The iconic Pikes Peak Cog Railway will not reopen for the Spring nor will it reopen for the foreseeable future.
This comes after the historic railway closed in October for maintenance, the first time it had done so in 10 years.
Once inspections started, there were more issues than just fixing the tracks like the owners at the Broadmoor Hotel expected.
"Like peeling skin on an onion, we realized there were more and more layers of things that needed to be looked at," said Allison Scott, the Broadmoor Hotel Director of Communications.
Scott said the equipment has "outlived usefulness" and they cannot guarantee the train's safety.
Pikes Peak Cog Railway is just one of two in North America and the highest altitude cog in the world.
Because of this rarity, the Broadmoor will need to call in experts from Switzerland. Citing its 127-year lifespan, Scott said that many of the pieces aren't made anymore, so it's hard to figure out what pieces are usable.
That's just one question of many, including, will the Cog Railway ever re-open?
"Everything is on the table at this point, and yes, that is certainly one of those things," answered Scott.
But she said they are doing everything in their power to keep it open, and that could mean a lot of money, although exact numbers are unknown.
This announcement comes after local officials in El Paso County proposed a project to replace the Pikes Peak Summit House with a bigger and better one. Scott said the Broadmoor has reached out to the forest service and local officials knowing this decision to stop operating the Cog Railway could affect that proposal.
"This is all new to us," Scott said. "The decision was literally made 24 hours ago, so we are in conversation with all of the stakeholders."
Scott is in the process of calling customers who paid for a ride and refunding them. She said they plan to be transparent throughout the process and encouraged people to call 719-685-1045 to give the Broadmoor an email address in order to receive updates.
