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Narvik on a new high

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New carriages will feature on Navik's cable car upgrade
 One of Narvik’s popular tourist attractions, the cable car ride taking visitors to a viewing platform on top of Narvikfjellet, 656mtr above sea level, is to undergo a major upgrade, including new carriages and new base stations at either end.

Narvikfjellet signed a contract with Swiss company Bartholet and work is scheduled to commence next month.

The plan is to open the new facilities on December 1, 2018.

There will be 23 carriages with a capacity of ten people in each. This equates to 1,600 people an hour and a travel time of 4.5 minutes.Wind restriction will be significantly better as well, notes Grethe Parker, cruise co-ordinator in Narvik.

The new limit being 17 metres per second (m/s) depending on wind direction as opposed to the current one which has limitations of 7 m/s.

The top of Narvikfjellet provides spectacular views of the city and surrounding landscape.

There is a mountain restaurant and Lavvu village at the top of the plateau. Walking tours are available, as well as sled rides and ski-ing in the winter.

Tracked terrain vehicles can be booked as an alternative mode of transport to the top.

The corridor for the new cable car ride will differ from the current one so the upgrade will not interfere with daily operations, explains Parker.

The current facility will operate throughout this season.

Narvik is both a winter and summer stop for visiting cruise ships. This year the Northern Norway destination will receive 13 calls in total split seven between Jan-April and eight in the summer months with Zenith and Silver Wind making maiden calls and Cunard becoming a new customer when Queen Elizabeth arrives in July 7, 2018.

Looking ahead, traffic is set to rise to 22 ships in 2019 and new cruise line customers including Viking, Marella, AIDA and P&O, Parker told Seatrade Cruise News.