Hersheypark to add Skyrush coaster for 2012

Hersheypark will add a first-of-its-kind $25-million steel roller coaster in May that will be the tallest, fastest and longest at the Pennsylvania theme park.

> Photos: Skyrush coaster at Hersheypark

After a yearlong viral marketing campaign that teased fans with hints and clues about “Attraction 2012,” Hersheypark unveiled plans Tuesday for an Intamin Wing Mega coaster, with winged seats, called Skyrush.

Under construction in the Comet Hollow section of Hersheypark, the 200-foot-tall Skyrush coaster will feature a near-vertical 85-degree first drop followed by four high-speed banking turns and five airtime hills at speeds reaching 75 mph.

The 3,600-foot-long Skyrush track will travel along a creek and cross over the 1947 Comet out-and-back wooden coaster. The coaster’s station house will be modeled after historic train stations in the Hershey area.

The 32-passenger cantilevered trains will feature floored seats on the inside and floorless seats on the outside in a custom first-of-its-kind design.