Penang Hill Railway

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The Penang Hill Railway is a two section funicular railway which climbs Penang Hill from Air Itam, near George Town on the island of Penang in Malaysia. The total journey takes about half an hour, with passengers changing cars at the mid-point station. The train may stop at other intermediate stations upon request.^[1]

Construction of the railway took place between 1906 to 1923, at a cost of 1.5 million Straits dollars. The railway was opened to the public on October 21, 1923. New cars were provided in 1977.

The lower section of the funicular has the following technical parameters:^[2]

• 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:^[3]

• 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

[edit] References

1. ^ Penang Hills Funicular Railway. Joe Thompson. Retrieved on March 12, 2007.
2. ^ Penang Hill Railway (section 1). Funiculars.net. Retrieved on March 12, 2007.
3. ^ Penang Hill Railway (section 2). Funiculars.net. Retrieved on March 12, 2007.

Coordinates: 05°24′55.59″N, 100°16′26.13″E