Penang Hill cable car explained

Line Name:Penang Hill Cable Car
Pushpin Map:Malaysia Penang George Town city centre
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within George Town
Status:Under construction
System:Gondola lift
Location:George Town
Country:Malaysia
Coordinates:5.4364°N 100.2911°W
Start:Penang Rifle Club
End:Penang Hill
No Stations:2
Services:1
Constr Cost:RM245 million (US$ million)
Begin:June 2024
Owner:Penang Hill Corporation
Operator:Hartasuma Sdn Bhd
No Carriers:50
Carrier Cap:8
Ridership:1,000 per hour (design)
Trip Duration:10 minutes
Manufactured By:Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group
No Towers:15
Speed: (design)

The Penang Hill cable car is a gondola lift under construction in George Town, the capital city of the Malaysian state of Penang. The line will connect the Penang Botanic Gardens to the peak of Penang Hill and is intended to complement the existing Penang Hill Railway. The cable car line is projected to serve a capacity of 1,000 passengers per hour per direction. Construction of the line commenced in 2024 and will be completed by 2026.

History

A cable car system complementing the existing Penang Hill Railway was first announced by then Malaysian Minister of Finance Lim Guan Eng in 2019.[1] The funicular railway had recorded a ridership of 1.74 million throughout 2018 and Penang officials were seeking an alternative mode of transportation to reduce the overdependence on the railway.[2] [3] The federal government allocated RM100 million for the cable car project in the 2020 budget, with additional costs to be borne by the Penang state government. The Penang Rifle Club, situated adjacent to the Penang Botanic Gardens, was selected as the ground station over other areas such as Teluk Bahang.

A political crisis in 2020 led to the removal of the Pakatan Harapan-led federal government by the right-wing Perikatan Nasional. As a result, federal allocations promised for the cable car project were cancelled.[4] Despite this, in 2021, the state's Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow announced a request for proposal for the project, citing "tremendous" public support.[5] The project was to be awarded through a public–private partnership framework, with the selected developer given a 30-year concession to design, finance, build, operate and transfer the system. Six proposals were received by the Penang Hill Corporation (PHC) and in 2022, Malaysian firm Hartasuma Sdn Bhd was awarded the project.[6] [7]

As the cable car project is to be undertaken on slopes between 25 and 35 degrees, federal government oversight was required, involving traffic impact (TIA) and environmental impact (EIA) assessments.[8] [9] To build and operate cable car systems at ecologically sensitive areas, the PHC sought technical expertise from Switzerland and Austria; Penang Hill had been inscribed as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2021.[10] In 2023, Chief Minister Chow announced that the cable car infrastructure would be provided by Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group.[11]

The cable car project received approval from federal government environmental regulators in 2024. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim presided over the groundbreaking ceremony in June that year. The cable car system is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2026.[12]

Design

The cable car system is designed to cater to a capacity of 1,000 passengers per hour per direction, comprising 50 eight-seater carriages that travel at a speed of .[13] Citing extensive experience in ropeway engineering within UNESCO-designated sites, Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group has been selected to provide the cable car infrastructure.

The project will include the construction of 15 towers five in the forests, and the other 10 near the upper and ground stations. The foundations are to be built using the hand-dug caisson method to reduce on-site clearing. The PHC stated that only 50 trees would be affected by the construction, primarily African tulip, royal palm and oil palm surrounding the lower end of the route.

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Nambiar . Predeep . 16 Oct 2019 . Penang mulls Botanic Gardens-Penang Hill cable car project . 19 Apr 2024 . . 19 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240419092346/https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2019/10/16/penang-mulls-botanic-gardens-penang-hill-cable-car-project/ . live .
  2. News: Opalyn Mok . 11 Oct 2019 . RM100m cable car allocation will spur Penang's tourism sector, says Penang Hill Corporation . 19 Apr 2024 . . 19 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240419092324/https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2019/10/11/rm100m-cable-car-allocation-will-spur-penangs-tourism-sector-says-penang-hi/1799483 . live .
  3. News: Nambiar . Predeep . 3 Feb 2024 . RM245mil Penang cable car project gets EIA approval . 19 Apr 2024 . . 19 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240419092327/https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2024/02/03/rm245mil-penang-cable-car-project-gets-eia-approval/ . live .
  4. News: Nasir . Sofia . 11 Jan 2021 . State opens RFP for RM150 mil Penang Hill cable car project . 19 Apr 2024 . The Vibes . 19 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240419092346/https://www.thevibes.com/articles/news/13333/state-opens-rfp-for-rm150-mil-penang-hill-cable-car-project . live .
  5. News: Teoh . Jie Ying . 11 Jan 2021 . Public supports RM150 mil Penang Hill cable car project, says Chow . 19 Apr 2024 . . 19 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240419092344/https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2021/01/11/public-supports-rm150-mil-penang-hill-cable-car-project-says-chow/ . live .
  6. 14 Dec 2022 . Press Statement by the Chief Minister of Penang YAB Tuan Chow Kon Yeow: Penang Hill Cable Car Project Request for Proposal (RFP) Awarded . . 19 April 2024 . 16 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240216204911/https://corporate.penanghill.gov.my/images/images/Press_Release/2022/ENG_-_PENANG_HILL_CABLE_CAR_PROJECT_-_REQUEST_FOR_PROPOSAL_RFP_AWARDED.pdf . live .
  7. News: Trisha . N. . 15 Dec 2022 . Penang Hill cable car project gets okay . 19 Apr 2024 . . 9 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240309023800/https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/12/15/cable-car-project-gets-okay . live .
  8. News: 19 Mar 2024 . Penang Hill cable car not 'mass rapid transport', says PHC . 19 Apr 2024 . . 19 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240419092323/https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2024/03/19/penang-hill-cable-car-not-mass-rapid-transport-says-phc/ . live .
  9. News: Opalyn Mok . 17 May 2023 . Penang Hill Corp expects to start construction of cable car project in Q2 2024 . 19 Apr 2024 . . 19 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240419092322/https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/05/17/penang-hill-corp-expects-to-start-construction-of-cable-car-project-in-q2-2024/69624 . live .
  10. Web site: June 2022 . Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231206144838/https://en.unesco.org/biosphere/aspac/penang-hill . 6 December 2023 . 13 November 2023 . . en.
  11. Web site: CONCESSION AGREEMENT SIGNING CEREMONY - DEVELOPMENT OF BUKIT BENDERA CABLE CAR SERVICE UNDER DESIGN, FINANCE, BUILD, OPERATE AND TRANSFER MODE . 19 Apr 2024 . . 19 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240419092348/https://cm.penang.gov.my/index.php/en/all-stories/362641-concession-agreement-signing-ceremony-development-of-bukit-bendera-cable-car-service-under-design-finance-build-operate-and-transfer-mode . live .
  12. News: 29 Jun 2024 . PM Anwar stresses cultural and environmental considerations for new Penang Hill cable car project . 2 Jul 2024 . Malay Mail.
  13. News: Seraj . Zaf . 9 Mar 2024 . Report: Penang Hill Corporation's RM245m cable car project will only affect about 50 trees, says GM . 19 Apr 2024 . . 24 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240324231122/https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/03/09/report-penang-hill-corporations-rm245m-cable-car-project-will-only-affect-about-50-trees-says-gm/122386 . live .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Penang Hill cable car".

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