Safety concerns stop Cairngorm Funicular Railway
Cairngorm Mountain Railway has been closed because of safety concerns over structures supporting the tracks.
A reduced operation on the line near Aviemore started last month while engineers investigated the issue but it has now halted altogether as a safety precaution.
Work is expected to last several weeks and will include excavation for an inspection of foundations around the area of concern.
The funicular takes skiers, snowboarders and walkers 2km up Cairngorm mountain.
Cairngorm Mountain Limited (CML) said the closure will have 'serious implications' for its commercial operation.
CML chief operating officer Ewan Kearney said: 'As operators of such a unique visitor attraction as the funicular, we take our responsibility and duty of care to the public and our staff extremely seriously.
'It is in everybody's best interests to close the funicular to allow the engineers to conduct their investigation. Our priority is to get a clear picture of any faults with the funicular in order to develop a course of action that addresses these concerns.
'Rest assured, we do not underestimate the significance of this situation to the entire local area, including our own employees, and are working to resolve this situation quickly and safely, for the future benefit of all mountain visitors.
'At this stage, we are unable to provide a detailed timeline for the reopening of the funicular and will issue further updates as we are able to do so.'
Susan Smith, Highlands and Islands Enterprise head of business development, said: 'This is a highly regrettable situation, over which we have very limited control.
'Clearly it will have a considerable impact on the commercial operations on Cairn Gorm, and be of concern to those employed at the resort. Our thoughts are very much with them as well as those who use the mountain and its facilities.
'We are treating this as extremely urgent and doing all we can to address the problem and have the funicular returned to full service as quickly as possible.
'In the meantime, safety must come first and we fully respect CML's decision to act on the precautionary advice of the inspectors.'