Beam problems could put future of funicular at risk
SERIOUS concerns have been raised about the lifespan of the £20 million Cairngorm funicular following shock findings in a safety report on the attraction.
One of the concrete beams that carries the 2km of track has been found to have a worrying crack in it.
The damage is thought to have been caused by a defect in the manufacturing process and it is feared that all of the 94 pairs of beams could be affected by the same problem.
Inspectors first identified the problem in 2016 and it has since deteriorated.
But they have stressed there is no imminent danger of the beams collapsing.
However, safety measures have been put in place including reducing the number of passengers that the two carriages can carry, speed limits and weather conditions they can run in.
Operator CairnGorm Mountain announced last week that there would be disruption to the funicular service but declined to comment further.
Since then the train has not operated at all with Natural Retreats warning online services could be intermittent because of new restrictions.
It has been out of action for most of the month.
But two reports by Laggan-based ADACS Structures dating from 2017 revealed after Freedom of Information requests and seen exclusively by the Strathy have discovered the true extent of the problems.
In them inspectors reveal concerns over the general condition of the funicular given its "relatively young age" having started operation in December 2001.
The concrete beam between the mid station and loop has a longitudinal crack in its top flange on both sides over the same length and height 3m above head level.
Detailed investigations were carried out in July last year by ADACS which said it is concerned that it is a "project wide problem with the beams... leading to cracking which will ultimately reduce the design life of the structure".
The second report after the probe states the observed crack is a "developing situation" and continues: "It is thought that the problem is a latent defect within the original fabrication of the beams, most likely due to a cold joint within the concrete pour.
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"It was concluded that there is no imminent danger of the beams collapsing. If left the beams will continue to deteriorate and stability issues would arise."
Amongst the recommendations are that during this summer's shut down the affected beam should be repaired by removing the entire top flange.
It is not clear at this stage if this work has been carried out.
Inspectors said at the time of the report last summer the train could resume operating but under a reduced scope until remedial action was taken.
This included reducing by half the weight to 5000kg or 60 people that could be carried and passengers should be evenly distributed through the compartments. The speed limit of 4m/s should not be exceeded.
Alan Brattey, Save the Ciste campaign spokesman, said he was confident of the safety inspections put in place but said too much downtime is leading to a loss of customer confidence in the funicular.
He commented: "In the absence of any information from HIE or their tenant, we are being left to wonder if the structure isn't coping well with the severe conditions on the hill.
"The ongoing costs of maintenance will certainly have a significant impact on the hill business and its ability to be financially self sustaining.
"Plans to spend circa £2 million on revamping and extending the Ptarmigan now look very ill advised without robust access, throughout the year.
"It's very clear that HIE's continued strategy of focusing on the funicular to the detriment of other uplift, is a demonstrable failure.
"The hill business has been left in an extremely vulnerable position due to the lack of alternative uplift to the Ptarmigan area.
"It's time now for the Scottish Government to intervene and save the local economy from any further HIE ineffectiveness."
Janette Jansson, CairnGorm Mountain general manager, said: "We have a team of specialist engineers currently undertaking detailed inspections and monitoring on the funicular railway at CairnGorm Mountain which will inform any remedial action that may be required.
"In the meantime, we continue to follow the advice to restrict the parameters of our normal operating procedures.
"This means that we are closely monitoring the weather, wind speed and carriage capacity to determine when to operate the funicular."
A spokesman for resort owner HIE said yesterday: "We very much regret any inconvenience to funicular users on Cairngorm as a result of reduced operations.
"A temporary reduction in service has been recommended by specialist engineers as a safety precaution, following a routine inspection.
"The next step is to clarify exactly what work is required, then to look at how this can be carried out with least amount of impact on the operation of the business and users, as well as the cost involved.
"It is too early to speculate on liability, the first priority is restoring the service to full use as quickly and safely as possible."
