Beleaguered funicular railway to be closed for another year
THE UK’S highest railway is set to be shut for at least a year as new problems dog the beleaguered structure.
Concerns have previously been raised about the future of the Cairngorm railway after it was shut on August 25 last year and, after a series of false dawns, was shut for an indefinite period. It has not been available for the winter season.
Now it has emerged that a programme of remedial works is to enter a new phase and is likely to take months to complete.
Calls have previously been made for a public inquiry after it was confirmed that safety issues were continuing to dog the railway, which was taken out of service initially to deal with a series of “snagging” works which meant it was due back in action at the start of September.
But eight months later, it remains out of action.
The funicular, which was opened in 2001 and connects a base station with a restaurant and a ski area 1,097m (3,599ft) up Cairn Gorm mountain near Aviemore, was closed in September 2018 due to structural issues.
Owner Highland and Islands Enterprise agency had at one point included a provision of £14.3 million for the cost of reinstating the funicular which had been expected to take two years.
But the costs of the troubled railway have ended up costing nearly threeand-a-half times the original estimate.
The urgent repairs rose by a third from £16m to £21.5m. The faults were discovered after the costs of building the funicular spiralled from £14.8m to £26.75m.
According to the Cairngorm National Park Authority, strengthening works after issues to the railway viaduct had emerged five years ago involved reinforcing props and concrete bases beside 63 out of 94 piers.
It finally came back into action in January after a four-year hiatus – but then promptly closed “temporarily” nine months later.
The works were hoped to be completed “relatively quickly” at the end of August but, on September 6, it emerged that it would not be back up and running until the end of the month.
The agency later said the scale and complexity of the project, which includes continuous testing to ensure public safety, had led it to revise its schedule to complete the job to mid-october.
HIE and contractor Balfour Beatty say that a new phase of a programme of remedial works has begun.
Hector Macaulay, managing director of Balfour Beatty’s regional business in Scotland, said: “We are working hard to complete this programme of remedial works as quickly as possible, deploying multiple teams simultaneously to safely reinstate this unique attraction and resume service before the next winter snowsports season.”
Stuart Black, chief executive of Highlands and Islands Enterprise, said: “Balfour Beatty’s commitment to concluding these important works over the coming months is very welcome.
“This is still a challenging period for Cairngorm and we want to thank all the loyal supporters who continue to visit and enjoy all that the mountain estate has to offer throughout the year while work is ongoing to bring the funicular back.”
We are working to complete this programme of remedial works