The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Has Cairngorm railway reached end of the line?
The Cairngorm Mountain Railway returned with a fanfare in January 2023 after £25 million repairs kept it out of service for nearly five years.
Yet within seven months the funicular shut again so further “snagging works” could be carried out.
No timetable can be given for when it will be back in action, leading some campaigners to call for its removal. As bills rise, does it have a future, or has public cash been wasted on a train to nowhere?
The funicular started operating in 2001 after two years of construction at a cost of £19m. It was meant to open the mountain up to more visitors, boosting tourism around Aviemore.
When the funicular temporarily closed again last year, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) hoped it would be back weeks later in September.
This target was missed, as were plans to get the railway back in commission by November for the winter skiing season. Now HIE is unable to guarantee the funicular will be working again by the end of 2024.
Campaigners who argued the funicular is poor value for money feel vindicated.
“They’ve spent another £25m on a fundamentally flawed structure,” said Nick Kempe, who has written extensively about the funicular’s failings.
“They might be able to patch it together, but it won’t be for very long.”
Gordon Bulloch, who lives near the mountain resort in Grantown-on-Spey, is another critic.
He said: “A brave businessman knows when to say ‘I got it wrong’.
“I don’t think HIE is inclined to do that. They’re still in this mindset where if they keep throwing money at the funicular, it’ll suddenly come good.”
HIE bosses stand by analysis from five years ago showing reinstating the funicular was the cheapest option. At the time, a report said it would cost just over £16m to fix the structure.
By contrast, estimates suggested at least £52m would have to be spent on replacing the funicular with a gondola. But the repairs ended up costing £9m more than hoped.
An HIE spokesperson said: “We share the disappointment and frustration felt by many local people and all visitors to Cairngorm while the funicular is out of service.
“Although there is no reopening date at present, we are working closely with (construction firm) Balfour Beatty who are progressing these works and will provide a clearer update as soon as possible.”
HIE won £11m compensation last year after taking legal action against three organisations over the railway’s original design. The agency says it carried out “rigorous” work before approving repairs when the structure went out of commission in 2018.
Mr Bulloch has been trying to access reports outlining HIE’s decisionmaking process. He was shocked in February when UK transport chiefs said they could not release information because of terrorism fears.
His freedom of information request was partially blocked due to fears “hostile actors” would learn more about any safety concerns, increasing risks of an attack. Mr Bulloch told us he has challenged the decision.
The wider area, designated a national park in 2003, is estimated to attract nearly two million visitors a year. HIE says the funicular is a “key cultural attraction” for tourists.
Edward Mountain, an MSP for the Highlands and Islands, is demanding a full Scottish Government inquiry and said: “So much potential spending from tourists and skiers has been squandered because of this – the whole thing is a complete disgrace.”
Inverness and Nairn MSP Fergus Ewing, who was the SNP’s rural economy and tourism chief when repairs were approved, remains bullish about its future.
He said: “The funicular is being repaired and will resume service. It also provides all-year round access to Cairngorm.”
But Mr Kempe says Mr Ewing had made a “mistake” by backing the railway for so long.
He said: “Sooner or later politicians are going to have to accept the inevitable. It’s doomed to failure.”