2) Note: VR was running on some rows
  • Arthur (Theoretical: 1,500pph): 1,061pph (28th April 2022, unknown number of trains, average of 4)
  • Atlantica SuperSplash (Theoretical: 1,400pph): 1,008pph (30th April 2022, unknown number of trains, average of 5)
  • Blue Fire (Theoretical: 1,720pph): 1,313pph (27th April 2022, 3 trains, no separate offload, average of 5), 1,423pph (30th April 2022, unknown number of trains, unknown offload status, average of 5)
  • Euro Mir (Theoretical: 1,600pph): 1,333pph (27th April 2022, unknown number of trains, average of 5)
  • Poseidon (Theoretical: 1,690pph): 1,333pph (28th April 2022, unknown number of trains, average of 5)
  • Silver Star (Theoretical: 1,750pph): 1,622pph (28th April 2022, 3 trains, average of 2), 1,578pph (29th April 2022, 3 trains, average of 3), 1,716pph (30th April 2022, unknown number of trains, average of 9)
  • Wodan Timbur Coaster (Theoretical: 1,250pph): 1,160pph (28th April 2022, 3 trains, average of 4), 1,228pph (30th April 2022, unknown number of trains, average of 5)
As you can probably see, these may not be the most reliable estimates as I was unable to get many intervals for most rides, and I also couldn't time some rides at all. The queues at Europa move too fast to be able to watch a fixed point for too long, which is a pretty good problem to have!

It must be said, Europa has some of the most insanely efficient operating procedures I've ever seen; those ops were genuinely quite beautiful to watch!
 
Some local park stats
Lotte World Seoul
Atlantis (Theoretical 720 pph)
480 PPH (4 trains out of 6- 2 trains per 2 min)
French Revolution (Theorical 840 PPH)
420 PPH (1 train ops- 4 min/dispatch)

Everland
T Express (Theorical 1,440 PPH)
1,080 PPH (3 Trains- 120s/train)

Racing Coaster (Theorical 1,200 PPH)
800 PPH (2 train ops)

Lotte World Busan
Giant Digger (Blue Fire clone) Theorical 1,200 PPH when operating 3 trains
600 PPH (2 train ops) - 2 min/train
340 PPH (1 train ops) - 3:30/train

Giant Splash (Mack Powersplash)-Theoritical 950 PPH
720 PPH (2 boats) - 1:40/train
400 PPH (1 boat) - 3min/train

Gyeongju World
Phaethon (Theoritical 640 PPH)
Holidays - 480+ PPH (4m/train)
Normal day- 334 PPH (8m/train)

Draken (Theorical 720 PPH)
360 PPH (1 train) - 4m/train
576 PPH (2 trains)- 2:30/train

Valkyrie (Theorical 400 PPH)
300 PPH - 4m/train

Besides T Express, no ride surpasses 1000 PPH. Envious of Europa for high capacity rides.
 
Great thread.

Just a small contribution from me from observations last week.

Mumbo Jumbo @ Flamingo land (s&s el loco)

Theoretical capacity 480pph
Observed throughout 192pph

they were running 3 trains (4 pax per train). Average despatch was every 75 seconds, and fastest I noted was 70s. With such a short ride cycle every train had to stack on the brake run, so not sure why on 3 trains. Station looks like it is set up for loading 2 or 3 cars in Station at at time (I may be wrong on this), but they were only loading/unloading from the middle part of the station.

I didn't get much data for Sik, but looked to be averaging despatch every 3 and a half minutes, so around 410pph throughput.
 
It's me again!

I visited Thorpe Park today, and I grabbed throughput timings from various different rides.

Coasters
  • Colossus (Theoretical: 1,300pph): 689pph (average of 4, 2 trains, taken from Rush's queue line), 437pph (average of 2, 2 trains, taken from Colossus' queue line)
  • Nemesis Inferno (Theoretical: 1,150pph): 831pph (average of 5, 2 trains)
  • Saw The Ride (Theoretical: 1,000pph): 363pph (average of 10 dual dispatches, 5 cars)
  • Stealth (Theoretical: 1,000pph): 796pph (average of 10, 2 trains)
  • The Swarm (Theoretical: 1,100pph): 905pph (average of 7, 2 trains)
Non-Coasters
  • Detonator (Theoretical: Unknown): 315pph (average of 3)
  • Rush (Theoretical: 960pph): 476pph (average of 5, 2 swings)
  • Tidal Wave (Theoretical: 1,800pph, did not ride): 471pph (average of 2, 2 boats, taken from Stealth's queue line)
I hope you find these interesting!
 
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You’re using a very small average to get these figures which can heavily skew data.

For example, if you flipped a coin 10 times, and got 6 heads and 4 tails, that would give you an average of 60% heads, when in reality it’s 50/50, your data range just isn’t large enough to get a true idea.
 
Crazycoaster said:
You’re using a very small average to get these figures which can heavily skew data.

For example, if you flipped a coin 10 times, and got 6 heads and 4 tails, that would give you an average of 60% heads, when in reality it’s 50/50, your data range just isn’t large enough to get a true idea.
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Of course; my readings are merely snapshots of how the ride was performing over 10 minutes or so, which suggest an extrapolated hourly average based on the average across a certain number of readings over a certain number of minutes.

