GEORGE TOWN, Feb 3 — The Penang Hill cable car project will start in April this year, said Penang Hill Corporation (PHC) general manager Datuk Cheok Lay Leng.
He said the groundbreaking ceremony for the project will be held in April.
“We have obtained the necessary approvals, including the EIA and planning permission,” he told reporters after a reopening ceremony of the Penang Hill Station this morning. The EIA refers to the environmental impact assessment.
He said the project is expected to take about 18 months but it will also depend on weather conditions especially when the project is in sensitive hilly areas.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the National Physical Planning Council has also approved the project.
The tender for the project was awarded to local rail industry pioneer, Hartasuma Sdn Bhd, through a public-private partnership (PPP) on design, finance, build, operate and transfer. Hartasuma is expected to invest RM245 million in the project and the project is based on a 30-year concession period.
Earlier, Chow officiated the reopening of the newly upgraded Penang Hill Station.
The RM10.9 million project, which took over three years to complete, now has a new holding area on the first floor and can accommodate 700 visitors, an increase from the previous capacity of 250 people. The project also expanded the existing building floor space from 800 sqm to 1,422 sqm.
Chow, in his speech, said the upgrading works combined the existing century-old building with new upgrades. He also announced that the station will be renamed Penang Hill Station from Penang Hill Upper Station. He said the upgraded and expanded station will be able to cater to the increasing number of visitors to the hill resort.
In January this year, Penang Hill received 94,927 visitors.
“The Penang Hill Station also uses green and sustainable practices such as renewable energy, rainwater harvesting and automatic lighting,” he said.
He said the station will be able to obtain the gold category of the Green Building Index (GBI).Now that the hill station upgrading works is completed, he said they will continue with the upgrading works of the Astaka Bukit Bendera soon.
