Scotland’s first alpine coaster opens, with infrastructure delivered by Robertson Civil Engineering

RCE is project partner with Midlothian Council for the redevelopment of the Midlothian Snowsports Centre at Hillend to the south of Edinburgh, now the site of Scotland’s first Alpine Coaster which opened to the public at the weekend. 

The programme delivered by RCE included civil engineering, utility, and minor building works, upgrades and alterations to the A702 main road and car parks as well as new access roads and utility installation. It also included the Alpine Coaster ‘launching station’, foundation of a ‘base station’ and soft landscaping. 

Council Leader Councillor Kelly Parry cut the ribbon on Scotland’s first Alpine Coaster last week joining members of the project team, including RCE’s Steven Gillan, John Murchie and site manager, Gary Kilkerr.

She said: “I’m here today, not just to mark the opening and enjoy the ride, but also with many of the project team who helped make the Alpine Coaster possible. We want to turn the centre into a national tourist attraction, with visitor numbers for the Alpine Coaster alone expected to exceed 150,000 a year.

"We want it to bring local employment opportunities and direct income to the local economy while profits can be used to help pay for vital council services.”

Martin Kiely, executive director, Robertson Civil Engineering, commented: “It’s fantastic to be part of a project that will bring so much benefit to the local area. 

"We’ve seen this before when we worked on the Glentress Forest in the Scottish Borders, creating new competition-quality mountain bike trails, on-site infrastructure improvements and world-class visitor facilities. And at Cuningar Loop in Glasgow where derelict land was transformed from a derelict stretch of land into an attractive community green space with trails, picnic areas and play facilities.”