ALMOST £1.5 million needs to be spent on the Snaefell Mountain Railway track for it to remain open.

Tynwald will be asked tomorrow to approve the spending of £1,450,000 to renew and relay components and track sections of the rail route to the top of the Island’s highest mountain.

The Minister for Community, Culture and Leisure David Cretney will ask Tynwald to approve the expenditure at tomorrow’s sitting.

Mr Cretney will tell Members at their final sitting before the dissolution of parliament that parts of the track are “in need of urgent replacement due to the critically poor condition of the existing track work.”

Having controversially approved the spending of almost £2 million to prevent the Queen’s Pier falling into the sea and several other large projects during the last year, the spending of another large sum to maintain the Snaefell track is not likely to go through without criticism, although the possibility of closing the route does not appear to be an option.

Photo: Bill Dale