After years of planning, construction of the new 10-passenger “FlemXpress” gondola lift is in full swing. The first four sections are already in operation and the fifth and final section will open in December 2025. As a world first, the lift is based on the unique “Rope-Taxi” technology. It not only provides direct access to the Sardona UNESCO World Heritage Site above Flims, but also makes the area around Cassons accessible again by mountain railroad.
The major project is being financed by the municipality of Flims and the Weisse Arena Gruppe with support from the canton of Graubünden. The lift technology was developed specifically for this project by lift manufacturer Bartholet Maschinenbau AG and the Weisse Arena Gruppe and is being used for the first time worldwide.
The first two sections (Flims-Foppa and Foppa-Startgels) have been in operation since December 2023. The two further sections Startgels-Segnes and Segnes-Nagens Sura were opened in December 2024. The final section Segnes-Ils Cugns (Cassons) will open in December 2025.
Timeline
Complete opening of the FlemXpress
The opening of the fifth and final section (Segnes – Ils Cugns) and thus the complete opening of the FlemXpress will take place in winter 2025/26. From then on, guests will have access to a continuous, modern gondola lift from the valley at 1,100 meters up to 2,675 meters. The area around Cassons has been accessible by cable car again for over ten years.
Completion of the final construction work and technical commissioning of section 5
The technical commissioning of the new station by SISAG will start in fall 2025. During this phase, it will not be possible to get off at the Segnes station. After the end of the summer season, the entire FlemXpress will be closed for final tests from October 20, 2025.
Column joining and wire rope hoist section 5
The supports for the Segnes – Ils Cugns (Cassons) section will be flown and installed in June and July. The rope tow will begin on August 18, 2025, while the Startgels – Segnes and Segnes – Nagens Sura sections will remain closed for a weekend. The Flims – Foppa and Foppa – Startgels sections will remain in operation. The command room, the shelter for guests and the platforms at the Ils Cugns station will also be completed in summer 2025.
Construction of the ils Cugns (Cassons) station
The construction of the station on Ils Cugns (Cassons) marks the start of construction of the final section of the FlemXpress. The station is located at 2,675 meters above sea level and will go into operation in winter 2025/26.
Successful acceptance of sections 3 + 4 and granting of the operating license by the FOT
On Friday, December 20, 2024, the FlemXpress will start regular rail operations, including its two new sections. These have been successfully approved by the Federal Office of Transport (FOT) and the operating license has been issued. From Friday, December 13 to Thursday, December 19, 2024, it will be possible to test the new sections from Startgels to Segnes and on to Nagens Sura and then give feedback on their journey.
Redimensioning of the Ils Cugns (Cassons) station
The construction project for the planned Ils Cugns station of the FlemXpress is being redimensioned. This involves a simplification including a massive reduction in the volume of the mountain station building. The route of the railroad and the location of the station will remain as planned. The operation of the Ropetaxi system will also remain unchanged. In addition to reductions in the building volume and building area, the project simplification also results in reductions in the material to be delivered, the concrete requirement and the excavation/fill. One positive effect of these reductions is, for example, the significantly lower impact on the landscape. For this reason, the environmental organizations Stiftung für Landschaftsschutz, WWF Graubünden and Pro Natura Graubünden also support the project optimization.
The station will now consist of a lightweight steel structure, similar in appearance to the Flims and Foppa stations. This visually unobtrusive building will blend in well with the landscape. The redimensioning of the station will also require fewer resources and shorten the effective construction time, which are the reasons for Cassons AG’s decision. A new building permit application is required for the structural adjustments with the project change. The plan is to start the concrete work as early as September/October 2024 once the building permit has been obtained.
Supports for sections 3 and 4 are installed
The supports for sections 3 and 4 of the FlemXpress are being installed in a spectacular way. Sections 3 and 4 will be open to guests from the 2024/25 winter season. At the same time, the supports of the old Grauberg aerial cableway will be dismantled. Meanwhile, the Segnes station is also under construction.
Commissioning of the first two sections Flims-Foppa and Foppa-Startgels
After a three-year development phase, followed by two months of intensive testing, the new 10-passenger FlemXpress gondola lift will go into operation on Saturday, December 23, 2023, with the opening of the two sections Flims-Foppa and Foppa-Startgels.
Construction diary - Episode 7: Rope technology
The seventh episode of the construction diary focuses on the FlemXpress rail rope. This is a Performa rope manufactured by the company Fatzer in Romanshorn. This rope impresses with its virtually vibration-free running, low noise levels and energy savings – properties that meet the high demands, as Curdin Caprez, Head of Mountain Railways/Infrastructure Projects at the Weisse Arena Gruppe, emphasizes. Matthias Stacher, Technical Sales Director at Fatzer, explains how the Performa rope works. The episode also offers an exciting insight into the complex and demanding work of rope splicing.
Construction diary - Episode 6: Resources
In the course of the construction project development, it quickly became clear that the sophisticated logistics and the selection of building materials in the Segnes area are crucial for minimizing grey energy. In the sixth episode of the construction diary, Mario Matter, overall planner at CWZ, explains how the on-site concrete production reuses numerous resources from the excavation and at the same time uses the existing Graubergbahn infrastructure for logistics. Forester Vincenzo Galati from Flims Trin Forst adds how wood, another regional building material, is being used sustainably.
