CairnGorm Mountain Railway borked

You’ll be telling me next that there’s a link between HIE and Morrison Construction 🙄

Unborked apparenrtly
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c84pw9qew1wo

Kinda good news overall but….

The Scottish government agency said trains could be fully operational early next year.

But it added that project costs had risen from about £16m to £25m due to the impacts of Covid, Brexit and blizzards in spring hampering repairs.

The Scottish government had provided a £16m funding package towards the costs.

HIE said it had reallocated uncommitted funds from its wider Cairngorm snowsports centre masterplan capital investment package to meet the additional costs.

The agency added that the Scottish government also allocated £7m additional funding in June 2022.

Putting in magic carpets (like the Lecht) too for learners. Mustve found some money down the back of the sofa

Basturds

Blizzards in the Cairngorms in spring? Who could have predicted that?

The “company” “running” the ski infrastructure wanted to build a dry slop on a place (IIRC) called Windy Ridge FFS. And have it kept snow free using antifreeze.

I remember watching a BBC news special on global warming interviewing the guy running the snowmaking machines, who without a hint or irony was complaining that people needed to change their habits as running an enormous refrigeration machine outside was getting expensive as the climate warmed.

NO ****ING **** SHERLOCK! IT’S MACHINES LIKE THAT THAT ARE GOING TO END UP WITH NORFOLK UNDERWATER.

Perhaps they could stick some giant heaters on the beaches of the western isles so they can pretend it’s the Maldives too.

Blizzards in the Cairngorms in spring? Who could have predicted that?

Chance in a million!

All joking aside, the engineering and construction logistics involved must be horrific – delicate and fragile land, hostile weather, fairly crap access and a very public project. I wouldn’t have wanted to be the PM overseeing that job!

I also can’t fathom why they didn’t originally just whack in a gondola from Rothemurcas / Loch Morlich area to the carpark area with a second stage heaving up to the summit area.

Buzzards in the Cairngorms in spring? Who could have predicted that?

FTFY

I also can’t fathom why they didn’t originally just whack in a gondola from Rothemurcas / Loch Morlich area

That would be on FLS (ex Forestry Commission) land, not the bit owned by HIE.

[edit] they really need to make it obvious that you’ve skimmed past the ‘next page’ bit and missed a year of replies (or just get rid of the reply box).

That would be on FLS (ex Forestry Commission) land, not the bit owned by HIE.

When dealing with 10’s if not 100’s of million ££ projects – leasing land for the carpark / pylon access would be a comparatively easy and common thing to overcome with the landowner.

At one point in the past FCS (pre FLS) owned the forest AND the land the ski centre is on. A shocking £9 Million price increase, and they STILL can’t say whether it will run for the majority of this ski season…

leasing land for the carpark / pylon access would be a comparatively easy and common thing to overcome with the landowner.

There is nothing easy about working with FLS. Nothing at all.

And now borked again (well snagging works)

https://www.hie.co.uk/latest-news/2023/august/25/cairngorm-funicular-temporarily-out-of-service/

Maintenance and remedial works needs to be done.  Would you rather they just kept it running till it failed again?

It isn’t fixed. It is badly bodged.