1st and 2nd generation of Fløibane
3rd and 4th generation of Fløibane
1st and 2nd generation of Fløibane when replaced in 1954.
Fjellveien road - from the building work on the Fløibane rail.
From the construction of the upper station on Fløyen.
The history of Fløibanen
Fløibanen is the most popular tourist attraction in Bergen and one of the most visited attractions in Norway. Fløibanen is the only funicular on rails for passenger transport in Scandinavia. The funicular climbs the mountainside approx. 1.2 million times every year. Below is a short summary of the history of Fløibanen.
To celebrate the 90th anniversary of Fløibanen in 2008, we published a folder containing the history of Fløibanen. The folder is available in English and Norwegian and is available here for download.
Download the folder "Mot nye høyder"(English/Norwegian)
Below is a summary of Fløibanen's history:
From initial concept to reality
The initial idea behind a method of transport up to the top of Fløyen came about as early as 1895, originating from John Lund, a member of parliament from Bergen. The City Council approved the project, on the condition that it was built as an electrically operated "taugbane" or cableway. The Council also granted approval for utilisation of a four metre wide stretch of the mountainside up to Fløyen, upon payment of an annual fee. The government approved the licence application on 10 October 1896. However, the licence holder was unable to secure sufficient capital, and the project was dropped.
In 1907, the concept re-emerged. The cableway project in Bergen soon gained worldwide renown, and European newspapers printed articles on the plans. The company A/S Fløibanen was founded in 1912, with Waldemar Platou as the company's first director. The architect for the cableway was Einar Oscar Schou, accompanied by engineer and construction director Erling Gjestland.
The work on Fløibanen started in the autumn of 1914. It was estimated to take 1 to 1 ½ years but took much longer than that due to the First World War and subsequent scarcity of materials. It finally opened on 15 January 1918 and has remained in operation ever since.
Fløibanen was designed according to a template taken from similar cableways in South Germany, Switzerland and North Italy. There was a particularly high similarity to the Merkur cableway in Baden-Baden. The first carriages - made from oiled teak and partly open - were supplied by Maschinenfabrik Esslingen from the town of the same name. They seated 65 passengers. The carriages were operated by a 95 HP electric engine.
The red and blue colours of the Fløibanen carriages emerged in the early 50s - around the time when two synchronised model carriages were fitted on the ceiling of the upper station. After 36 years of carrying passengers, the first carriages were replaced in 1954. The chassis for these new carriages were supplied by von Roll in Switzerland and passenger capacity was increased to 80. With the new carriages, the control room was now in the driving seat. Previously, a chief engineer was stationed on Fløyen and was in contact with the carriage drivers via a signal rod which the driver held out the window and up to a signal wire.
The next set of carriages arrived in 1974. As with the 1954 carriages, these were installed on the rails at the Promsgate station then pulled up to the meeting place for both carriages, midway on the rails. These new carriages could also carry 80 passengers and were supplied by von Roll in Switzerland once again. In 1987, the engine room up on Fløyen was modernised and radio control installed - so that the carriage drivers could control the engine via radio signals. A new 190 HP engine was also fitted. Both carriages were able to communicate by using light signals with feedback. These last carriages were removed from the rails on 26 September 2002.
In the autumn of 2002, the Fløibanen was closed for 7 weeks during which time the most comprehensive reconstruction in the company's history was completed. A total renovation of both carriages, railway, engine, stations and ticket system took place. The upper and lower stations were modernised and expanded at the end of the 90s. During the autumn of 2002, the three intermediate stations were also reconstructed. Each carriage could now carry 100 passengers, compared with the former capacity of 80. Normal speed for Fløibanen is 6 metres per second. An electronic ticket system has been introduced with electronic gates at all stations. The carriages, specially created for Fløibanen by industrial designer Espen Thorup, now have a modern yet classic design with vast glass ceilings and windows, improved comfort and even better views for the passengers.
The number of passengers has seen a gradual increase over the past decade, now totalling around 1.2 million ascents every year. Fløibanen AS has an extensive strategy of marketing and product development, and has grown from a transport company to an important part of a growing tourism industry.
In the summer of 2007, the new viewing platform - Fløytrappene - was completed. This has been a huge success and extremely popular with visitors.