THE Cairngorm funicular railway is expected to be back in operation at some point this month, the Highland and Island Enterprise (HIE) has said.
An inspection of the 2km line, which recently underwent a £25 million repair project, found that some of the scarf joint assemblies that link the beams at the top of the piers did not meet the required tension.
HIE, which owns the Cairngorm estate, said that work to increase the tension of the assemblies is ‘progressing well’. Further inspection work has been completed and a series of trials using specialist equipment proved successful, with testing to be done continuously as the tensioning work progresses.
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.
A spokesperson for HIE said, “Every effort is being made to complete these works quickly so that the funicular can be brought back into safe use as early as possible.
“Our current expectation is that the job can be completed and the train back in service again before the end of September. The timescale will be kept under close review and we’ll take every opportunity to move at pace, while maintaining safety as the top priority.”
