ENGINEERING works to address snagging issues on the Cairngorm funicular railway are to continue into November, the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has confirmed.
The snagging works follows an inspection in late August which found that tension of scarf joint assemblies linking vertical piers with horizontal beams on the funicular viaduct fell below the designated level.
HIE had initially aimed for an October completion, however that has now been pushed back. Engineers have been using specialist equipment throughout September and October to restore tension in the assemblies as well as working alongside the project team to carry out ‘rigorous’ trials and testing to ensure solutions are effective.
The funicular is a ‘unique’ and ‘complex’ structure, comprising a mostly single track and a short loop section where upward and downward trains can pass one another. The 1.7km viaduct is supported by 94 piers of varying heights, each one effectively a small bridge. It ascends 450 metres up Cairn Gorm, with the track entering a 300m tunnel in its final stage leading into the top station.
HIE explained that technical challenges involved in the current works are compounded by the mountain location, where access can prove difficult and weather and temperature conditions are prone to sudden and dramatic change.
A spokesperson for HIE commented, “Achieving resolution of the tensioning issue has proven more difficult and time-consuming than we had anticipated at the outset. At the same time, though, there can be no short cuts when passenger safety is concerned.
“We apologise to Cairngorm visitors for having to withdraw the service while these works are carried out.
“We are now looking forward to completing the project during November when the operators of Cairngorm Mountain will also be carrying out their annual maintenance programme.
“Every effort will be made to reintroduce the service in good time for the start of the 2023/24 snowsports season at Cairngorm.”
