Kingda Ka , followed by a drop of and spanning over a track by the end of the ride. Plans to build Kingda Ka were announced on September 10, 2003, at an event held for roller coaster enthusiasts and the media. The event revealed the park's goal to build "the tallest and fastest roller coaster on earth", reaching and accelerating up to in 3.5 seconds. On January 13, 2005, Kingda Ka's tower construction was completed, and on May 21, 2005, the ride opened to the public. Kingda Ka became the "tallest" and "fastest" roller coaster in the world, taking both world records
Kingda Ka Safri Duo; almost their entire Episode II album is played in the queue and station. The other is the remix version of Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger", played by DJ Quicksilver. Both of these may be heard during the queue and in the station. A train may occasionally experience a rollback following a launch. A rollback occurs when the train fails to make it over the top of the tower and descends back down the side it was launched. Kingda Ka includes retractable magnetic brakes on its launch track to prevent a train from rolling back into the loading station.