Hopping through TV channel tonite make me realized...Hong Kong made it to Discovery Channel again. This time, surprisingly is the Tung Chung Cable car (a small project in hk standard) for some reason is featured as one of the Extreme Engineering. Interesting to see that some many things are from Switzerland. And the original plan for opening it in chinese new year is likely to be delayed


http://dsc.discovery.com/tvlistings/series.jsp?series=115644&gid=9688&channel=DSC

http://dsc.discovery.com/tvlistings/episode.jsp?episode=3&cpi=115644&gid=9688&channel=DSC

Just wondering if anyone has it saved on their PC? Would love to see it! I saw it being constructed in July-Aug 2005, and I have to say, it's an amazing addition to HK's many attractions. That place is out of this world!!!!! Can't wait to see the finished product... mmmmmmm

"Tung Chung Cable Car Project is now named "Ngong Ping 360"".

Here's the official website: http://www.np360.com.hk/html/eng/

It's due to open in 2006.

Wow, so I've to check that out on some BT sites.

Too bad that thing is overpriced.

Should me even more nicer if it's The "Extreme Makeover" :D

http://www.np360.com.hk/html/eng/images/LOGO.gif

http://www.np360.com.hk/html/eng/images/img_cableway_aerial_route.jpg

http://www.np360.com.hk/html/eng/images/img_route.jpg

The Ngong Ping 360 experience includes a stunning 5.7km Cable Car journey with an impressive cultural themed Village, and easy access to the Tian Tan Big Buddha (the world's largest, seated, outdoor, bronze Big Buddha statue).

The Ngong Ping 360 experience commences with a journey on the Ngong Ping Skyrail. This is a visually spectacular 20-25 minute cable car journey, traveling between its Tung Chung and Ngong Ping Terminals.

Disembarking from the cable car at the Ngong Ping Terminal, Ngong Ping 360's guests begin another facet of their experience, a visit to the Ngong Ping Village.

Ngong Ping 360 is Hong Kong's most exciting new tourist development and is now under construction and due to open in 2006.

Lantau cable car will not disappoint, chief vows

He may be new to town, but Bill Calderwood already knows a thing or two about surviving in Hong Kong.

Leslie Kwoh
Hong Kong Standard
Monday, November 21, 2005

He may be new to town, but Bill Calderwood already knows a thing or two about surviving in Hong Kong.

The Aussie knows where to find the city's best shopping, thanks to his wife, and he knows how to say in Cantonese "Hello," "Thank you," and a third phrase which he can't quite recall.

Most importantly, Calderwood - the new general manager for Skyrail- ITM, the cable car operator for Lantau's upcoming attraction, Ngong Ping 360 - says he knows how to keep his company from falling headlong into a situation like Disneyland which had bad publicity prior to and after opening.

The "happiest place on earth" has been bombarded with criticism from dissatisfied staff and visitors, as well as health organizations and green groups, since its opened its gates on September 12.

"We have been observing Disneyland very closely," Calderwood said. "We are learning from other people's experiences, so we know what the challenges and potential problems are."

Though Calderwood declined to reveal exactly where Disneyland went wrong, he did say where he believed Ngong Ping 360 would succeed.

"We aim to build realistic expectations in terms of numbers so that we can over-deliver on our promise," he said. "We don't want to talk up excessively and then disappoint."

Calderwood knows what he's talking about - he's been there before.

As deputy managing director of the Australian Tourism Commission during the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, he dealt with some of the country's most challenging marketing problems.

Calderwood was responsible for answering questions from the more than 1,500 media organizations gathered in Sydney.

He received inquiries regarding the country's treatment of its indigenous people - the Aborigines - as well as questions about environmental measures to protect the ozone layer.

In a near-disaster, Calderwood recalls, a rare species of frog was found to be living at the site for one of the Olympic stadiums. The designs for the stadium were immediately altered so the frog habitat would not be disturbed, he said.

As a result of these experiences, Calderwood is now working closely with green groups on the construction of Ngong Ping 360. A Sustainable Advisory Board has been appointed -comprising members from universities and green groups - to discuss and resolve environmental issues, including how to maintain harmonious relations with neighboring Po Lin monastery.

