The Runaway Mine Train is a powered steel roller coaster made by MACK Rides of Germany. The ride is located in the Katanga Canyon area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. The ride tends to have overly-enthusiastic operators, who quite often shout "Choo Choo" as the train passes through the station. The train normally makes two circuits for each ride, although on quiet days it has been known to run for three or more circuits. The ride runs alongside the Congo River Rapids, of which it shares a tunnel section. Passengers must be at least 0.9m tall to ride with an adult, and over 1.1m tall to ride separately.
On 20 July 2006 the failure of a coupling on the train caused it to split into two sections, which then collided in the tunnel. 20 people were injured, 6 of whom were taken to hospital; 4 of the 6 were sent home, and 2 were kept in overnight.
The runaway mine train
On 6 April 2007 the Runaway Mine Train reopened after being closed for over 8 months. However the train was not returned to its full length until the end of June 2007, as some of the carriages were still undergoing refurbishment at MACK Rides. As of 2013 it is officially the park's oldest roller coaster as The Beastie was removed before the start of the 2013 season, after it was SBNO (standing but not operating) for a number of years.