THE reopening of the Cairngorm Mountain funicular railway has been pushed back to October due to the complexity of ongoing snagging works.
The Highland and Island Enterprise (HIE), which owns the Cairngorm estate, had reported earlier this month that works were progressing well and expected to conclude by the end of September.
However, the agency has now said that the ‘scale’ and ‘complexity’ of the project, which is focused on increasing the tension on scarf joints and includes continuous testing, has led it to revise its schedule to complete in mid-October.
A spokesperson for HIE said, “We recognise that this will be disappointing news for visitors to Cairngorm Mountain. Safety has to be the first priority and it’s vital that the snagging works are not only implemented effectively but also subject to rigorous testing, and these are jobs that can’t be rushed.
“The teams are working hard, seven days a week, to move the project along at pace and bring the funicular back safely into service at the earliest opportunity. Based on the experience we’ve gained since these works began a few weeks ago, we now believe mid-October is a realistic target date to work towards.
The funicular had been relaunched in January this year, following a two-year programme of works to strengthen the viaduct that supports the railway track. A 12-month snagging and inspection programme has been running since the relaunch.