Set to open sometime next year, Ngong Ping 360 is a 5.7-kilometer cable car line taking visitors on a scenic ride to the Big Buddha at Ngong Ping, near Po Lin monastery.

The bi-cable ropeway, supported by eight towers, will be Asia's biggest cableway and the longest single-ride cableway in the world.

With 112 cabins that can hold 17 passengers each, the system can ferry 3,500 people in each direction hourly.

The attraction will also include a 1.5-hectare mountain-top village boasting a wide selection of shops and eateries, as well as multimedia shows such as "Walking with Buddha" and "Monkey's Tale Theater."

Seen that cable car when I visit my girlfriend in Tung Chung! Very impressive!

It would be nice if it wasnt that expensive to ride it.

i'm expecting this to be amazing and beautiful!! :)

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=276867

not sure if u guys have seen this thread before.

i've been waiting for this :-)

I will so ride it next year when I return to HK.

Hong Kong never ceases to amaze. :)

Yet another reason to return. :banana:

The cars are designed by Pininfarina. That is awesome.

Anyone know how much a ride is? :?

Anyone know how much a ride is? :?

You can check it here (http://www.np360.com.hk/html/eng/price.html)! ;)

http://www.starphotohk.com/hk-place/20051120-TungChung01-600.jpg
http://www.starphotohk.com/hk-place/20051120-TungChung02-600.jpg
http://www.starphotohk.com/hk-place/20051120-TungChung03-600.jpg
http://www.starphotohk.com/hk-place/20051120-TungChung04-600.jpg

http://www.starphotohk.com/hk-place/20051120-TungChung06-600.jpg
http://www.starphotohk.com/hk-place/20051120-TungChung05-600.jpg
http://www.starphotohk.com/hk-place/20051120-TungChung07-600.jpg
http://www.starphotohk.com/hk-place/20051120-TungChung08-600.jpg
http://www.starphotohk.com/hk-place/20051120-TungChung09-600.jpg

http://www.starphotohk.com/hk-place/20051204-NgongPing17-600.jpg
http://www.starphotohk.com/hk-place/20051204-NgongPing24-600.jpg
http://www.starphotohk.com/hk-place/20051204-NgongPing25-600.jpg

Excellent update, the car looks small though. ;)

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=276867

not sure if u guys have seen this thread before.

it's on this wednesday night in the US. :clown: :clown:
but too bad i don't have cable at my place;
now i got to find a friend and hang out with him that night.

HK has made its appearence in every season in Extreme Engineering.
HKIA was in season one; and this new cable car in seaon three.
In season two, DSC uses Tsing Ma Bridge as the boxset cover. hahahhhahaha

http://shopping.discovery.com/product-59639.html?rel_productId=41853

ok then, next time in HK i will take this to the statue and monestary instead of the bus on that "small" mountain road which when i was there last time (feb/march 2004) was like a zig zag because the were working on it like everywere...and since it is a 2 way road sometimes we had trafficjams on our way to big buddha! :)

But it's going to be a scenic ride like the one in Ocean Park :)

Terrence, any more photo updates? How far off until the official opening?

i believe the cable car will definitely be opened by June or even earlier.

Yea, considering they delayed it from Early 2006 to Mid 2006.

South China Morning Post
February 11, 2006
Cable cars' open windows seen as fire hazard
Cheung Chi-fai

The windows of the new Lantau cable cars should be screened to prevent smokers throwing cigarette ends into the shrubs below, a green group said yesterday.

The call came as the MTR Corporation, which will operate the cable car service from Tung Chung to Ngong Ping on Lantau, prepares to test the cabins next month, ahead of a scheduled opening later this year. The 5.7km cable car route is part of the Ngong Ping 360 project, which also includes a new "cultural village".

"We had raised this [smoking] concern even when the system was at the design stage. But the ultimate design has made us worried. Even one cigarette end might lead to a hill fire in the ecologically important areas below," said Alan Leung Sze-lun, a conservation officer with WWF Hong Kong.

To maintain proper ventilation, all 112 cabins have windows at the top. But as there is no electricity in the cabins, smoke detectors could not be installed. Dr Leung suggested installing a screen to ensure items cannot be thrown out.

Glenn Frommer, sustainability development manager of MTR Corp, said no-smoking signs and warning notices would be placed in the cabins and in the terminals.

