More than 60 containers carrying cable car components have arrived in Penang from Austria, marking a major step forward in the construction of Penang Hill’s new gondola lift.
The shipment was produced by Austrian cable car specialist Doppelmayr at its facility in Wolfurt. Logistics firm Gebrüder Weiss managed the transport through a multimodal route involving road, rail and sea freight. The containers travelled by rail from Austria to Hamburg before being shipped to Southeast Asia, taking about 38 days at sea, BusinessToday Malaysia reported.
Gebrüder Weiss Malaysia handled customs clearance and coordinated the final transportation to Penang Hill near George Town. The deliveries arrived in several partial consignments under a fixed schedule, with teams in both Austria and Malaysia working to keep the project on track.
“Managing a multimodal project of this scale requires precise coordination,” Michael Kramer, Key Account Manager Air & Sea at Gebrüder Weiss in Wolfurt, told reporters. “Every transport mode must be carefully synchronized, and weather conditions at the ports must be closely monitored to avoid delays and additional costs.”
Doppelmayr Head of Shipping Egon Vögel said the company relied on dependable logistics partners for major infrastructure projects worldwide. “With Gebrüder Weiss, we have a logistics provider that manages complex transportation projects through its global network, efficiently and on schedule,” he said.
The new components will form part of a system designed to move up to 1,400 passengers per hour in each direction. FMT put the project’s completion rate at 28% as of April, citing Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow. Deep foundation works and reinforced concrete piles for the multi-storey car park had been finished by then, with three batches of cable car equipment already delivered.
“Construction continues across the Garden Station, Turn Hill and Hill Station, alongside the installation of cable car equipment,” Chow told reporters at an event on Penang Hill.
The RM367.2 million cable car project features a 2.73km main line running from the Botanic Gardens to the hill’s summit, climbing about 700 metres above sea level in under 10 minutes. The system will use 50 eight-seat gondolas. Slope stabilisation work is also progressing, with restoration and landscaping at the Botanic Gardens expected to be completed before the service opens.
The upper terminal sits at about 720 metres above sea level within the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO-recognised protected area. The new aerial cableway will complement the existing funicular railway, which recorded 1.9 million riders in 2025. Operations are expected to begin later this year.
