The Penang Hill cable car project has reached 31% completion, with the first of its 15 support towers now erected in the Botanical Gardens area, marking a milestone for the RM367.2 million project.
The project, which began in June 2024, experienced delays following several months of heavy rain in Penang, but construction has accelerated as weather conditions improved, according to a report by Kwong Wah Yit Poh cited by Penang Property Talk.
The first tower erected is Tower No. 3, located in the Botanical Gardens area and standing at 15 metres high. The contractor will monitor its stability before proceeding with the assembly and installation of Tower No. 2. Towers further along the route are expected to be considerably taller.
The 2.73km cable car system will have 15 support towers, including five located within the forest and another 10 around the summit, lower station and existing Jeep Track. The system will operate 50 eight-passenger cabins at a speed of 6 metres per second, with a capacity of about 1,000 passengers per hour. It will run from the Botanical Gardens to the hill’s summit, climbing about 700 metres above sea level in under 10 minutes.
Major cable car components are being delivered from Austria, including electromechanical equipment and large bull wheels. Around 60 containers arrived in August, with another batch expected between September and October.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said in April that the project was then 28% complete, with deep foundation works and reinforced concrete piles for the multi-storey car park finished, FMT reported. He said the funicular railway recorded 1.9 million riders in 2025.
The state government is targeting operations to begin in June 2027.