Dr Frommer said there would be special announcements on fire prevention in dry weather and signs reminding people not to smoke would be everywhere. At the mid-station in Nei Lak Shan where the cable car changes direction, a water tank would be available for handling small fires.

Fire beaters would be available on the emergency trail along the cable car route.

The trail, which is 1.5 metres wide to enable speedy evacuation, is already open for hiking.

Meanwhile, the diversion of the Ngong Ping stream has been completed and river life has returned.

But Dr Frommer said the stream had an excessive level of nutrients, a rich feeding source for algae growth, because toilet and kitchen sewage was being pumped continually into the water from village houses upstream.

He said that improvements could only be made when all these dwellings were connected to the sewage treatment plant in Ngong Ping, which is expected to be completed in the first four months of this year.

I heard on Hong Kong news that a guy got killed building this...

it was about a month ago i think...

what's with all the smoking?????

Boulders narrowly miss cable car staff
MTR Corp changes practices after hikers witness rocks plunging near workers
22 February 2006
South China Morning Post

The MTR Corp is introducing urgent measures to protect workers' and hikers' safety after it was revealed boulders fell from its cable car construction project on Lantau, narrowly missing two workers.

But the rail operator has rejected accusations by conservationists that boulders displaced by the cable car project and related work are being pushed down the hillside to avoid the cost of removing them.

Hikers who saw the incident on February 11 said the rocks missed two workers on an emergency boardwalk by just a metre, while other rocks smashed part of the wooden track.

The boulders fell from a helipad being built near Tower Four of the cable car system that will connect Tung Chung with the Big Buddha.

The hikers reported it to the Green Lantau Association. The federation's Fabian Pedrazzini said yesterday it could only be a result of sustained malpractice on the project. "It is clear to me that large boulders have been deliberately pushed downhill in at least three separate directions," he said. "I estimate this way of disposing surplus material may have saved the MTR Corp 20 helicopter trips."

MTR Corp sustainability development manager Glenn Frommer rejected the allegation, saying it was not necessary to dispose of boulders by helicopter. Instead, the contractor was instructed to break the boulders into smaller pieces and place them on the periphery of the work site.

"What actually happened was the workers lost control of the boulders and they fell off the hill," he said. "Some of these fell down and a piece hit the rescue trail. There were people fixing cables on the trail the other side, and they were shaken by rocks passing."

He was "very surprised" the hikers were there because a sign said: "Construction site, do not enter."

Dr Frommer said the corporation had already reported the incident to the Labour, Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation departments.

A plan would be worked out on how to deal with any remaining boulders that might also fall.

Additional signs had also been erected on the trail to remind hikers to pay attention to their safety.

"It is a regrettable incident and we stopped work immediately. We had to review the situation as we are facing a dangerous situation {hellip} and unstable rocks can fall any time," Dr Frommer said.

The chairman of the project's Sustainability Advisory Board, Richard Welford, said he acknowledged the incident was serious.

"Mistakes have been made along the way and this may well be one of them, but the idea behind having an advisory board was to try and mitigate these and learn from them," he said.

WWF conservation officer Alan Leung Sze-lun said site management should be strengthened to make sure loose materials were removed and dumped properly. "When the rainy season comes, construction waste and loose materials that are not properly handled might wash away," he said.

Hong Kong getting ready to open new skyrail ride to one of Asia's biggest Buddhas
30 March 2006

HONG KONG (AP) - Hong Kong is planning to open its newest tourist attraction in June: a 5.7-kilometer (3.5-mile) skyrail that will take visitors up a mountain to one of Asia's biggest Buddha statues, the operators said Thursday.

The ride, called Ngong Ping 360, will attract 1.5 million tourists per year, said Bill Calderwood, managing director of Skyrail-ITM (Hong Kong) Ltd., which will operate the ride. The firm also owns and manages a cableway ride in Cairns, Australia.

About half to the riders will come from Hong Kong and the rest would come from mainland China and foreign countries, he predicted.

Calderwood declined to share revenue forecasts.

The 20-minute skyrail trip takes visitors up a mountain on Lantau, Hong Kong's biggest island. The ride ends near Asia's biggest outdoor sitting bronze Buddha statue. The attraction also features a model village that includes a tea house, theater and shopping center.

