Transport Correspondent Alastair Dalton takes a look inside The Falkirk Wheel
he Falkirk Wheel is undergoing the biggest upgrade since it was opened in 2002.
The £2.7 million project involves shutting the world's only rotating boat lift for 17 weeks compared to its normal six-week winter maintenance closure.
All the internal operating systems are being modernised such as hydraulics, control panels, sensors, cables, hoses and seals.
This will enable equipment to be switched off when the Wheel is not turning - producing significant power savings.
The Wheel is due to re-open in late March 2024 with public tours inside the structure planned for later in the year.
More than 3,500 boats a year use the Wheel to travel between the Union and Forth & Clyde canals.
It lifts boats the 35m (115m) height difference between the canals and replaced 11 locks that took all day to pass through.
Trip boats also offer hour-long trips on the Wheel.
The Wheel attracts around 500,000 visitors a year with more than 6.5 million visitors in total since it was opened by Queen Elizabeth.
The visitor centre beside the Wheel basin remains open during the refurbishment.
he Falkirk Wheel is undergoing the biggest upgrade since it was opened in 2002.
The £2.7 million project involves shutting the world's only rotating boat lift for 17 weeks compared to its normal six-week winter maintenance closure.
All the internal operating systems are being modernised such as hydraulics, control panels, sensors, cables, hoses and seals.
This will enable equipment to be switched off when the Wheel is not turning - producing significant power savings.
The Wheel is due to re-open in late March 2024 with public tours inside the structure planned for later in the year.
More than 3,500 boats a year use the Wheel to travel between the Union and Forth & Clyde canals.
It lifts boats the 35m (115m) height difference between the canals and replaced 11 locks that took all day to pass through.
Trip boats also offer hour-long trips on the Wheel.
The Wheel attracts around 500,000 visitors a year with more than 6.5 million visitors in total since it was opened by Queen Elizabeth.
The visitor centre beside the Wheel basin remains open during the refurbishment.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:04 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:31 I'm Alistair Dalton, transport correspondent of The Scotsman.
00:35 And we're inside the Falkirk Wheel,
00:37 which is undergoing its biggest upgrade since it
00:40 opened 22 years ago.
00:43 And this is what could be part of a public tour
00:46 that Scottish Canals are considering
00:48 so people could get right inside the structure like I am today.
00:51 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:58 The project itself has been a full refit
01:10 of the original mechanisms that powered and ensured
01:14 that the operation was safe.
01:17 We've been now 21 years since it was built.
01:19 And it's probably similar to how we
01:22 would look at a Nokia 21 years ago.
01:24 This was a Nokia phone.
01:26 It was the most high-powered, expensive, and well-used piece
01:31 of equipment that we had.
01:32 It was unique.
01:33 It still is unique.
01:34 However, it's still a Nokia 21 years later.
01:36 We're now using iPhone 15s.
01:38 So in reality, we're looking at upgrading
01:40 to the modern standards that we would expect everybody else
01:43 to have today.
01:44 We've built a lot more resilience into it.
01:47 At the time, 21 years ago, we were still state of the art.
01:49 But it's moved on.
01:51 We've now brought in a lot more safety within the system.
01:54 So for example, we've got double sensors everywhere.
01:57 So if one does fail, we've still got the secondary sensors.
02:01 We've got a lot more sensors on, for instance, the gondolas
02:04 and for the doors opening and shutting, even the seals.
02:07 Everything is a lot better.
02:09 We've also got improvements within the control tower,
02:13 which is over the other side of the basin.
02:16 And it means that we're actually getting
02:18 a lot more use of the staff we've got here,
02:21 not literally working on the wheel.
02:23 We are, at this moment in time, looking
02:25 at bringing in a behind-the-wheel tours again.
02:28 It'll be sometime later on in the year.
02:30 We're not exactly sure when yet.
02:31 We're working with other stakeholders
02:33 and trying to make sure that we can get something that's
02:36 going to be achievable for us to deliver,
02:38 but also interesting for the public to come and see.
02:41 We'll be able to bring them in, let
02:43 them see where the control is, how we work the wheel.
02:46 It's unique.
02:47 It's probably the first one.
02:49 It is the only turning boat lift in the world.
02:52 It is very clever, but very basic in its operation.
02:59 When a boat goes into the gondolas,
03:01 it disperses the water that's there,
03:03 but it stays the same weight.
03:05 So when it spins, it's spinning very, very slowly, very, very
03:09 smoothly.
03:11 And I've been on it a few times now.
03:13 You don't even know you're moving.
03:15 [MUSIC PLAYING]
03:18 (upbeat music)