Cairngorm Mountain funicular to be taken out of operation again

Cairngorm Mountain is having to take the funicular out of operation again later this month for essential annual maintenance.

The mountain railway is due to be out of service from Monday 12 May until Monday 2 June while the company’s in-house engineering team carries out the works.

This will include rail grinding, gearbox repairs, undercarriage lubrication, and testing and inspection of the rail welds.

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At the same time, Balfour Beatty, working on behalf of estate owner Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), will return to complete their programme of remediation works on the railway viaduct.

The required withdrawal of the mountain railway was flagged up at the time of its return in late February.

CMSL usually carries out annual maintenance on the funicular in November but has brought the timescale forward this year to run in parallel with the remediation programme and minimise inconvenience to visitors.

Resort bosses have said there will still be plenty of family-friendly activity on offer at the resort which will remain open seven days a week while the railway is unavailable.

Bookings for the funicular are now open from June 2 through to the end of October.

The funicular was out of service from August 2023 until 27 February, earlier this year, returning after inspections confirmed that all essential work to ensure safe operations had been completed.

At that time, HIE explained that contractors would be back to finish the remediation programme in late spring or early summer which is usually a less busy time of year at the resort for visitors.

An HIE spokesman said: “The remaining works will deal with non-urgent matters that will benefit the long-term durability of the structure which is over a mile in length.

“Examples include fine-tuning some joint assemblies to improve performance and minimise the risk of corrosion over time as well as fitting tapes and caps to extend the working life of metal bars that would otherwise be exposed to the weather.

“The pace of progress on the mountain will depend on a range of factors, not least weather, and Balfour Beatty intend to take advantage of seasonal daylight by working beyond 5 pm.

“It is expected that some evening work will continue for a period after the funicular service has resumed.”

The newest attraction of ball runs will be open every day.

Tubing slide sessions and the ‘Jumping Pillow’ in the adventure playpark are available at weekends.

Upper mountain bike trails are now complete and the full bike park will be open daily, weather permitting, from Monday 12 May.

The Base Station and Day Lodge facilities, including the Cairngorm Café and Mountain Shop, will also be open every day from 9.30 am to 4.30pm.

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