Cairngorms funicular to be out of action for maintenance work
The UK’s highest railway recently re-opened following years of issues
The Cairngorm funicular will be out of action again for three weeks, as dates have been confirmed for essential annual maintenance.
The UK’s highest railway recently re-opened following years of issues.
Now Cairngorm Mountain (Scotland) Ltd (CMSL) has confirmed the railway will be closed between May 12th and June 2nd.
Annual maintenance and remediation work running in parallel
The company’s in-house engineering team will carry out works including rail grinding, gearbox repairs, undercarriage lubrication, and testing and inspection of the rail welds.
At the same time, Balfour Beatty, working on behalf of estate owner Highlands and Islands Enterprise, will return to complete their programme of remediation works on the railway viaduct.
CMSL usually carries out annual maintenance on the funicular in November, but has brought the timescale forward this year to run in parallel with the remediation programme and minimise inconvenience to visitors.
The funicular was out of service from August 2023 until 27 February this year, returning after inspections confirmed that all essential work to ensure safe operations had been completed.
Work to continue into the evening to get the funicular back on track
At that time, HIE explained that contractors would be back to finish the remediation programme in late spring or early summer, which is usually a less busy time of year for visitors.
The remaining works will deal with non-urgent matters that will benefit the long-term durability of the structure, which is over a mile in length.
The pace of progress on the mountain will depend on a range of factors, including weather, and Balfour Beatty intends to take advantage of seasonal daylight by working beyond 5 pm.
It is expected that some evening work will continue for a period after the funicular service has resumed.