CONCESSION AGREEMENT SIGNING CEREMONY DEVELOPMENT OF BUKIT BENDERA CABLE CAR SERVICE UNDER DESIGN, FINANCE, BUILD, OPERATE AND TRANSFER MODE
SPEECH BY YAB TUAN CHOW KON YEOW
THE CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG AND
CHAIRMAN OF PENANG HILL CORPORATION
CONCESSION AGREEMENT SIGNING CEREMONY
DEVELOPMENT OF BUKIT BENDERA CABLE CAR SERVICE UNDER DESIGN, FINANCE, BUILD, OPERATE AND TRANSFER MODE
26TH JUNE 2023, KOMTAR
YB Dato’ Mohd Sayuthi Bin Bakar
Penang State Secretary
YB Zairil Khir Johari
State Executive Councillor for Infrastructure and Transport
YB Yeoh Soon Hin
State Executive Councillor for Tourism and Creative Economy
YBrs. Puan Nur Syazwani Binti Ismail
Director of Penang Botanic Gardens Department
YBhg Dato’ Cheok Lay Leng
General Manager of Penang Hill Corporation
YBhg Tan Sri Ravindran Menon
Group Executive Director of Hartasuma Sdn Bhd
Members of the media
Distinguished guests
Ladies & gentlemen
Good afternoon.
As the chairman of Penang Hill Corporation, I am pleased to welcome all of you to the concession agreement signing ceremony for the Development of Bukit Bendera Cable Car Service under Design, Finance, Build, Operate and Transfer Mode between Penang Hill Corporation (“PHC”) and Hartasuma Sdn Bhd (“Hartasuma”).
This auspicious day marks an important milestone for Penang as we move towards making the Penang Hill cable car project (“Penang Hill Cable Car”) a reality. The journey began on 13 January 2021 with the call for Request For Proposal to solicit the best proposal for the Penang Hill Cable Car service. Due to the pandemic and restricted movement control orders, the validity period was extended to 30th November 2022.
The project was successfully awarded to Hartasuma through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) on Design, Finance, Build, Operate and Transfer basis. This was announced through a press conference on 14th December 2022 with the presence of Tan Sri Ravindran Menon, Hartasuma’s Executive Director.
Hartasuma is a homegrown pioneer in the local rail industry and has almost 30 years of experience in the entire range of project delivery from project management, international supply chain and logistics management, testing and commissioning protocols and project financing.
In addition to Hartasuma’s expertise and experience, I am also pleased to announce that the cable car system for the Penang Hill Cable Car will be provided by Doppelmayr, the global market leader in ropeway engineering.
The Doppelmayr Group has built more than 86 cable car installations located in UNESCO Heritage, Geopark and Biosphere sites as well as National Parks of various countries around the world. Doppelmayr's cable car systems are widely recognised for their reliability, safety, and cutting-edge technology. With their involvement, we are confident that the cable car service on Penang Hill will meet the highest international standards.
Ladies and gentlemen,
This project will take on a holistic approach to ensure that the Penang Hill Cable Car becomes a world-class attraction. The proposed investment of at least RM245 million by Hartasuma encompasses not just the cable car star attraction but also for the beautification of the surrounding areas of Penang Botanic Gardens which will benefit both the locals and the visitors. There will be significantly enhanced amenities and facilities at the area for the comfort of everyone.
This much-anticipated project will not only enhance the tourism products in Penang but also contribute to the socio-economic development of the surrounding areas by creating hundreds of job opportunities.
Furthermore, detailed design is already ongoing to create a well-integrated transportation system with carefully designed traffic management plan at the project site. Among the measures taken to ease the traffic congestions there include: -
- construction of a multi-storey parking complex with ample parking space which will not only cater to the patrons of the Penang Hill Cable Car but also for the regulars and visitors to the Penang Botanic Gardens;
- inclusion of a public transportation station which will provide parking bays for public transports, tour buses and e-hailing services, with carefully designed traffic management in the area; and
- parking space for public vehicles which would ordinarily be found parked along the roadside leading to the Penang Botanic Garden. This will alleviate congestion at the entrance of Penang Botanic Garden and create more open space for public activities.
The Penang Hill Cable Car will also complement the existing funicular railway, which has been a transportation lifeline to residents and visitors of Penang Hill for almost a century. It will help to redistribute traffic, especially during peak seasons, and offer a greener mode of transportation. With an annual visitor population of about 1.4 to 1.8 million, the Penang Hill Cable Car is expected to contribute towards load balancing of the traffic on Penang island.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I wish to emphasise that the Penang Hill Cable Car project will be carried out by comprehensively taking into consideration the environmental and social nuances in the area. Cable car system is widely known as a green, most environmentally sustainable and future proof public transportation mode for terrestrial, hill resorts and urban areas. Cable cars run on electric power and emit very low noise pollution. The construction of cable cars requires minimal cutting of trees so this will not bring detrimental effects to the environment. PHC and Hartasuma are committed to ensure minimal number of towers with small footprints in the design and implementation of this project.
The concessionaire will adopt robust green methods for construction including the use of manual labour to carry out foundation works and adopt a hand-dug caisson method. These measures which do not require heavy machinery will limit on-site clearing and preserve the surrounding greenery. I also assure you that no new roads will be built, and the existing Jeep Track will be used to ferry workers and materials to the base of the towers.
Furthermore, the concessionaire is also working towards certifying the project under the Green Building Index. The buildings on the site will employ sustainable design principles such as permeable surfaces, rainwater harvesting systems, installation of solar panels on the rooftops and electronic vehicle charging stations. By providing an environmentally friendly parking solution, the project promotes the reduction of carbon emissions and encourages sustainable transportation choices.
In addition to these environmental considerations, the award-winning architects working on this project will also develop a contemporary environmentally integrated architecture with world-class standards.
I am hopeful that with our common goal and concerted effort, the concession agreement we are about to sign will gravitate us towards shared progress for a sustainable future in line with my administration’s Penang2030 vision.
In closing, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the parties involved in making the Penang Hill Cable Car a reality. Let us work together in bringing Penang Hill, the hill resort of choice in Malaysia to greater heights and look forward to the remarkable experiences that the Penang Hill Cable Car service will offer.
Thank you.