The project was built by Mass Transit Rail Corp., the territory's subway operator. The total cost was about HK$1 billion (US$128.8 million, euro106.7 million), Calderwood said.

The skyrail includes 112 cabins that can carry 17 people, the firm said. Tickets for the ride will sell for HK$88 dollars (US$11, euro9.40) for adults and HK$45 (US$5.70, euro4.80) for children, the firm said. Prices on the weekend and holidays are HK$98 (US$12.60, euro10.47) for adults and HK$50 (US$6.40, euro5.30) for children, it said.

Wedded bliss taken to new heights by cable car
Winnie Chong
Hong Kong Standard
Friday, March 31, 2006

Couples looking for a new marriage venue will soon be able to take their vows in front of a giant Buddha statue or in a nearby Buddhist-themed village following the opening of Hong Kong's latest tourist attraction, Ngong Ping 360.

The 5.7-kilometer cable-car ride, entitled a "journey of enlightenment," has been named Ngong Ping 360 because of the panoramic views travelers will get as the cable car moves from the Tung Chung MTR station to Ngong Ping Village, passing the airport and the Big Buddha along the way. The skyrail will come into service by the end of June to take advantage of July 1, the SAR's Reunification Day holiday.

Buddhist-themed attractions await couples at the 1.5-hectare village boasting 15 shops, 10 eateries and other attractions.

Wedding ceremonies, banquets, conferences and private parties can be held inside the restaurants or outdoors during or after its public opening hours, Skyrail-ITM director of sales and marketing Susan Tse said Thursday.

"In the future, we hope to set up wedding packages to meet the demands of different customers," Tse said.

Skyrail-ITM managing director Bill Calderwood said half the park's expected visitors will be locals while the rest will be from the mainland and overseas. A full package, including the cable-car ride and sightseeing at Ngong Ping, will cost HK$145 on a normal day and HK$155 on holidays.

Photos :
http://www.hkitalk.net/HKiTalk2/viewthread.php?tid=80586&extra=page%3D1

By 968 from a Hong Kong transport forum :

http://www.tintinphoto.com/tintinphoto/imgFiles/personal/776934TEOQB.jpg

http://www.tintinphoto.com/tintinphoto/imgFiles/personal/776935KM014.jpg

http://www.tintinphoto.com/tintinphoto/imgFiles/personal/776936R9Enu.jpg

http://www.tintinphoto.com/tintinphoto/imgFiles/personal/776937u6d55.jpg

Beautiful :D

When are they up and running?

六月啟用 創逾三百職位
昂坪360誓搶遊客
24/04/2006

http://the-sun.orisun.com/channels/news/20060424/img/sn06042405_big.jpg
昂坪360共有一百二十個登山纜車車廂，每個最多可載十七人。

【本報訊】六月底啟用的全新旅遊景點昂坪360東涌纜車將創造逾三百個就業機會，纜車正招聘人員，當中不乏迪士尼樂園跳槽的員工。雖然新景點的規模較兩個主題公園小得多，但負責人決心將昂坪360發展成港人引以自豪的必到景點，料啟用首年可吸引一百五十萬人次參觀。

昂坪360營運商Skyrail-ITM常務董事高德偉表示，昂坪360將聘請約一百八十名員工，包括負責纜車系統的運作與維修、零售及顧客服務等，景點開幕會增聘約一百五十人。迄今已聘請約一百人，部分是來自香港迪士尼樂園及海洋公園的「跳槽」員工。

天壇大佛毗鄰建菩提樹
耗十億元興建的昂坪360，規模雖比海洋公園及迪士尼小，但高德偉有信心吸引所有港人來一試這獨一無二的旅遊新體驗，他預計首年可吸引一百五十萬人次，港人約佔五成二，內地及海外遊客各佔約四分之一。登山纜車六成門票將分配給旅行社分銷商，餘下四成則於網上預訂。

另外，與天壇大佛毗鄰的昂坪市集，營運公司現時正於市集內趕工搭建一棵高十一米的人工菩提樹，向遊客及善信講述佛祖釋迦牟尼在菩提樹下修成正果的故事。昂坪市集建成後將由三個主要景點組成，包括「與佛同行」、「靈猴影院」及「昂坪茶館」。

