The funicular railway that provides access to much of Cairngorm ski area above Aviemore in Scotland has re-opened after a four years and four months closure.
The lift was closed after structural problems were identified in the concrete supports for its track. Initial estimates of about £10m to repair the lift grew to approximately £16m when more detailed tenders were received. That cost though was suggested to be a little lower than what it would cost to remove the railway altogether, due to the sensitive ecological environment where it's located. However the final repair cost appear to be closer to £25m.
Cairngorm Mountain Railway is Scotland's only funicular railway and is the highest in the UK reaching the Ptarmigan building at over 1,065m. Weather conditions permitting, the 2km funicular railway will now run a regular service taking snowsports enthusiasts to the top of the slopes in around 5 minutes.
The reinstatement of the railway comes alongside other major improvement works including new 'magic carpet' conveyor belts for the beginner slopes, car park improvements and the refurbishment of the Ptarmigan building.
Repair work began in spring 2021 with the aim of completion for last year but was delayed by the pandemic and "global supply issues" sourcing required materials. The work involved thousands of helicopter flights to deliver a total of 800 tonnes of concrete to the site.
The funicular originally opened in 2001 at a cost of £26m, previously carried around 300,000 visitors up the slopes each year and is a year round attraction.
Numerous enquiries are believed to be ongoing into the previous operators of the centre and even the original construction of the lift in the late 1990s and early 2000s given its shorter than expected life span, with more than £50m not spent on it over the past 25 years.
Scottish ski areas have had a mostly cold and snowy start to the 22-23 season although the past week has seen the Highlands have far warmer temperatures than the rest of the British Isles. Temperatures are now dropping again however and cairngorm currently has about a dozen runs open.