Cairngorm railway is Scotland’s latest infrastructure farce

You need very few fingers to count the major Scottish building and infrastructure projects that have been delivered on time and within budget since devolution.

A case could be made for the Queensferry Crossing, only eight months late in opening but £245 million less than forecast. After that, though, the well begins to run dry.

The latest development knocking on the door of the hall of shame is the Cairngorm funicular railway. It is set to stand alongside the Holyrood parliament, Edinburgh trams, the capital’s Sick Kids hospital and the Ferguson ferries.

Reaching 1,097m up Cairn Gorm, the 2km-long track took people up to the restaurant and skiing areas. It is the highest railway in Britain and it opened in 2001 at a cost of