Work on Cairngorm funicular entering final stages
The UK's highest railway is set to reopen within months.
Last updated 15th Nov 2022
A major project to reinstate the Cairngorm funicular is now entering the final stages.
Contractor Balfour Beatty is nearly finished with the programme of works required to strengthen the viaduct which supports the 2km track.
Engineers from Swiss company Garaventa/Frey are now installing a new control system to ensure safe operations once the funicular comes back into service.
Estate owners Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) say the UK's highest railway is set to re-launch in early 2023.
Project to go almost £9m over budget
Over the coming weeks fibre optic cabling will be laid and the system tested repeatedly in live conditions.
A key attraction at the Cairngorm Mountain resort, the funicular opened in 2001 and was taken out of service in October 2018 following a safety inspection.
Contractors began preparatory works on the viaduct in November 2020 before the major strengthening programme got under way in April 2021.
Works were initially due to conclude last year, but HIE say due to factors such as; spring blizzards, impacts arising from Covid and Brexit, and technical challenges, the construction timetable was extended.
The project is also set to go over budget by nearly £9m, with the total now rising to £25m after costs of £16.6m were initially set out by the HIE board and the Scottish Government.
HIE say they have reallocated uncommitted funds from the wider Cairngorm masterplan capital investment package to meet the additional costs, with the Scottish Government also allocating £7m worth of additional funding.
The economic agency are currently pursuing legal action against the funicular’s original designer and construction contractor in the Court of Session, in a bid to recoup public funding.
'One of Scotland's most challenging civil engineering projects'
Dave Macleod, head of property and infrastructure with HIE said: "The funicular reinstatement programme is undoubtedly one of the most challenging civil engineering projects currently taking place in Scotland.
"Essentially, it involves strengthening a series of 94 interconnected bridges which are part of a 2km structure, each with its own challenges and at high altitude in a difficult mountain environment.
"The loop section where the carriages pass one another on separate tracks is another feature that required a great deal of ingenuity to solve.
“Balfour Beatty have truly pulled out all the stops to reach this vital stage in the project and it’s really exciting to think that we are now looking at the prospect of passengers riding on this spectacular mountain railway again early next year."
Hector MacAulay MBE, managing director of Balfour Beatty’s UK Construction business in Scotland said: "We are delighted to have played a key role in the reinstatement of this iconic piece of infrastructure.
"As the project nears completion, we are excited to see the benefits the Cairngorm funicular railway will provide, enabling local residents and tourists alike to access the unique mountain environment all year round."
Contractors will continue to work on the mountain removing final materials and demobilising until the end of the year.
Environmental restoration works, including replanting and re-seeding, will proceed during 2023 and beyond.