The only way to ride it is with your hands in the air all the way round! The one ride where I want to be on a seat on my own, I can put one foot in each corner and prevent myself from sliding! I love it, it feels much faster than it is and it's the sweetest little thriller imaginable. It beats Big Thunder Mountain (Disneyland - although I did like the thing where you go under the lake) by a mile.

I've found the queues are never that bad. Although the train does two laps, it seats 40-odd so I only tend to queue for 10-15 minutes. I wouldn't miss it for the world!!

'What?! Runaway mine train?? Is he drunk?!' I hear you cry!

Call me a nutter, but RMT is my favourite ride in the park. It never gets boring, no matter how many times you ride it (unlike Oblivion and Nemesis etc.) and it is exciting from start to finish!

Oddly enough, although it's my 'favourite ride', i can't remeber the first time i rode it particularly well. Perhaps because i was so amazed by it i went around in a complete trance?! Yeah, i doubt it too...

The ride starts off in the pleasent open-roofed station. If it's raining you don't seem to care as your going to get even more wet whilst your riding it!! The train pulls out of the station slowly but surely, and climbs the first helix which goes to the left. 'Up, up and away!' The train picks up some nifty speed and enters a few bunny-hops whilst dodging very low pieces of theming and other random bits. (Anyone seen that wheel?!) Then it dives sharply down to the left in a full 360 helix, which is a very fun part. At this point (if you very sad like me) you can try and grab leaves of the tree, but at the same time trying to avoid the very closely placed supports as you zoom through them!

It's a quick change of height again as you go over a hill-type element into the best part of the ride... It's a very sharp and fast dive to the right and into a pitch black tunnel. Doesn't sound very exciting but gosh it is! You don't really expect it to be so intense, but it does pull some pretty sufficent G's and with the on-ride photo point been cleverly positioned, you have a photo to prove it! It's through the tunnel, and after a few waves (or absuvie gestures, depending on who it is..) to the rapid riders you head back into the station to do it all again! That's right, you get 2 laps! How cool is that?! Don't see that on your B&M's do ya?!

After your second lap it's a slow crawl back into the station, which the train can barely fit in, i might add, as the back few rows are often tilted as they are still on the banked corner! It's a quick exit to your left and a swift walk down the path to laugh at your on-ride photos!

RMT is perfect for Katange canyon. The target audience (off pretty much anyone!!) suits it's position perfectly as a quick stop-off on the way to the valley (for the thrill-seekers) or a last ride on the way out (for the families). The Q is usually not very long, and you can have so much fun riding it!

It really is a fun and exciting ride - no trip to AT is complete without it!

I think this a brilliant ride for families plus even some of the thrill seekers will lose their head as it goes into the tunnel!

As other people have said it starts of pretty gentle but when you get to the downward helix you start to think its not bad, and then as you approach the tunnel with the rapids you get speed and force. Lovely!

I also love the fact that the people on the rapids always wave! Plus you get to go round again.

What more do you want from this great ride?

The Runaway Mine Train is one of Alton Towers best rides in my opinion. I don't know how many times i have ridden this family ride but every time i go on it, i enjoy it. The novelty of it never wears off! It is such a fun ride to go on; perfect ride for after having lunch. If you have young children, then take them on the Runaway Mine Train and i garuntee they will enjoy it likewise with you . You cannot go to Alton Towers and not ride the Runaway Mine Train.

Often people critisize rides like these and say they are boring but these people can't take a break from the adrenaline pumped rides and appriciate the great family rides that Alton Towers have. We usually have lunch and then go straight onto the RMT as we love to sit outside of Pizza Hut watching and listening to the train go by as we enjoy some pizza. Then afterwards, we don't want to go on any thrill rides just yet as we don't really want to feel ill so we would just take a relaxing ride on RMT (or sometimes the Flume). RMT never usually has a huge queue, most i have ever queued is 20 minutes. It is set in the well themed area of Katanga Canyon and whilst you are queuing you can spend some time admiring the great theming. So you are in the station platform and there are about 10 cars of 4 so you can fit nearly 40 people on the ride i think.

So you take your place in where you want to sit and then the train chu chu sounds and you are powered away slowly leaving the station going on a 270 degree helix up going over the station. Already, you have gained a good amount of speed and you go across a stretch of bunny hops before taking a 360 helix downwards which is great fun. By this time your hands are in the air. Then, you go up a small hill to gather a small of height and you do pick up a spilt second of air-time. Straight after, you plunge into a tunnel after a great helix down at which time your picture is taken. The turn into the tunnel is quite sharp and therefore you pick up a few Gs which are incredibly fun.

