Singapore cable car
| Singapore Gondola, Sentosa Cable Car Line | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Status | Operational |
| System | Bi-cable gondola detachable |
| Location | Mount Faber / Sentosa, Singapore |
| No. of stations | 6 |
| Open | 15 February 1974 (Mount Faber Line) 14 July 2015 (Sentosa Line) |
| Operation | |
| Carrier capacity | 81 cabins, maximum of 6 adult passengers per cabin, 1400 passengers per hour either way |
| Trip duration | 12 min |
| Technical features | |
| Line length | 1,650 m (5,410 ft) |
The Singapore Cable Car is a gondola lift providing an aerial link from Mount Faber (Faber Peak Singapore) on the main island of Singapore to the resort island of Sentosa across the Keppel Harbour. Opened on 15 February 1974, it was the first aerial ropeway system in the world to span a harbour. However, it is not the first aerial ropeway system to span the sea. For instance, Awashima Kaijō Ropeway in Japan, built in 1964, goes over a short strait to an island. Although referred to by its operators as a cable car, the listed system is in fact a bi-cable gondola lift and not an aerial tramway. A round-trip ticket currently costs SGD 29 for adults and SGD 18 for children.
The Singapore government came up with the idea of a cable car to Sentosa from Mount Faber in 1968 as part of its masterplan for tourism projects in the country. Four years later in 1972, construction on the S$5.8 million system commenced, and was officially opened on 15 February 1974 by then Deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Goh Keng Swee.
During its opening, the system had 43 cabins which required manual opening and closing of doors by cabin attendants. This was increased to 51 cabins in 1976. The show Hawaii Five-O was filmed on the system in the late seventies, while the world's first Mass Weddings on the cable cars was introduced in the late 1970s.
In 1988, the system celebrated its 10 millionth rider. It played hosts to the contestants of the Miss World Pageant when it was held in Singapore in 1989, as well as the sportsmen and officials who were there for the Southeast Asian Games in 1990.
The system's cabins were replaced in 1994 at a cost of over S$11 million. The new cabins totalled 80, and effectively doubled the system's capacity to 1400 passengers per hour in either direction from 700 passengers previously. The upgrade took 25 days to complete, during which time the system suspended operations.
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Wikipedia