News about Pégase Express

In early June 2017, Pégase Express was already accessible to visitors, even before the official opening later that month. Looopings reported that the first on-ride videos had appeared on YouTube. Fans could finally see how the new coaster felt from the train itself.

The article confirmed the key ride features in practice. Pégase Express sits in the Greek themed area, is almost a kilometre long and reaches 52 kilometres per hour. Passengers travel both forwards and backwards. Halfway through the ride, the train stops in the temple of Medusa before the backwards section begins. The 16 million euro attraction was built by Gerstlauer, with scenery designed by Jora Vision.

For visitors, this was the moment when the long build-up became tangible. What had started with leaked concepts and a fan survey was now a real ride experience. For Parc Astérix, the early availability showed that the family coaster was ready to add capacity, theming and broad appeal to the Greek area. For fans, the first on-ride videos immediately proved that Pégase Express was more than a standard junior coaster.

On 23 May 2017, Parc Astérix announced the official opening date for Pégase Express. The new family coaster would open on Sunday 11 June. After months of designs, construction photos and test runs, visitors finally had a clear date to look forward to.

Looopings again listed the key details: the ride is 928 metres long, was built by Gerstlauer, sits in the Greek themed area and reaches 52 kilometres per hour. Part of the ride is taken backwards, and the attraction operates with four trains. Its accessibility also stood out: children from one metre tall would be allowed to ride, firmly positioning Pégase Express as a family attraction.

For the park, the opening was more than a simple expansion. With a budget of 16 million euros, Pégase Express became the second-largest investment Parc Astérix had made since opening in 1989. The park promised a sensational, mythical journey with humorous references to the Asterix and Obelix comics. For fans, that mattered: the coaster needed to add capacity and family appeal, but also feel at home in the park's comic-book style.

At the end of April 2017, Pégase Express reached a new milestone: test runs had begun. Looopings based its report on footage from a fan site and noted that the opening was still planned for June. For fans, this was the moment when design drawings and construction photos turned into movement on the track.

The specifications showed what Parc Astérix was close to completing. Pégase Express would be a 928-metre family coaster with a top speed of 52 kilometres per hour and a ride time of about three minutes. Part of the layout runs over water, and halfway through the ride the train stops inside the temple of Medusa before the backwards section begins. The coaster would operate with four trains, Gerstlauer supplied the ride and Jora Vision designed the theming.

For visitors, the test runs meant the opening was getting close. The news also suggested that the key technical and show elements were coming together: track length, capacity, scenery and the backwards feature. Pégase Express was about to become a family-friendly but notably complete addition to the coaster line-up at Parc Astérix.

In February 2017, Looopings made clear how much Parc Astérix was putting behind Pégase Express. Construction of the new coaster cost 16 million euros, making it the park's largest investment in five years. Recent construction photos already showed a substantial part of the coaster standing.

The article summarised the ride's promise: a Gerstlauer family coaster on which passengers travel both forwards and backwards, with a top speed of 52 kilometres per hour. The story around the temple of Medusa remained the central show moment. The role of Dutch design company Jora Vision was also mentioned; it was responsible for the scenery. At that point, the opening was expected in June.

For visitors and fans, the news gave the attraction real weight. Pégase Express was not just another coaster added to the line-up, but a serious investment in broadening the park's appeal. The comparison with earlier projects was telling: OzIris had cost 20 million euros five years earlier, while Discobélix opened in 2016 for 3 million euros. Pégase Express sat between those examples: accessible as a family attraction, yet important enough to put the Greek area firmly back in the spotlight.

By late October 2016, Pégase Express had moved from design work to a physical construction site. Looopings reported that the first parts of the new coaster had arrived at Parc Astérix: dark blue supports and light blue track pieces were ready in the park. That meant construction of the family coaster could truly begin.

The report again confirmed the ride's central promise. Pégase Express was planned to open in 2017 and would take visitors into the temple of Medusa, where the train comes to a stop before continuing backwards. The supplier was also named: Gerstlauer from Germany. The comparison with FireChaser Express at Dollywood remained useful, giving fans a clearer idea of the kind of family coaster Parc Astérix was building.

For visitors, the news showed that the project had definitively moved beyond rumours and concept art. Loose designs had become steel on site. For theme park fans, that kind of moment matters: once supports and track arrive, a new coaster becomes tangible, and the layout, colours and integration into the themed area can be followed step by step. Pégase Express was becoming a visible part of the park's future experience.

In July 2016, new designs for Pégase Express surfaced. That allowed Looopings to describe much more clearly what visitors to Parc Astérix could expect: a Gerstlauer coaster in the Greek themed area, with trains, station and temple interior now recognisably worked out.

The heart of the ride was the temple of Medusa. During the journey, passengers would enter the temple and then escape backwards. Laser and smoke effects were also mentioned, showing that the attraction would rely not only on track layout, but also on staged show moments. The comparison with FireChaser Express at Dollywood helped place the coaster in the family category: approachable, but with a story-driven twist that promised more than a simple circuit.

For fans, this was an important step on the road to opening. The project now had a clear name, a location in the park and its own identity. Pégase Express would become the seventh coaster at Parc Astérix, broadening the park's roller coaster line-up. The designs showed how the park wanted to use Greek mythology for a family attraction that still had enough character to interest coaster enthusiasts.

In May 2016, it became clear why Parc Astérix had chosen a new family coaster. According to Looopings, the park had asked visitors what kind of attraction they most wanted to see, and an overwhelming majority voted for a family roller coaster. That gave Pégase Express a notably audience-driven origin within the French park's investment plans.

The concept brought the myth of Pegasus into the Greek themed area. The ride would travel both forwards and backwards and was compared to FireChaser Express at Dollywood. Other survey options were more extreme, including a double topspin with an Egyptian theme and a flying coaster inspired by the thunder god Thor. By choosing Pégase Express, Parc Astérix showed that it was not chasing only records or high-thrill hardware, but deliberately wanted something for a broad family audience.

For visitors and fans, that set clear expectations. The ride had to be accessible enough for families while still offering enough story, movement and surprise to stand among the park's larger coasters. This moment gave Pégase Express its role: a response to guest wishes, wrapped in mythology and distinguished by its clever backwards ride element.

The first outlines of Pégase Express surfaced at the end of 2015 through leaked design material. Looopings recognised a long blue family coaster in the drawings, then still referred to as Pégase or Pegasus, with a clear link to the winged horse from Greek mythology.

At that stage, the plans were still connected to a visitor survey. Parc Astérix had presented several possible new attractions, but the coaster option stood out because of its Medusa storyline: riders would appear to become trapped in a temple before the train launched backwards out of the scene. Even then, it was clear that the park was not aiming for a simple children's coaster, but for a family ride with a theatrical twist.

For fans, the leak mattered because it offered the first concrete look at a project that would later become a fixture in the Greek themed area. The proposed opening was already tied to the 2017 season. In hindsight, this article marks the public starting point of Pégase Express: a survey concept that grew into a real Gerstlauer coaster with a mythological setting.