Cairngorm Gets Set To Welcome Return Of Mountain Railway
6th December 2024
The funicular railway at Cairngorm Mountain looks set to be back in action towards the end of December or early in the new year.
Contractor Balfour Beatty has confirmed that, weather permitting, its current programme of remediation works on the viaduct that supports the railway is due to finish in the next week to 10 days, after which teams working for the company plan to demobilise from the mountainside.
The focus will then shift to a series of important follow-up actions that have to be carried out before the funicular can carry passengers again. These include mechanical safety inspections and testing, trial runs and staff training.
This will, unfortunately, mean the funicular will not be back in service for the official launch of Cairngorm Mountain's 2024/25 winter season, Friday 20 December, as had been hoped.
However, it does appear that the long wait for the service to resume and enable visitors to access the ski area quickly and easily by rail again will soon be over.
The funicular was withdrawn from service in August 2023 when an inspection found that tension in some ‘scarf joints’ that link beams with 94 piers along the 1.8km length of the viaduct was below the recommended level.
Retensioning these joints - and ensuring that tension is maintained – has been a core element of the remediation programme, which has been led by Balfour Beatty under contract from Cairngorm Estate owner Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
Tension in beams and diaphragms that are essential for load distribution has also been carefully examined and adjusted as required, and associated grouting has been carried out on the piers.
Return to service will mark the end of a difficult few years for HIE and its subsidiary Cairngorm Mountain (Scotland) Ltd, which operates the resort.
The funicular, which opened in December 2001 and became a key visitor attraction in Strathspey and Badenoch, was initially withdrawn in October 2018, after an inspection raised safety concerns.
Following a detailed options appraisal, HIE appointed COWI to design and Balfour Beatty to undertake an extensive programme of strengthening works, which got underway in November 2020.
The funicular returned in January 2023 to much acclaim from visitors to the mountain resort, but was withdrawn again seven months later when the scarf joint issue was identified.
Related Businesses
Related Articles
Companies operating in Scotland's aquaculture supply chain industries are being encouraged to get involved in a major global networking opportunity. Aqua Nor is the world's premier event for the sector and a focal point for new customers and investors who are interested in Scotland.
The much-anticipated return of the funicular railway at Cairngorm Mountain will not take place in December, as had been hoped. Contractor Balfour Beatty has substantially completed an extensive remediation programme to strengthen the 1.8km viaduct, however detailed inspections have shown that further work is required in some areas.
A sand mining company in Lochaber is set to double its production and increase annual turnover by more than £2.6m. Lochaline Quartz Sand Limited (LQS) has secured up to £230,000 investment from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) towards the £855,000 costs of upgrading equipment on site.
The newly appointed head of business growth for Highlands and Island Enterprise (HIE) in Argyll and the Islands is to focus on expanding the agency's portfolio of business clients. Liam Orr, originally from Benderloch near Oban, took up the post in early December and leads HIE’s business growth team across an area covering Argyll and Bute, Arran and the Cumbraes.
An Aviemore-based adventure tourism operator has made significant progress in sustainability over the past two years by investing in e-bikes, e-vehicles and a carbon labelling system. Wilderness Scotland has reduced its scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions by 16 percent through its commitment to business decarbonisation.
Fetcha Chocolates is investing in new equipment to quadruple its capacity, increase turnover and create employment. An Argyll based chocolate manufacturer is investing in new equipment to quadruple its capacity, increase turnover and create employment.
Is your young business ready for the next step?. The Young Business Capital Grant helps young businesses and social enterprises (under 5 years old) invest in projects that stimulate growth.
Shell-volution is an ambitious industry-wide initiative supported by the public sector and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) which has been awarded £4.4 million of investment from the UK Government as part of the Islands Growth Deal. This innovative, ground-breaking project is set to transform shellfish aquaculture, bringing sustainable growth and additional quality jobs in mussel farming, based on detailed investigations (mapping and monitoring) and creating a model for improving security and reliability of wild spat recruitment, through industry best practice.
A Nairn-based foundry, which has achieved international recognition for its larger-than-life bronze castings has invested in a £200,000 expansion to help it reach greater heights. An award of £60,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has helped Black Isle Bronze to improve infrastructure and purchase equipment to extend the range of projects the firm can undertake.
Young businesses and social enterprises in the Highlands and Islands looking to increase productivity, innovation and employment can apply for funding from HIE. The fourth round of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) Young Business Capital Grant (YBCG) is now open to businesses that have been trading for less than five years with up to 250 full-time equivalent employees.
