Campaigners claim Cairngorms railway will need 'extra maintenance'

Campaigners claim the Cairngorms funicular will require "significant extra" maintenance in the future and a new chairlift should be built to provide access to areas for snowsports.

Millions of pounds have been spent on repairs to the UK's highest railway at the Cairngorm Mountain resort near Aviemore.

Parkswatch Scotland has told Holyrood's public audit committee that the ski centre was unable to make best use of the funicular.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), which owns the resort, said a chairlift was included in its 25-year vision for the site but it would need "substantial" investment.

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 - the UK's sixth highest mountain.

In February last year, the funicular returned to service following an extensive programme of work.

It had been closed for four years from September 2018 due to structural issues with the track.

It was reopened to the public in January 2023 following £25m of repairs before it was closed again in August that year due to snagging issues.

Parkswatch Scotland, a group set up as a forum for "constructive criticism" of Scotland's national parks, claimed weather and the shape of the railway's track had contributed to breakdowns.

Campaigner Gordon Bulloch told MSPs repairs had only slowed the deterioration of the structure, adding that it would require "significant extra maintenance".

Nick Kempe, a campaigner and mountaineer, said: "Design issues mean the resort cannot make best use of the railway, and that restricts the income that is generated."

He said significant investment was needed for a system "appropriate for carrying lots of people up the mountain".

Parkswatch Scotland has suggested up to four new chairlifts were needed to support future activities on the mountain.

After the hearing, HIE said new chairlift infrastructure was included in its Cairngorm Masterplan which was published in 2021.

A spokesperson said: "It would undoubtedly be a benefit to Cairngorm, although substantial additional investment would be required."