東涌纜車於六月底啟用，新大嶼山巴士公司估計客量將急跌逾六成，為了「止血救亡」，新大嶼山巴士與地鐵公司合作推出纜車巴士套票，市民日後購買纜車單程票或纜車連景點套票，可以特惠價三十元或更平的價錢購買新大嶼山巴士即日通用票，無限次乘搭巴士暢遊大嶼山。http://the-sun.orisun.com/channels/img/endmarker.gif

RTHK news:
Cable car operators urged to adopt more safety measures (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/elocal/rthk_newsframe.htm?20060424&56&304597)

I hope people from our motherland won't throw cigarettes (or indeed anything) from the cable cars...

Put a trash bin in the each car.

I'm sure they don't want you to be eating, drinking or smoking in the cars to begin with, so a rubbish bin in each car might send the wrong signal IMO...

Put a trash bin in the each car.

Isnt that bad? What if they smoke and the car caught on fire??

I dont think it will be that bad, I mean I havent heard any incidents regarding the cable car in Ocean Park.

Ticket fears as Skyrail counts down to opening
Wendy Leung
Hong Kong Standard
Friday, May 26, 2006

With a lavish ceremony, Skyrail-ITM, operator of the Tung Chung cable car, has kicked off its 30-day countdown to the official opening.

But how individuals can purchase tickets for the new tourist attraction is not totally clear.

Skyrail managing director Bill Calderwood said Thursday the first cable car connecting Tung Chung and Ngong Ping, the site of Lantau's giant Buddha statue, will run at 10am on June 24, departing from both terminals.

"We expect the public will come early," Calderwood said.

Visitors can buy tickets from major travel agents such as Hong Thai Travel and Wing On Travel starting from June 2, the cable car terminals at Tung Chung and Ngong Ping from the opening date, selected MTR stations from July 1 and on the Internet, he said.

But the company did not specify which MTR stations will sell tickets, nor the date that online bookings at its Web site will start.

Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong legislator Lau Kong-wah said further details about ticketing should be announced as soon as possible.

"After the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland and the Wetland Park, we know that local and overseas tourists are eager to try our new attractions," said Lau, adding he hoped Skyrail had noted the Lunar New Year ticketing problems at Disneyland.

Calderwood said the company has crowd management contingency plans and that trial runs will start June 8.

He was confident the cable car, along with the other attractions at Ngong Ping 360 such as Walking with Buddha, Monkey's Tale Theater and the Ngong Ping Tea House, will be a local and overseas family destination.

Lau hoped Skyrail is fully prepared for the opening: "Tourists from overseas want to plan their trips earlier, especially with the summer holidays approaching, and we still don't know when and how to book tickets online."

He added: "The trial runs shouldn't be too close to the opening day, as they will need time for adjustments and improvements."

DAB colleague Chan Kam-lam echoed Lam's concerns: "Is [the lack of information] because the company is not well prepared? And it has to announce early if the tickets are sold out."

He urged Skyrail "not to repeat the mistakes made by Disneyland. Otherwise it will damage the reputation of Hong Kong tourism."

Skyrail operates similar cable cars at Sydney's Taronga Zoo and the Rainforest Cableway in Queensland.

The cable car is expected to carry 15,000 passengers on its first day, and between 50,000 and 80,000 passengers in the first week after opening. It is also forecast to attract 1.5 million visitors a year.

Round-trip tickets are HK$88 for adults and HK$45 for children. Single trips are HK$58 for adults and HK$28 for children during non-holidays.

MTR Press Release:
Start Your Journey of Enlightenment with "NP360" MTR Commemorative Ticket Set (http://mtr.com.hk/eng/corporate/file_rep/PR-06-040-E.pdf)

http://www.mtr.com.hk/news/sale_np360/np360_presales_email.jpg

The cable car station looks ugly.

Anyway, anyone seem Cowboy Bebop the Movie? Whenever I see the cable car I want to see Hong Kong build a hanging monorail like in the anime.

High winds disrupt Lantau cable car's first trial
Records show ride may be interrupted many days a year
9 June 2006
South China Morning Post

Gale-force winds exceeding 90km/h near the site of the Big Buddha on Lantau disrupted the Ngong Ping 360 cable car on the first day of trials yesterday.

