History
Construction of the Cairngorm Mountain Railway started in 1999. It opened on 24 December 2001, forty years after the opening of the White Lady Chair Lift, which it replaced. The reason for the construction was that the chair lift was too sensitive to the strong winds in the area. The track is a broad gauge of 2,000 mm (6 ft 6.74 in). The maximum operating speed during the ski season is 10 metres per second (32.8 ft/s) (36 km/h or 22 mph. This speed is dropped to around 5 metres per second (16.4 ft/s) the rest of the year. Giving approximate journey times of four minutes in winter and nine minutes during the summer (calculated without middle station stops). The single track line has a passing loop just above the middle station. During ascent, the maximum gradient is 23° (1 in 2.5, or 40-percent inclination). The railway starts at the Base Station in the Coirre Cas area, where there is a restaurant, shop, ticket office, hire shop, rangers' office and Disability Sport UK office. The Scottish Ski Club have a building close to the middle station.
At peak times there can be 150,000–160,000 non-winter sports visitors, combined with a further 50,000–60,000 annual sports visitors during the winter. CML can expect to cater for a maximum of 3,000 visitors per day in a peak winter season.
The railway is 13 kilometres (8 mi) from Aviemore and can be reached travelling along the B970 and C38 roads to Glenmore. From Glenmore a route is taken through the snow gates and via a one-way system past Coire na Ciste (approximately 3 km or 1.9 mi. The Base Station is at an altitude of approximately 635 metres (2,083 ft) above sea level, the middle station is at approximately 765 metres (2,510 ft) and the top Ptarmigan Station is at approximately 1,097 metres (3,599 ft).
The total length of the funicular railway track is 1,970 metres (6,460 ft), during which the route rises by 462 metres (1,516 ft). Most of the route is single track, with a short passing loop near half way. Up to 120 standing passengers can be carried in each of the systems two carriages. The train is fully accessible for wheelchair users and both the Base Station and Ptarmgian Station have lift access to all levels.
Depending on wind direction, wind speed trend and weather forecast the trains can operate in winds of 100 to 120 km/h (60 to 75 mph). As the train approaches the top station it enters a 250-metre-long (820 ft) cut and covered tunnel taking it up to the top platform hidden in the hillside.
The funicular railway operates by 'hauling' up one carriage using electric motors to pull the haul rope as the other carriage descends at the same time. The system is powered by two stationary in series 500 kW electric motors, a gear box and a 'soft start-soft stop' control system which can increase the electrical frequency and vary the current and voltage to control the carriage speeds as they approach or leave a station. An hydraulically operated 'counter' rope is connected to both carriages to maintain haul rope tension. The two carriages are permanently connected by the haul rope and the counter rope and can never operate independently.
The funicular railway system is normally operated from a manned control room within the Ptarmigan building but can also be operated from the Base station control room or from each railway carriage. There are dedicated sophisticated computer control, instrumentation, communication and safety systems for the railway which have a range of back up systems and there are also standby generators and manual back up systems for moving the carriages.
During the ski season, skiers are asked to stay within the designated ski area boundary and climbers and hill walkers are not allowed to use the railway to travel uphill. The railway operators have agreed in conjunction with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to operate a formal visitor management plan, that is in place to protect fragile areas of the mountain environment. This means that for conservation reasons, the public are not allowed to access the mountains during the summer season from Ptarmigan building. However, walkers who have climbed the hill themselves may purchase a downhill ticket at the Ptarmigan building for travelling back down to Base. There are no middle station stops or exits during the summer.
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