The Penang Hill Railway is a one section funicular railway

Funicular

A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...

 which climbs Penang Hill

Penang Hill

Penang Hill is a hill resort comprising a group of peaks in Penang, Malaysia. It is located in Air Itam, which is from the city centre of George Town. The hill stands out prominently from the lowlands as a hilly and forested area...

 from Air Itam

Air Itam

Air Itam is a town in Penang, Malaysia. The famous Kek Lok Si Temple and Penang Hill are situated there. A famous Chinese secondary school, named Chung Ling High School, is located in Jalan Air Itam. The State Mosque, or Masjid Negeri, is also located there...

, near George Town

George Town, Penang

George Town was voted as one of the best cities in Asia by Asiaweek, ranked 6th in 1998 and 9th in 2000. More recently, George Town has improved a notch to rank as the 9th most liveable city in Asia in a survey of 254 cities worldwide according to an international location ratings survey by , an...

 on the island of Penang

Penang

Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...

 in Malaysia. The total journey takes about ten to twenty minutes. The train may stop at other intermediate stations upon request.

Construction of the railway took place between 1906 to 1923, at a cost of 1.5 million Straits dollar

Straits dollar

The Straits dollar was the currency of the Straits Settlements from 1904 until 1939. At the same time, it was also used in the Federated Malay States, the Unfederated Malay States, Sarawak, Brunei, and British North Borneo.-History:...

s. The railway was opened to the public on October 21, 1923. New cars were provided in 1977.

From February 2010 until April 25, 2011 , the railway was closed while being upgraded and for new cars to be purchased to increase the passenger capacity and the speed of the train. The new train and current railway, unlike the railway before 2010, does not require passengers to change trains half way up. Passengers have non-stop service in air conditioned cars. The blue, air-conditioned Swiss-made coaches, capable of ferrying up to 100 passengers at one go, run every half hour from 6.30am to 9pm daily.

The new RM73mil system replaces the 87-year-old funicular railway, which was closed in February 2010.

The lower section of the funicular has the following technical parameters:

• Length: 907 metres
• Height: 319 metres
• Maximum Steepness: 50.5%
• Cars: 2
• Capacity: 80 passengers per car
• Configuration: Single track with passing loop
• Journey time: 11 minutes
• Maximum speed: 1.4 metres per second
• Track gauge: 1 metre
• Traction: Electricity

The upper section of the funicular has the following technical parameters:

• Length: 1313 metres
• Height: 367 metres
• Maximum Steepness: 51.3%
• Cars: 2
• Capacity: 80 passengers per car
• Configuration: Single track with passing loop
• Journey time: 13 minutes
• Maximum speed: 1.8 metres per second
• Track gauge: 1 metre
• Traction: Electricity

Fares & Tickets

For Malaysians, the fare for a return ticket is RM8 per adult and RM4 per child aged between three and 12. Senior citizens will enjoy cheaper fares at RM4 per person.

The ride continues to remain free of charge for disabled persons holding the OKU card.

Also unchanged are the fares for Penang Hill residents, licensed traders and hawkers and workers, who can purchase monthly season pass at RM24.

External Link

• Penang Hill Railway official site