Media invited to try out the ride in the afternoon were informed at 3pm they would be bused to Ngong Ping rather than go by cable car after high winds were detected near the intermediate station on Nei Lak Shan. By 5pm, weather conditions had improved enough to experience the return trip by cable car.

Bill Calderwood, managing director of Skyrail-ITM which operates the ride, said adverse weather in the area, including a typhoon signal number 8, black rainstorm warning, lightning or electrical storms, and prolonged periods with winds topping 90km/h could result in the cable car ride being suspended for safety reasons.

As much advance notice as possible would be given regarding delays, and public notices and announcements would be made through the media. Refunds would be provided for the unused portion of tickets.

"We are constantly monitoring the weather conditions," he said. He pointed out that wind conditions at Ngong Ping and Tung Chung, where the cable car ride starts, were different.

The operator has a link to the Hong Kong Observatory, allowing it to check weather patterns.

The new tourist attraction also features the Ngong Ping Village, with shops, eateries and entertainment. The Hong Kong Tourism Board expects it to have special appeal to families and long-haul travellers. It opens on June 24.

The cable car ride at Ocean Park in Aberdeen is stopped if wind speeds exceeding 75km/h are detected at least three times within 30 minutes, a spokeswoman for the marine park said.

http://the-sun.orisun.com/channels/news/20060609/img/sn03060902_big.jpg

http://the-sun.orisun.com/channels/news/20060609/img/sn03060903_big.jpg

http://the-sun.orisun.com/channels/news/20060609/img/sn03060901_big.jpg

昂坪市集面積不算大，但內有多間食肆、茶館及精品店。

I think the Ngong Ping 360 will become a brand-new tourist attraction before long, but I'm quite disappointed by the general design of the Ngong Ping bazaar, those buildings seems too artificial, not as aesthetically pleasing as Chi Lin Nunnery.

交通配套不足 指路牌欠清晰
昂坪吊車開幕恐混亂
12/06/2006

http://the-sun.orisun.com/channels/news/20060612/img/sn05061201_big.jpg

http://the-sun.orisun.com/channels/news/20060612/img/sn05061202_big.jpg

【本報訊】昂坪360纜車將於本月二十四日正式投入服務，離島區議員和運輸署官員昨日到東涌纜車站巡視，了解當地的交通配套設施。有議員批評，纜車站附近的車位不足，指路牌亦欠清晰，擔心開幕日會造成混亂，不過，運輸署認為，現有設施已足可容納每日過萬人的載客量。

運輸署助理署長羅鳳屏及離島區議會多位議員，包括民建聯立法會議員譚耀宗，昨日早上視察東涌的交通設施，議員發現東涌地鐵站內有關昂坪吊車的指路牌不足，車站對開迴旋處的設計亦不妥善，擔心吊車啟用後引致擠塞。離島區議會副主席周轉香指出，若同一時間有四、五千人到達東涌纜車站，恐怕來不及疏導，又擔心一旦旅遊巴過多會對東涌地鐵站附近一帶交通造成擠塞。

大風暴雨會停駛
昂坪360常務董事高德偉預期，九成旅客均會以公共交通工具前往東涌纜車站，並會較多選乘鐵路前往，故此，不太擔心對東涌地鐵站對開的迴旋處造成擠塞，相信配套措施已足夠。高德偉又表示，如果遇到大風或黑色暴雨，會停駛吊車。

另外，昂坪360昨日亦安排三千名地鐵員工試搭纜車，地鐵員工吳先生謂，乘纜車可欣賞附近景色，但擔心假日或會較擠迫。另一位試搭的員工張先生則指出，昂坪市集景點不足，建議增加更多景點。 http://the-sun.orisun.com/channels/img/endmarker.gif

will it be open by August?...i mean fully operational?...how mmuch per ride is this...i would love to try this...looks awesome

will it be open by August?...i mean fully operational?...how mmuch per ride is this...i would love to try this...looks awesome

http://www.np360.com.hk/html/eng/front/index.html

http://www.np360.com.hk/html/eng/front/index.html


ok i'll check...is there a change the route of Ngong Ping will allow a good view of Chek Lap Kok?....would love to see that..

w00t! can't wait to check it out this summer!

