The much-talked about cable car project for Penang Hill is set to become a reality.

Chief Minister and Penang Hill Corporation (PHC) chairman Chow Kon Yeow said Hartasuma Sdn Bhd, a homegrown pioneer in the local rail industry, has successfully won the bid for the cable car project.

He said Hartasuma was chosen from among six companies which submitted the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the project.

He said Hartasuma was awarded the job based on the company’s financial capability, proposed cable car system provider, technical and operational capabilities, environmental protection measures and proposal at the time of bidding.

“The estimated investment by Hartasuma is expected to be RM245 million and the project is based on a 30-year concession period.

“The project is expected to take three years to fully complete and be operational.

“With the new cable car in place, Penang will gain another iconic tourist attraction in addition to the existing funicular railway that has served residents and visitors at the Penang Hill for almost 100 years,” he said today.

Chow hoped that the new cable car project would help redistribute traffic particularly during the peak seasons, completing the existing century status of the funicular service from the Air Itam area.

“We hope this greener mode of transportation will further enhance the tourism experience and contribute to the socio-economic of the surrounding areas, which will offer approximately 500 job opportunities.

“With an annual visitor population of over 1.3 million, we hope the cable car will play a practical role in tourist load balancing.

“PHC is looking forward to implementing environmentally-friendly transportation option for visitors to the cable car station to reduce carbon emissions in the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve area,” he added.

Chow said the alignment and the suitability of the location of the cable car project was taken into consideration by the Evaluation Committee, with most feasible route alignment site near the Penang Botanic Gardens.

Meanwhile, Hartasuma executive director Tan Sri Ravindran Menon said the construction phase would take between 18 and 20 months to complete.

“However, we need to get all the necessary approvals, which will take some time to obtain as it involves various authorities,” he said.

It was reported that the federal government had, in April 2020, announced that the RM100 million initial allocation for the Penang Hill cable car project had been cancelled.

Penang subsequently announced a RFP for the project.

Source: NST Online