Heide Park has announced the eagerly awaited decision on the future of Colossos, which was once Europe's tallest and fastest wooden coaster.

The ride has been closed since July 2016, with inspections revealing that the condition of the track was unacceptable for the ride to operate, causing doubts over the future of the ride.

It is one of only four wooden roller coasters made with pre-fabricated track and opened at the theme park in 2001.

The other three Intamin Plug’n’Play coasters are T-Express at Everland in South Korea, El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure in the United States and the smaller Balder at Liseberg in Sweden.

Sabrina de Carvalho, Managing Director, said:

"The decision has been made and we are very pleased that Colossos will return to the 2019 season. We will transform our iconic wooden roller coaster into an even more gigantic adventure and are very happy that our parent company Merlin Entertainments plc is spending the remarkable sum of 12 million euros for it."

The pre-fabricated Kerto wooden track, which makes Colossos a real wooden roller coaster, will be completely renewed on the track length of 1.5 kilometers.

Sabrina de Carvalho added:

"The decision to use wood rails again is based on different surveys among fans and within the target group."

With what additional highlights or innovations Colossos will return remains initially a mystery, but it is likely to see some modifications.