The construction and operation of the La Rhune rack railway were entrusted, by a Law of 12 July 1912, to the Basses Pyrénées Department, now known as the Pyrénées-Atlantiques.
Starting on 1 January 1989, the Société Hydro-Electrique du Midi (S.H.E.M), resulting from its merger with the Voies Ferrées Départementales du Midi (V.F.D.M.), a subsidiary of the French railway company (SNCF), was operating the concession.
The first concession of 1912, reworked in 1946, which was supposed to end on 31 December 1982, was extended up to 31 December 1994.
Amongst the different modes of management provided for in the Law of 9 January 1985 relating to the development and protection of the mountain, the General Council of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques decided in 1994 to organise its service and to ensure its operation by public service delegation contract, at the risks and perils of the operating company.
At its meeting of 26 November 1994, the Departmental Assembly selected, as its delegatee, CFTA of the Veolia Transport Group.
17 October 2012: The General Council of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques entrusted the Etablissement Public des Stations d’altitude (EPSA) with the management of the La Rhune rack railway.