If only it wasnt that expensive. :(

If only it wasnt that expensive. :(

I agree. I went to the official site to take a look and the costs seem a bit steep. I've already been to the Buddha and it seems as if the new shoppes and restaurants are not too spectacular.

If anyone gets a chance to take this trip, please let me know if it's worth it.

Skyrail (Ngong Ping 360) incident
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Government Press Release

Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) is concerned about the service interruption of the Skyrail system which occurred during its trial operation this (June 17) afternoon. EMSD engineers have been on site after the incident to carry out investigation.

EMSD is working with the Skyrail Company to identify the causes of the service interruption today and the improvement measures required to ensure the Skyrail system could operate safely and smoothly before putting into service for the public.

高溫乾煎兩小時 試搭活動腰斬
昂坪纜車又故障500人半天吊
18/06/2006
太陽報

http://the-sun.orisun.com/channels/news/20060618/img/sn04061801_big.jpg

http://the-sun.orisun.com/channels/news/20060618/img/sn04061810_big.jpg

http://the-sun.orisun.com/channels/news/20060618/img/sn04061808_big.jpg

尚有不足一星期便啟用的東涌纜車「昂坪360」，昨午招待地鐵員工試搭時發生系統故障，多架纜車停在半空，約五百名乘客被困，在近三十二度高溫下「乾煎」逾兩小時，這次已是纜車試搭活動第三次出現故障，不少經歷空中驚魂的乘客對纜車系統表示憂慮。纜車公司則暫停今日的試搭活動，並為事故向乘客致歉，至於需否延遲原定二十三日的開幕，則仍須研究。機電工程署亦關注事件，並派遣工程師抵達現場調查原因。環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬昨晚表示，纜車並非運輸項目，是否延遲啟用應由旅遊部門決定。

昨日的試搭活動共接待五千名地下鐵路公司員工及家屬，纜車在下午出現故障，至三時半多架纜車在行駛中途更出現停頓，五百多名乘客被困車廂，期間有人等得不耐煩，在車廂內站立拍照打發時間，但纜車又不時向前移動，險象環生。纜車公司馬上進行維修，至下午近六時左右，系統才逐漸恢復運作，將被困乘客分批送達纜車站。

纜車距離太近出事
大批乘客因為故障滯留在昂坪車站大排長龍，昨日是入夏以來最高溫的一天，乘客一度不滿鼓譟。

「昂坪360」常務董事高德偉表示，初步調查發現故障並不涉及任何人為因素，纜車停止運作與部分車廂距離太接近有關，故障並無對乘客構成危險。該公司發言人補充，事發時一輛無載人纜車在昂坪埋站停下，但隨後而至的纜車因距離太接近發生輕微碰撞，其後到站的纜車亦出現同樣情況，相信系統有故障，經四十五分鐘搶修仍然未能回復正常，服務因而停頓。

原定今天的試搭活動暫停，纜車公司已向受影響乘客發信，表示會安排他們再來乘搭；寶蓮禪寺住持釋智慧原定今日試搭纜車亦作罷。立法會交通事務委員會主席劉江華強調，東涌纜車已非首次出現故障，地鐵公司應盡快找出原因，若發現有解決不到的技術問題，應考慮延遲開放使用。

至於曾應邀試搭及給予意見的理大機械工程學系工程師盧覺強則相信，故障是由於電腦操作出現問題所致，但纜車的結構及運作均屬安全。他認為，只要工作人員熟習如何調節系統後，故障問題便會減少。

本月至今三次故障
昨日已是東涌纜車試行以來第三次出現故障，纜車公司原定於上周五早上十時，招待三千名殘障人士及長者，結果系統故障延遲四十分鐘。本月八日招待傳媒試搭亦因強風要延遲三小時。

Wow....3 interruptions before its even open. Good thing they are only testing with MTR employees.

