All set to soar uphill Handover of refurbished funicular train today
PENANG Hill residents will continue to enjoy subsidised rates on the newly refurbished Penang Hill funicular train that will be handed over to the Penang Hill Corporation today.
Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen will officiate at the handover ceremony, which is scheduled to be witnessed by Penang Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas.
The 87-year-old historic funicular train service was halted February last year to facilitate upgrading works by the ministry, which had reportedly spent a total of RM73.8mil on the project.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who is also the head of the corporation’s board of directors, said residents would be able to buy monthly passes at RM24 for unlimited rides once the service reopened.
“Ticket prices for non-residents will be revised and announced at a later date,” he said at a press conference in Komtar yesterday.
He added that the expected launching date when the train service would be open to the public would be announced after the official handover today.
Lim also announced that a four-man Technical Advisory Panel had been set up to ensure a smooth running of the new Penang Hill train.
The committee comprises engineers Ahmad Chik, Datuk Dr Lee Yow Ching, Lim Kok Khong and Soo Kin Hei @ Saw Kean Thai.
A visit to the Penang Hill ground station yesterday showed preparations in full swing for today’s handover ceremony.
The plush, new, blue-coloured air-conditioned coaches, capable of ferrying up to 100 passengers at one go, were also seen making their way up and down the hill ferrying residents at regular intervals.
-News courtesy of The Star-
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