Whilst in the tunnel you are accompanied by the Congo River Rapids and anybody going through the tunnel at the time. The tunnel part is incredibly fun . Then you emerge out from the 20-30 metre tunnel going up a hill will a small gradient and run round a U-turn to enter the station. BUT, the ride is not over yet.

You are taken around again but this time, it is by a few mph faster which makes the ride incredibly fun! Then spirals through-out the middle of the ride are great and you are screaming and the whole train is having fun. Down through the tunnel, up the small slope and on the U-turn to enter the station to finish the ride. So you exit the ride and you have the option of buying an on-ride photo if you wish.

If anybody ever says to you, 'The Runaway Mine Train is terrible, don't bother wasting your time queuing for it.' Then ignore them and get on there! I am a thrill seeker but i can't go to Alton Towers without going on the Runaway Mine Train. It is so much fun!

There are no disadvantages to this ride; all i can say is, when you next go to Alton Towers, get on the ride and enjoy yourself.

Great fun, 9/10.

The Runaway Mine Train-

Its a amazing ride. The station is excellently themed and fits into Kantanga Cayon perfectly.

The ride it-self is alot more than than expected. At first this ride looks tame, slow and boring, although on the ride the tide turns.

It is very fast and on the way into the tunnel you pick up a few G's which strain your neck. In the tunnel you can wave to the people on the rapids or do other things . All of this is an amazing ride and it gets better when it roll straight through the station for a second turn.

The Runaway Mine Train is the best family ride in the park. It is a great thrill for everyone - particularly the tunnel entry point.

It is only let down by the station. Whilst the control 'kabin' and things are good, as is all the wood. the station would be better covered to be honest - but hey, it's not bad!

Great ride 8/10

The now re-opened Runaway Mine Train is one of the best rides at Alton Towers. If you have been on other powered rollercoasters in England, you will definitely find this the best.

The ride team usually interact well with the riders, and if you scream loudly or it's a quieter day, they may well allow you 3 laps - and sometimes even 4. They can pretend to not stop the train in the right place and all sorts, which all adds to the fun.

The train gets some good speed in places and works well in the Katanga Canyon themed area. The Rapids tunnel is a particular highlight, and waving at passing Rapids boats is funtastic.

A great Alton Towers classic.

I used to go on this ride quite a lot as a young lad (about 10-11) and love it! ... I’m now 14 and i still love it .The tunnel part is probably the part that sticks out most in my mind

Edited for spelling and grammar - Williscroft

The Runaway Mine Train is a brilliant ride! I used to go on it a lot as a kid but for some reason stopped going on it as i forgot it was such a great ride! It was only on our last trip that we saw it hurtling past totally full of 30 year olds all waving having the time of their lives that we thought we'd go on!

One of the good things about it is the ride operators, out of all the rides i'd say the operators are the most cheerful, on our second lap(we got 3 ) they gave everyone high fives as we hurtled through the station!

The best part is the helix, although you do crush the unlucky person sitting on the left! eg me.. i ended up with bruised ribs after that but it was well worth it! You get a great ride photo and ours is being used on display at the photo counter as a mousemat!!


9/10!!

i've always thought this ride is one of the best in the park because of the wide range of people who can ride it. Its a fun ride because of how fast it goes esp in the tunnel. I love how people on the ride wave to the person operating the ride and also the people in the tunnel, it always makes me feel happy to ride. It was sad to hear about the crash last year as i thought they might close the ride down and when I went two months ago a lot of people wouldn't ride it I think for this reason.

A nice powered coaster around the Katanga Canyon area. Love how it goes into the tunnel passing by the Congo River Rapids.

Rating: 4 and a half out of 5

Why the half missing, well, it's the length.

It's a nice family ride, boring and tame at first, but once you reach the tunnel it has quite a bit of force, only prob is its over after that, but is does go round twice. Like (as someone else said) to see the station undercover, opportunity for some more theming. Ride itself could do with more theming and perhaps a tunnel lift (or maybe not). Could also be given a more orginal name. But yes, overall great family geared ride.

7/10

Can't argue with this. Fantastic operators and nice theme. But the highlight, that cannot go without mention is the Rapids tunnel. The waving. The shrieking. The shouting. The hooting and the hollering. It's primal