Agency pledges to respect funicular findings

The boss of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has admitted the quango will be “damned if it does, damned if it doesn’t” as it makes a final multi-millionpound decision on whether it repairs the crippled Cairngorm mountain railway.

Chairman Lorne Crerar said the agency will “move heaven and earth” to get the funicular running again, but only if a consultation exercise finds there is support for the move.

Mr Crerar, who is stepping down next week from the post he has held for the past eight years, added that HIE recognised whatever action it decides on “there will be a body of

“Move heaven and earth to get funicular running again”

people that think it’s the wrong thing to do.”

The funicular has been out of action since September 2018, when structural problems were found in support beams.

HIE hired Jura Consultants and Threesixty Architecture to carry out a masterplanning exercise, including extensive local consultation, as it prepares a business case to put to the Scottish Government for extra funding for repair or demolition work.

Millions of pounds will be spent on either option of scrapping or repairing the funicular.

The HIE chairman said the agency’s “direction of travel” was to repair the funicular.

Mr Crerar added: “If the masterplanning exercise comes out that what the community want is something different, it wouldn’t be right for us to pursue a policy that was not in line with what they want to achieve.”