Engineers have been called in to the Cairngorm funicular railway as restrictions are placed on the popular attraction’s running times.
During the railway’s annual inspection, specialist engineers determined that the UK’s highest railway line required further attention and have since placed restrictions on the route in the interest of passenger safety.
Last night, there were fears locally that the problem could be a long-term one.
Janette Janssen, general manager at Cairngorm Mountain, said: “We have a team of specialist engineers currently undertaking detailed inspections and monitoring on the funicular railway at CairnGorm Mountain, which will inform any remedial action that may be required.
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“In the meantime, we continue to follow the advice to restrict the parameters of our normal operating procedures. This means that we are closely monitoring the weather, windspeed and carriage capacity to determine when to operate the funicular. We will provide daily updates on our website and social media channels to inform visitors of the service on the funicular and would advise anybody planning to visit CairnGorm Mountain to check in advance.
“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to visitors.”
The route was closed yesterday as wind speeds of around 54mph were experienced at the summit of Cairngorm Mountain.
Mike Gale, chairman of Aviemore Business Association, said: “We hope this will be resolved in time for winter or else there will be a lot of upset for season pass holders.
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“We are concerned for businesses in Aviemore of the long term impact as this is a fundamental business in our area over the winter period.
“If this is a short-term issue then that is not so much of a problem – however, there is concern this could be a long-term issue.
“We hope this is back up and running as soon as possible for the sake of jobs on the hill and in the local area.”
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Local councillor John Bruce said: “It’s pretty disappointing that it has reached this stage and I am hoping it is resolved as soon as possible, urgently in fact.
“It is a major asset for the area and it has to function safely.
“I hope that this is a temporary hiccup and the Funicular Railway is operational in the near future.”
Over 59,000 snow sports enthusiasts and a further 51,240 non-ski-ing guests visited and used the railway last winter.