Did you know that Scotland has a railway that travels more than 1,000 metres up a mountain? It was shut down in 2018 due to structural issues and has remained closed ever since. So here’s some good news: trains are now running again on the Cairngorms funicular for the first time in four years – though only under test conditions for now.
The funicular closed four years ago, but the Scottish government has since poured more than £16 million into fixing it up so it’s ready to go again. The railway, which opened in 2001 at a cost of £26 million, runs up the Cairn Gorm mountain in Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands. It connects the mountain’s base station with its skiing area and restaurant way up the mountain – a whopping 1,097 metres up, to be exact.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), which owns the funicular and the snowsports centre it serves, said that work to reinstate the railway is in its final stages. It added that trains would be fully operational and open to visitors early next year. Testing on the funicular is expected to continue into December, but will need safety certificates granted by the UK Department for Transport before it can reopen to the public. Fingers crossed, eh?
ICYMI: these are the most popular passwords in the UK.
Plus: this UK city has been named one of the world’s top travel destinations (again!)