The UK’s highest railway has reopened after 7 years’ of closure

We love a scenic train journey here at Time Out. Especially because some of the world’s prettiest railway routes are right here in the UK (this Welsh train route was even recently named the best on the planet). 

One of the UK’s most gorgeous railway lines has just made an epic comeback – the Cairngorm Mountain Railway in Aviemore, Scotland, a funicular train which scales the UK’s sixth tallest mountain, has reopened after seven years’ of closure. 

The funicular shut for repair works in 2018, and apart from a few brief months in 2023, the train has been closed pretty much ever since. Now the 2km line is back up and running seven days a week (weather permitting) ferrying skiers, snowboarders and sightseers from the base station to the Ptarmigan building at the top of the slopes in around five minutes.

Locals and tourists are relieved to see the Cairngorm line back up and running after its seven year hiatus, which ended up costing £25 million in works. Although many are questioning why the line took so long to fix, with calls for a public inquiry to be made into the failings of the government agency-owned train service.

For now, the funicular seems to be running smoothly. 

Tim Hurst, interim chief executive of Cairngorm Mountain Scotland Ltd, said: ‘The Cairngorm Mountain team are overjoyed to be welcoming customers onto the funicular railway once more. Following confirmation from our parent company Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the railway has been handed over to us at CMSL to operate once more.

‘We recognise how critical the railway is, not only to our entire team here at CMSL, but to all our customers and to many businesses in the local and regional area. We would like to thank all our visitors for their patience whilst remediation took place.’

Bad news: The UK’s longest direct train route is being cancelled. 

But... A brand-new train route will soon connect two of the UK’s most popular beach towns. 

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.