New FlemXpress Gondola Lift In Flims Goes Into Operation
The new FlemXpress gondola lift started operationswith the opening of the first two sections. The train, with technology that is unique in the world, transports guests from Flims to Foppa and on to Startgels. The three other sections are already under construction and will be put into operation in winter 2024/25.
Once completed, the FlemXpress will not only open up the UNESCO World Heritage Tectonic Arena Sardona, but will also make the area around Cassons accessible by rail again. After a three-year development phase, followed by intensive test runs over two months, the new 10-person FlemXpress gondola lift will start operations on Saturday, December 23, 2023 with the opening of the two sections Flims-Foppa and Foppa-Startgels. The Federal Office of Transport has successfully completed all tests, which means that nothing stands in the way of the safe start of operations.
The three additional sections Startgels–Segnes, Segnes–Nagens Sura and Segnes–Cassons will be completed and ready for operation by the 2024/25 winter season. The FlemXpress is characterized by its unique operating technology called “Ropetaxi”. World first from Switzerland The new technology was developed specifically for this project by Weisse Arena Bergbahnen AG in Laax and Bartholet Maschinenbau AG in Flums.
As usual, the journey on the route takes place on a rope. In the stations, however, the cabins move autonomously on rails. This is thanks to its own electric drive in each cabin. If the gondolas are not needed, they are not on the cable on the route. This allows the railway's energy consumption to be significantly reduced. Thanks to the innovative technology, boarding the standing cabins is hassle-free and completely barrier-free. Simply select your destination at the push of a button, get in and enjoy the ride in the panoramic cabins. Milestone for mountain railways and the region On the occasion of the opening of the bypass tunnel in 2007, the mayor at the time spoke of “heavenly times for Flims”. “This sentence can also be transferred to today,” says the current mayor of Flims, Martin Hug, and continues: “With the opening of the first two sections, a new era begins for our community, indeed for the entire region, and we are all "I'm excited to see how heavenly times will be in Flims and in the destination after the railway is completed." He is alluding to the long-awaited reopening of the Casson as well as the first railway connection to the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Tectonic Arena Sardona - both two popular hiking areas.
From winter 2024/25, the FlemXpress will be in operation all year round with all five sections. It is therefore a commitment to the year-round nature that Flims Laax Falera strives for as a tourism destination. The cabins each offer seats for ten people with a transport capacity of up to 1,800 people per hour. In summer, up to five bikes including people can be transported per cabin.
“The overall opening ceremony under the title “Flem radical” will take place in the summer of 2025,” announces Reto Gurtner, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Weisse Arena Bergbahnen AG. This is obvious because the FlemXpress is primarily a summer lift that will not open up any new kilometers of slopes.
Choose your destination, get on and experience it – with just one railway system, but with the highest level of guest comfort, environmental compatibility and energy reduction. The new FlemXpress with a world-first Ropetaxi system takes guests directly to their destination at the push of a button. The special feature: the gondola lift is operated fully automatically and depending on demand. If no gondolas are needed, they are not on the route. At the end of December 2023, the first two sections from Flims to Foppa and on to Startgels went into operation. Once completed in winter 2024/25, the railway will not only open up the UNESCO World Heritage Tectonic Arena Sardona, but will also make the area around Cassons accessible by rail again.
www.flemxpress.ch
