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THE RM245 million Penang Hill cable car project is poised to be among the first of many infrastructure projects to be completed in the state by the end of next year.
The 2.7km line, which runs from the Botanical Gardens as its base towards the popular hill, is expected to bring more value to Penang Hill as a top tourist attraction.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow provided an update of the construction phase, citing that it is now 32 per cent completed with the majority of the piling done; now the contractors are into erecting the pylon towers to support the cables, which would string along the coaches.
Despite an initial delay due to earthworks technical assessment, Chow revealed that the project is on track towards completion by the fourth quarter of next year.
"The project's construction phase would inject a sense of confidence among the people here that the cable car would indeed become a reality soon," said Chow after inspecting the progress work at Penang Hill.
Chow said that the work is now focused on surface works, so the pace of construction would be faster.
The project, privately funded by the Hartasuma Group, came despite stiff opposition from civil society groups, who managed to stop a similar project in the 1990s.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson with Penang Hill Corporation Sdn Bhd, the custodian caretaker of the hill, revealed that the alternative route from Teluk Bahang to Penang Hill was discouraged because the distance was too long.
There were issues about security and safety; hence, the state was encouraged to discard the proposal, which was mooted by another corporate group in Penang.
The distance proposed is about 20km, and the safety aspect is the long stretches of cables and monitoring needed for that distance.
Proponents of the alternative route spoke that the project would have provided an alternative route to the tourism belt of Batu Ferringhi, unlike now, where there is only one winding road from George Town to the resorts stretch of Penang.
But the issue of distance had put to rest the hopes of such a cable car route. - August 21, 2026.
