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Extreme cold and blowing snow have proven to be the bane of Edmonton’s new river valley funicular.

City officials are working with the manufacturer to address the issue after blowing snow in the door tracks set off alarms several times this winter.

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They also found temperatures below -25 C can cause the doors to malfunction, said Paul Specht, the city’s director of facilities maintenance. The doors become unsynchronized, which triggers a shutdown.

Fortunately, “the automatic default is for the doors to open.”

The new $24 million funicular beside the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald on 100 Street opened Dec. 9, creating a new way for those with mobility challenges to access the North Saskatchewan River valley from downtown.

Since then, it was out of service for three days due to extreme cold or blowing snow, challenges not foreseen during the design. It also shuts down for one day a month for scheduled maintenance.