The Incline Railway to reopen soon after December wildfire

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- A Chattanooga landmark damaged in a December wildfire will soon be reopening.
The Incline Railway was taken out of service because of the December 7, 2024 Lookout Mountain wildfire.

Over the past six months, crews have had to replace cable, rail, and timber on the burnt tracks.

CARTA CEO Charles Frazier says that nearly 90 percent of the restoration of the track’s concrete footers, timber, and rail are completed, with new cable set to be installed next month.

He says CARTA wants to get the Incline open as soon as possible because this is usually the peak season, but it remains a complicated process.

“Because we use federal dollars, and because it’s a rail system in the state of Tennessee, we are required to partner with state and safety oversight. It will require a sign off from state safety oversight as well. If I had a magic wand, we would love to open next week, this is the high season for us, we would like to be open sooner than later, and my direction to the team is safety first,” said Frazier.

The currently scheduled reopening date is July 14, with hopes that it could be open by Independence Day.