Canada's Wonderland botches spring opening of record-breaking coaster

Canada's Wonderland promised guests a first-of-its-kind experience with the planned spring opening of the new record-breaking AlpenFury launch coaster.

Planned to claim the title of the longest, tallest and fastest launch coaster in Canada with more inversions than any other roller coaster on the continent, AlpenFury was to debut this spring.

However, the fanfare will have to wait, as the arrival of summer last weekend represents a missed target for the Ontario theme park, and Canada's Wonderland just dropped another hint that there may be trouble behind the scenes.

Wonderland was planning to host media for a preview of AlpenFury on July 3. However, on the morning of June 24, park management informed reporters that the preview had been postponed, and a "new date has not yet been set. [We] apologize for any inconvenience."

The announcement comes after earlier rumours that the project was running behind schedule, and concerns that disassembly and reinstallation of track sections were evidence of behind-the-scenes challenges.

So, why did Wonderland cancel its media preview?

Testing for the ride commenced in mid-June, and this process continues as of June 24, according to a spokesperson for the park.

"We determined some additional time is needed to complete testing and commissioning," Wonderland spokesperson Grace Peacock told blogTO on Tuesday.

"We hope to have an opening date soon and will share that on social media channels when available."

Thrillseekers will have to keep waiting for the opening of AlpenFury's kilometre-long track launching from the park's iconic Wonder Mountain, featuring a dizzying nine inversions on trains reaching top speeds of 115 km/h.