The Cairngorm funicular, near Aviemore opened in 2001 at a cost of £19.5m. The railway connects a base station with a restaurant and a ski area 1,097m (3,599ft) up Cairn Gorm mountain.
The main structure consisted of a concrete viaduct, with a passing loop in the middle.
Construction was publicly funded through Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), with support from the European Regional Development Fund. The 2km route is the highest railway in the UK.
The service was withdrawn in September 2018 after an inspection raised safety concerns.
HIE had taken legal action in relation to faults found in the structure and foundations linked to the original design and construction in the 1990s and early 2000s. It has received a total of £11m in out-of-court settlements.
Some £25m of works had to be carried out in the five years before it could reopen safely in January 2023. The Scottish government provided £16m towards that cost of fixing the railway. This included numerous metal fixings to strengthen the areas around the original in-situ concrete, which had been provided to link adjacent precast concrete beams.
However, the railway was closed again in August 2023 due to snagging issues.
An extensive programme of remediation works to strengthen the 1.8km viaduct focussed on the tension of joints, beams and diaphragms. However, inspections identified areas where further work was required, then mechanical safety testing and trial operations followed.
The resumption of public service on 27 February 2025 was fairly low key, with limited visitor facilities available, and the lower ski slopes relying on manufactured snow.
Weather permitting, the 2km railway will again run a regular service throughout the day, seven days a week. It is expected to become a popular route for snow sports lovers and sightseers who will be transported from the base station to the Ptarmigan building at the top of the slopes in just five minutes.
Public transport services to the funicular are well established, Aviemore interchange has train, bus and coach connections – although the HiTravel multi-modal electronic sign suffers from faults.
Stagecoach have repurposed a former Megabus interdecker coach as an ‘Aviemore Adventurer’ which can carry passengers up to the funicular in half an hour along with their luggage – including bikes, skis and snowboards.
