The Star Online, 9 January 2013
Temporary closure: Ongoing upgrading works at the Penang Hill lower station.
MORE than 1.2 million people visited Penang Hill in 2012, compared to 693,590 people the previous year.
Penang Hill Corporation (PHC) general manager Maklen Ali said the increasing number of visitors was due to the introduction of the new funicular train in May 2011, and the increasing popularity of Penang Hill as a tourist destination.
“Not only that, a survey conducted by the Auditor-General’s office in 2011 showed that the percentage of customers who rated their satisfaction level as good was more than 88% on various aspects such as cleanliness, safety, staff friendliness as well as disabled-friendly facilities,” said Maklen.
He added that to ensure Penang Hill could continue to achieve its objective of providing efficient services to visitors, PHC was conducting its annual inspection and maintenance from Monday until this Sunday.
During this week, the funicular service is not operating.
The inspection is conducted by the train manufacturer (Garaventa AG) and the train will be validated by the Occupational Safety and Health Department (DOSH).
Among the works that will be carried out during the inspection are tests on trains, tracks, electrical and mechanical systems, as well as the preparedness of PHC’s Emergency Response Plan.
Maklen was speaking to reporters at a press conference held at the Penang Hill lower station yesterday.
Also present were PHC operation manager Mohd Firdaus Ibrahim and PHC technical consultant Datuk Ang Choo Hong.
When asked to comment on an online report which stated that bad design and poor upkeep were the reasons behind the Penang Hill funicular breakdowns, Ang said the allegations were made without substantial proof.
“We need not only reports, but also photographs and accurate calculations to back such claims,” said Ang, adding that PHC could not respond to reports that were unsubstantiated.
Meanwhile, a check at the lower station yesterday showed that the usual volume of vehicles was missing due to the temporary closure of the funicular train services.
However, members of a family from Medan, Indonesia, could be seen snapping pictures outside the hill’s lower station as they were not aware of the closure.
Mohd Tamrin Amiruddin Hamzah, 34, had just arrived in Penang together with his mother and sister two days ago and was looking forward to the trip up the hill.
“Nak buat macam mana. Kami tidak tahu pasal penutupannya. (Nothing can be done as we did not know about the closure of the service),” said Mohd Tamrin.
He added that he might bring his family back to Penang in the future for a trip up the hill.