It might not be fully accurate, but I'd say it gives a fairly good ballpark guess if you do a good few readings. It's quite likely that the true figure could lie somewhere fairly close to what I've timed.
 
I did a quick stopover at Heide Park today and came across a surprisingly long queue at Krake.

Theoretical: 1,050pph - 655pph (average of 14, 2 trains)

Interestingly, when I entered the queue while the boards showed a 10 min wait time, average dispatch times were way above 2 mins. When the official wait time was updated to 40 min, dispatches became significantly faster (the average came down to 1:38 min in the end). So it seems they change the operation speed depending on queueing times.
 
Today marked the first day of operation of the Fire Dragon at LEGOLAND Deutschland Resort after the collision of two trains in August.

Theoretical: n/a (the only number I found online was 1,200 pph, which seems unreasonably high for a kiddie coaster) - 317 pph (average of 8, 1 train)
 
I don't have any numbers to show, but I can share some observations on how Schwur des Kärnan handles dispatches. This is based on the coaster running two trains on slow visitor days (June 22nd/June 23rd, 2022), and three train operations during busier days in the past.

  • The general rule appears to be that a train does not dispatch before the train ahead has cleared the vertical lift hill and entered the rest of the course. Due to the reverse freefall drop, this means it generally takes about 2 and a half minutes before the next train dispatches. This puts the theoretical throughput at 384 pph with all three 16-passenger trains running.
  • However, it is possible to dispatch the next train before the previous train clears the lift. You can clearly hear the tower soundtrack echoing while you're waiting at the loading dock, and I've had a train dispatch before said soundtrack finishes, which is roughly ten seconds before the train inside the tower heads into the main drop.
  • Ride ops always seem to aim for the 2 1/2 minute dispatch, even when running just two trains. This means that during two-train ops, you're likely to be waiting at the gates if you happen to be set for the first train in the dispatch order. The ride duration is so long that there's still about 90 seconds of downtime after the second train dispatches and before the first train arrives back at the loading dock. IIRC, you also have to wait for the off-load platform to clear completely (i.e. everyone's retrieved their stuff from the baggage hold and went out the exit) before the train moves onto the load platform.
  • During three-train ops, you won't be waiting at the gates since a train will always be available as soon as the pre-show inside the circular room finishes.
 
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Here are some timings from my last Phantasialand visits:

16.09.2022, Taron, 3 trains: 12 dispatches, 1:04 average, 890 pph
25.10.2022, Taron, 4 trains: 8 dispatches, 0:52 average, 1106pph.
25.10.2022, F.L.Y., 3 trains, 8 dispatches, 1:28 average, 810 pph.

Tarons 4 train service actually suprised me, as I always felt like they could do much faster, but their real world dispatches are pretty close to the theoretical capacity of 1200pph.

However, F.L.Y. was kind of slow, but this is probably due to a combination of staff shortages (which affects many parks in Germany at the moment) and some troubles with the restraint, who regular needed a second push down to allow for a dispatch.
Usually, just 1 train was coursing the track,
 
Sorry to bump the thread after so long, but I have some readings from my visit to Alton Towers last weekend that I’d like to share:
  • Galactica (Theoretical: 1,500pph on 3 trains/2 stations): Did not get a throughput figure, but the ride was running 2 trains/2 stations (26th March 2023)
  • Oblivion (Theoretical: 1,900pph on 7 shuttles/2 stations): 578pph (5 shuttles/2 stations, 25th March 2023, average of 5 dual dispatches/10 shuttles)
  • Rita (Theoretical: 1,150pph on 2 trains): 650pph (2 trains, 25th March 2023, average of 10 dispatches)
  • Runaway Mine Train (Theoretical: 1,061pph on 1 train): 618pph (1 train, 26th March 2023, average of 3 dispatches)
  • The Smiler (Theoretical: 1,000pph on 4 trains): 916pph (4 trains, 25th March 2023, baggage hold open, average of 10), 865pph (4 trains, 26th March 2023, baggage hold open, average of 10)
  • Thirteen (Theoretical: 1,100pph on 3 trains): 640pph (2 trains, 25th March 2023, baggage hold open, average of 10)
  • Wicker Man (Theoretical: 952pph on 3 trains): 760pph (3 trains, 25th March 2023, average of 10), 1,006pph (3 trains, 26th March 2023, average of 10)
 
Sorry to resurrect this thread again, but as I’m winding towards the end of my trip to Florida, I thought I’d share some of the throughput timings and general operational insights I was able to log at Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Florida, SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa.

For various reasons, I could not time throughputs quite as comprehensively as I would normally like on this trip; things like metal detectors and themed queues obscuring sight of the rides at Universal and queues that were often too short to get a comprehensive average at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens meant that I had to rely more on chance occasions where I was standing within eyeshot of a ride at Universal in particular and as such, the averages are often based on lower amounts of dispatches than the 10 I normally aspire towards. Nonetheless, here are some of the throughput timings and general insights I was able to gain from Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa.

