PRESS RELEASE – CARN BREA FUNICULAR RAILWAY

HEARTLANDS DISTRICT IN CONJUNCTION WITH TREGAJORRAN PARISH -April 2018

Funding (£ several million) has been secured for detailed design and construction of a new funicular railway which will help to regenerate West Cornwall and attract visitors to the much loved hilltop at Carn Brea.

Preliminary studies and an approved masterplanning exercise have already indicated that the proposed railway and associated features will be a financial success, and attract visitors in similar numbers to those who visit the Eden Project and other large scale Cornish tourist attractions.

The existing Heartlands project and leisure centre in Pool will provide an anchor, and it is hoped that the railway will seed a number of linked projects and make Tregajorran a household name.

LOCATION PLAN

According to Project Lead Loof Lirpa of Scandanavian design consultants Niknej T.O.N:-

“We have looked at the way established funicular railways such as the recently constructed Cairngorm railway, and the historic Snowdon Mountain Railway integrate into their surroundings and attract visitors, and we are convinced that the Carn Mountain Railway will succeed”.

Solar power arrays will be erected on the south facing slope of Carn Brea, and these together with hilltop wind turbines will provide the bulk of the power for the mountain climbing pods. It may be possible to steam power for a heritage style pod in peak season using plentiful local gorse as fuel. 10 pods will shuttle from base to top, utilising a modern version of Brunel’s ‘atmospheric’ system (materials such as graphene will prevent the rat nibbling problems that scuppered the system 150 years ago) to propel capsules with 360 degree views to the Monument station (at almost 750 feet above sea level). In the event of power failure, passengers will be able to use an on board hand pump to continue their journey and avoid disappointment.

Journey time will depend on the weight and number of passengers (and the rate of hand pumping) but will be between 1 and 21 minutes from Carn Brea base station to Monument station. Costs for the uphill ride will vary from £26 for a large adult to 50p for a small dog (terrier, or lapsang-sushong size) – fares will be determined proportionally to weight. Downhill fares will reverse with large adults being 50p and small dogs £26 to maximise the weight of downhill pods, so that they balance the ascending units.

Tregajorran Halt will be an intermediate station and passing loop.

Pets and children should be muzzled for health and safety reasons. Skis and other equipment will be attached to the roof of the pods with several bungee cords bought from nearby hardware stores.

A maintenance depot will be constructed beside the top station with exhausts from the emergency diesel generators channelled through the top of the monument. Monument station will also be adjacent to the proposed casino and entertainment complex at the summit.

ATRISTS IMPRESSION - VIEW FROM THE ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX

The sharp slope of Carn Brea naturally lends itself to the construction of a Ski slope and zorbing run – idea for attracting young and affluent thrill seekers. The facility will be open all year round, but for health and safety reasons the artificial ski slope will be closed in the event of any real snow.

Following Team GB’s recent winter Olympic successes at PyeongChang with the Skeleton event, a full bobsleigh track will be carved into the hillside with a carefully landscaped setting.

At Tregajorran Halt there will be an alpine style chalet where ‘apres ski’ of schnapps, fondue and strudel will be available alongside local scrumpy, and artisan made pasties and doughnuts.

For those who prefer more sedate activity, a covered perambulation track will be built at the top of Carn Brea. Buggies will be available for hire, and a series of ‘pay to use’ talking telescopes will be installed to provide visitors with stunning views at the Camborne end (20p per five minutes) and the Redruth end (30p per minute) from the hill.

Upon completion, the current access road from Carnkie will be closed to all motorised traffic. It may be necessary to relocate Carn Brea Castle closer to the monument in order to preserve its footfall and viability. In this eventuality it will become part of the projected Monument theme park and entertainment centre.

Alpine gardens will be landscaped into the barren top of Carn Brea featuring the flowers of Switzerland. Goats and goatherds will roam the improved landscape to add to the charm. No longer will it be necessary to travel to the slopes of the Matterhorn to experience the exhilaration of life upon high.

Network Rail are looking to invest £175 million to reopen a station (provisionally Redcam Parkway) with 1500 space multi storey car park, and potentially a bay platform to allow mainline trains to terminate. An adjacent bus hub will allow Redruth and Camborne stations to close (thus releasing valuable town centre land for redevelopment) with a consequential 3 minute decrease in journey times between Penzance and Plymouth. The Pool relief road (Dudnance Lane) has already been diverted and land futureproofed to allow this to take place.

Capping of old mine shafts will be carried out before they become a hazard to skiers / zorbers. Changing facilities at the nearby leisure centre, along with sophisticated ‘apres ski’ refreshments

ARTISTS IMPRESSION – SKELETON RUN AND ZORBING ON THE NORTH FACE OF CARN BREA

(best check this with the health and safety rep)

(NB MOST BOULDERS WILL BE REMOVED)

In order to cater for those who wish to stay longer, it is anticipated that Dolcoath mine headgear will remain but form the steel frame for a prestigious hotel based on Dubai’s Burj Khalifa (provisionally named the Brea Khalifa) – although maybe not as tall.

In line with current environmental policies, track installation will take place with a minimum of earthworks and most of the work will be hand laid by volunteers in the manner of Dick Strawbridge’s ‘Biggest Little Railway in the World’.

A demanding programme has been set for the opening of the facilities which is pencilled in for 1 April 2020 and Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards has already been approached to cut the ceremonial ribbon.

It is very important that Public support is demonstrated in order to achieve final approvals and we invite you to join in with the Petition below and send to the webmaster of the Cornwall Railway Society website.

Name

Address

Donation - £10 will see your name carved into one of the teak sleepers. £50 will see your name on a pod. £250 for an annual season ticket.