Construction work in Startgels, Segnes and Nagens Sura
As soon as snow conditions permit, construction work will resume at the construction sites in Startgels and Segnes. In Startgels, the shell construction has progressed so far that the Rope-Taxi (railroad technology) will be installed in the summer. The first work on the station is also underway in Nagens Sura. The two sections Flims-Foppa and Foppa-Startgels, including the stations, will be completed by the end of 2023.
Construction diary - Episode 5: History & reuse
In 1945, the people of Flims built the world’s first detachable chairlift together with the VonRoll company – a pioneering achievement that ended around 75 years later to make way for a new innovation. With the world’s first Rope-Taxi system, the Bartholet company in Flims is now implementing a technology that enables autonomous travel on cable cars. In the fifth episode of the construction diary, Gion Caprez, Mayor of Flims, recalls the last ride on the chairlift and looks forward to the new lift and the development of the upper Segnesboden. Curdin Caprez, Head of Mountain Railways and Infrastructure at the Weisse Arena Group, is proud to be involved in shaping this new era and another world first in Flims.
Last ride and dismantling of the Flims-Foppa-Naraus chairlifts
The chairlift from Flims Dorf to Foppa was built in 1945 by the former Flims mountain railroads. It was the world’s first detachable chairlift. In 1947, the lift was extended to Naraus with a second section. The lifts were renewed in 1986 and 1989. With the “FlemXpress” construction project, another pioneering project is now being realized on the Flims-Foppa line, thereby continuing the history of innovation in chairlifts.
On March 26, 2023, the chairlifts will run from Flims to Foppa and on to Naraus for the last time. The popular chairlifts will be given a fitting send-off with a celebration for locals, second homeowners, guests and employees before the two chairlifts are dismantled. Only the concrete slabs at the Flims and Foppa stations will remain. The new FlemXpress stations will be built on them in summer 2023. The area around Naraus will no longer be served by lift.
Construction diary - Episode 4: Environment
After 15 years of planning, the FlemXpress is now being realized as a Ropetaxi system – a variant that was not a foregone conclusion from the outset. Close and constructive cooperation with environmental protection organizations made it possible to find a solution that does justice to the interests of all those involved as well as the landscape and wildlife habitat. In episode 4, Reto Gurtner, Raimund Rodewald and Martin Hug discuss this cooperation and explain how it was possible to create a form of “non-architecture” on the mountain.
Construction diary - Episode 3: The project
In the third episode, Claudio Deplazes, Project Manager Cassons 23, Claudio Casutt, Overall Planner CWZ and Marcel Caminada, Architect Caminada Architekten talk about the biggest challenges in the project and how they were overcome.
Construction work in Startgels and Segnes
The shell of the middle station in Startgels will be built from summer 2022. In Segnes, the excavation pit will be secured and the first excavation work will be carried out. The supports will be installed on the section between Foppa and Startgels in the fall. Due to the mild temperatures, construction work at both stations is progressing well.
Groundbreaking ceremony for the FlemXpress at the Flims valley station
After a long period of discussions and votes on the various options, the symbolic ground-breaking ceremony for the FlemXpress took place at the valley station in Flims. Markus Wolf, CEO of the Weisse Arena Gruppe, Martin Hug, Mayor of Flims, Gabriel Derungs, CEO of Erni AG Bauunternehmung, Claudio Casutt, planner/engineer at CWZ Bauingenieure und Planer AG and Claudio Deplazes, project manager at Cassons AG, were present.
Construction diary - Episode 2: The technology
What makes the Flem Xpress so unique? The second episode of the film construction diary focuses on the topic of technology. The solution used was specially developed for this project by the Weisse Arena Gruppe in collaboration with Bartholet AG. The lift runs on a cable like conventional gondola lifts, but in the stations the cabins move autonomously on rails – driven by their own electric motor. Unoccupied cabins remain in the stations and are not on the track. This demand-responsive system enables comfortable, barrier-free boarding in stationary cabins – even with luggage or sports equipment – without any time pressure.
Construction diary - Episode 1: The vision
The pioneering “FlemXpress” tourism project is being documented in the form of a film construction diary. The first episode, entitled “The Vision”, has now been released and features interviews with Martin Hug, Mayor of Flims, Roland Bartholet, CEO of cable car manufacturer Bartholet, and Reto Gurtner, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Weisse Arena Gruppe.
Triggered by the coronavirus pandemic and the associated change in values, the Weisse Arena Gruppe took a critical look at its planned major projects – including the Cassons development. In numerous video conferences and planning meetings, Gurtner, Bartholet and Hug scrutinized the previous concepts and developed new approaches to meet the changing needs of guests and society.
Details
Under construction (start of construction 2022)
Winter 2023/24: Sections 1 and 2 (Flims-Foppa-Startgels)
Winter 2024/25: Sections 3 and 4 (Startgels-Segnes, Segnes-Nagens Sura)
Winter 2025/26: Section 5 (Segnes-Ils Cugns)
- New gondola lift with 6 stations for boarding and alighting
- Passenger capacity per gondola: 10 people/seats
- Passenger capacity per gondola incl. bikes: 5 people/ bikes
- Transport capacity per hour: up to 1,800 people
- Direct lift access to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Sardona
- World first “Ropetaxi” system
- Up to 50% less energy consumption is expected