Islands of Adventure
  • Flight of the Hippogriff (Theoretical: 993pph on 2 trains) - 951pph (2 trains, 12th June 2023, average of 3) Note: I did not ride this, but I got a good vantage point from the queue line of Hagrid’s.
  • Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure (Theoretical: 1,700pph on 12 trains) - 1,617pph (unknown number of trains, 12th June 2023, average of 10)
  • Incredible Hulk (Theoretical: 1,920pph on 3 trains) - 1,138pph (possibly only running 2 trains (as I did not stack, which I didn’t think was possible on 3), 12th June 2023, average of 4), 1,608pph (unknown number of trains, 21st June 2023, average of 3)
  • VelociCoaster (Theoretical: 1,800pph on 4 trains) - 1,489pph (unknown number of trains, 17th June 2023, average of 3), 1,566pph (4 trains, 21st June 2023, average of 6)
Universal Studios Florida
  • Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit (Theoretical: 1,850pph on 7 trains) - 1,329pph (unknown number of trains, 13th June 2023, average of 3)
SeaWorld Orlando
  • Ice Breaker (Theoretical: 650-750pph on 2 trains) - 564pph (2 trains, 16th June 2023, average of 2)
  • Kraken (Theoretical: 1,500pph on 3 trains) - I did not get an exact throughput for this, but the ride was running 2 trains and stacking on the brake run was routine. According to the dispatch timer in the station, the ride’s average park time seemed to be around 3 minutes. (16th June 2023)
  • Mako (Theoretical: 1,680pph on 3 trains) - 960pph (2 trains, 16th June 2023, average of 4). In terms of general insights, there was quite often a gap in the station between trains and the dispatch timer showed the train being parked for as little as 60 seconds on some occasions.
  • Manta (Theoretical: 1,500pph on 3 trains/2 stations) - I did not get an exact throughput for this, but the ride was running 2 trains and 1 station, and stacking seemed fairly common. (16th June 2023)
  • Pipeline The Surf Coaster (Theoretical: Unknown on 2 trains) - 474pph (2 trains, 16th June 2023, average of 7)
Busch Gardens Tampa
  • Cobra’s Curse (Theoretical: 1,000pph on 8 trains) - 527pph (unknown number of trains, 22nd June 2023, average of 2)
  • Iron Gwazi (Theoretical: Unknown on 2 trains) - 493pph (2 trains, 22nd June 2023, average of 5). In terms of general insights, stacking was routine and park times in the station averaged around 2.5 minutes according to the station dispatch timer, sometimes going as high as 3 minutes.
  • Kumba (Theoretical: 1,700pph on 3 trains) - I did not get a reading for this, but the ride was seemingly only running 1 train. (22nd June 2023)
  • Sand Serpent (Theoretical: 1,120pph on 10 cars) - 331pph (4 cars, 22nd June 2023, average of 4)
  • Scorpion (Theoretical: Unknown on 2 trains) - 357pph (1 train, 22nd June 2023, average of 2)
I hope you find this interesting; I know I certainly found this data interesting to gather! If I’m able to do any notable readings at Universal tomorrow, I’ll report back, but as my Florida trip is mostly over, I thought I’d report my current findings.
 
I’m back! This time, I have readings from my first ever visit to Flamingo Land, and this is one that I was quite interested to time the throughputs of, seeing as it reputedly has throughputs and operations on the other end of the spectrum compared to somewhere like Europa Park or Universal Orlando. I was led to believe that if Europa has famous operations, Flamingo Land has infamous operations.

Here are the readings I managed to gain today:
  • Hero (Theoretical: 600pph on 6/7 cars) - 167pph (2 cars, 7th August 2023, average of 10)
  • Kumali (Theoretical: 1,125pph on 2 trains) - 214pph (1 train, 7th August 2023, average of 2)
  • Mumbo Jumbo (Theoretical: 480pph on 5 cars) - 171pph (3 cars, 7th August 2023, average of 6)
  • Sik (Theoretical: 1,250pph on 2 trains) - 373pph (1 train, 7th August 2023, average of 4)
  • Velocity (Theoretical: 518pph on 1 train) - 252pph (1 train, 7th August 2023, average of 4)
These are some of the slowest operations I have ever personally witnessed, but in fairness, I managed 9 rides, and the longest queue all day was 40 minutes, so I can’t really complain too much.

The operations didn’t seem overly disproportionate to the crowd levels at the park, for the most part; they could have been faster, for sure, but a park of Flamingo Land’s calibre is never going to be hammering trains out at light speed and getting 1,800pph on every ride, and I honestly don’t think they really need to be given their visitor numbers.

One thing I did notice, though, is that the people batching the rides were the same ones who checked the restraints and dispatched the rides. I don’t know if this is par for the course at Flamingo Land, but the number of staff operating each ride seemed low compared to most other theme parks I’ve been to. Maybe the operations would be faster if the rides had more staff?
 
VonRolland said:
One major question is where are you obtaining the theoretical throughputs from for instance RMT at Alton Towers
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I use a variety of sources, including the manufacturer websites. In the example you mention, I got that from TowersStreet.
 
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