Landmark closes Runaway Timber Train after accident at major Highland visitor attraction in the summer
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The bosses of Landmark Forest Adventure Park have revealed to the Strathy that a family rollercoaster involved in an accident in the summer will not reopen.
Investigations are still on-going by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the cause of the incident in August at the popular Carrbridge theme park.
Two children had to be treated for minor injuries at the scene following the mechanical failure on the Runaway Timber Train.
It resulted in the train coming to a halt at ground level and all the passenger were safely and immediately evacuated.
A spokesperson said that the attraction was to close permanently. It has not run since the incident four months ago.
He said: "We are sad to say goodbye to one of our long-standing attractions, the Runaway Timber Train.
"This was due to be replaced in a few years but we have made the decision to replace it sooner than originally planned."
"We are still in the early planning stages of finding a suitable new attraction for the former rollercoaster site but we're very excited about the possibility of developing a more inclusive, indoor and all year-round attraction."
Emergency services attended the incident on the family mini rollercoaster at Landmark on August 12.
Pictures and video from the Carrbridge theme park showed what appeared to be a carriage hanging off the side of the rails but it is understood the rollercoaster did not derail or leave the track.
A Landmark spokesman said at the time there were regular maintenance checks on the rollercoaster.
He confirmed the ride had suffered no mechanical problems since its installation.
Firefighters were only at the scene for around 30 minutes as a precautionary measure.
The rollercoaster was out of operation over the winter period as usual but has been open to visitors following the park's re-opening from the Covid-19 lockdown.
Landmark has been running at around 40 per cent capacity at the time due to the pandemic.
A HSE spokesperson said: “HSE is continuing to investigate this incident. We can’t comment any further at this time.”
