GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government has asked Hartasuma Sdn Bhd (Hartasuma) to conduct a feasibility study for a possible cable car project linking Penang Botanic Gardens and Gurney Bay.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the proposed link would provide another connection between the two major landmarks.
“Penang Botanic Gardens and Gurney Bay are about 2.5km apart.
“We want to see if it is feasible to have a cable car connection.
“This will be a seamless one,” he told newsmen here today.
Chow said that Hartasuma, which is undertaking the ongoing Penang Hill cable car project, was not the concessionaire for this newly proposed link.
“We are only asking them to conduct a study, and we will take it from there,” he said.
Chow was met after witnessing the signing ceremony for the financing facility of the Penang Hill cable car development between Hartasuma and Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Bhd (BPMB).
The RM374.5 million financing facility represents a major step forward for the project as it moves towards full-scale construction.
In April last year, Hartasuma, a leading Malaysian homegrown pioneer in the local rail industry with almost 30 years of experience, formally entered into a contract with Doppelmayr Seilbahnen GmbH, a global market leader in ropeway engineering, for the much-anticipated Penang Hill cable car project.
The Penang Hill cable car project was successfully awarded to Hartasuma through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) on a Design, Finance, Build, Operate and Transfer basis, as announced on Dec 14, 2022, with Doppelmayr providing the cable car system.
In June last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim launched the Penang Hill cable car project, marking a milestone in the state’s efforts to enhance Penang’s tourism infrastructure, improve connectivity and accessibility to Penang Hill, and transform it into a must-visit historic landmark.
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