Are there safety issues on early stages?...

a TV show call 5 Takes - a Travel Channel series and web blogs about 5 young travel jouralists (www.5takes.com), the new series going to pacific rim (YES!) - Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Cambodia/Thailand.
Here is from one of the blog page... just think you guys may like to read:

Copyright @2006 Discovery Connunications Inc.
For more informaiton visit www.5takes.com
June 7, 2006


Today we got out of Cell Block 8 -- otherwise known as our tiny hostel room -- and went to see the Tien Tan, or big Buddha. It was about a half an hour boat ride out to island and then another half an hour shuttle ride to the site. We arrived at this amazing Buddhist temple engulfed in a huge cloud. The fog was intensely thick adding to the mystery of being on an island in the middle of an ancient forest on the property of monks. We stumbled upon some huge incense pots just a bit smaller than a car with incense sticks the size of small logs burning as offerings. The scent was amazing as the red incense sticks, encrusted with Chinese writings, burned in the fog.

The huge Chinese architecture surrounded us as we explored this place. It looked exactly like a postcard of what you would think China would look like. They even had a huge pool with lily pads and Coy fish. The whole time we had sort of been wondering where this big Buddha was and finally when the clouds cleared, we looked up and there it was. It was huge!! The Buddha was perched on top of a large hill and towered over the entire monk village. One of the Buddha’s fingers was probably two times the size of my body. We walked up the 200-plus stairs and saw this massive metal structure up close. It was quite a sight and when the fog rolled in again it made it even more mysterious.

After the fantastic Buddha we drove to a tourist village pronounced "ong ping" and it was one of the lamest things I have seen on the trip. It was horrible. I am not even Buddhist and I was offended. Tiffany put it best when she said "Buddha has sold out." Complete with a Starbucks and fake trees, they made a religion into basically Disneyland and have a cheesy "Walking with Buddha" with a huge plastic Buddha and all of his teachings in big simple colorful letters and a laser show. You then make a wish with a coin and get the full "enlightenment" experience. They took us into this big screen movie theater with fake trees on the inside. Then a kids' cartoon with some Buddhist statues came on the screen as we watched basically a roadrunner cartoon with monkeys. I kept thinking of slogans they will probably have in the future: "Come to be enlightened by a fake plastic Buddha ... brought to you by McDonalds." Absolutely the lamest tourist trap on the planet. I would absolutely recommend going to see the real monk village and the Tien Tan Buddha, but stay clear of the "ong ping" tourist village.

RTHK news:
Cable car operator says Lantau ride may not open on schedule 2006-06-18 HKT 16:00

The operator of the Ngong Ping 360 cable car says it's not confident that the ride can be opened to the public as scheduled this coming Saturday. A trial run yesterday left 500 passengers stranded in mid-air for two hours. Chairman of Skyrail-ITM, Ken Chapman, said the problem was caused by an error in the programming system, and had nothing to do with the safety of the ride. Mr Chapman apologised for the inconvenience caused.

From news.gov.hk:
Passenger safety a must: Stephen Ip (http://news.gov.hk/en/category/businessandfinance/060619/html/060619en03002.htm)

RTHK news:
Official opening of cable car postponed 2006-06-19 HKT 19:07

Betsy May Veloo reports (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/video/ram/mfile_318986_1.ram)

The official opening of Hong Kong's latest tourist attraction - the Ngong Ping 360 cable car system - on Lantau has been postponed due to technical problems. It was scheduled for this Friday, but a computer glitch that saw 500 passengers stranded during a trial run on Saturday has forced the cable operator to postpone it to a later date.


--We gotta want for some time. :|

At least they are not missing a lot now, since it is not the peak of the tourist season.

Too bad that they let this bloody Australian company to run this bloody thing...
I can't imagine how the bloody hell the cable car will operate in the future... XD

"The Ropeways manufacturer has identified a programming issue with the
system that controls spacing of the cabins, and has reprogrammed the system
to overcome this. However, Skyrail-ITM is continuing its investigation of the
incident in order to identify whether there are any other contributing factors
involved. This investigation is ongoing and we will provide a further update
once it is completed."

I sat on it beofre and it was really very cool, especially it was winter at that time..

Is this more likely to be close up to August?

I sat on it beofre and it was really very cool, especially it was winter at that time..

It wasnt even complete/testing in the winter, how did you sat on it?? lol!

Do you mean the cable car in Ocean Park??

RTHK news:
Tourism Board chairperson supports delaying cable car opening 2006-06-20 HKT 15:03

Chairperson of the Tourism Board, Selina Chow (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/video/ram/mfile_319223_1.ram)

The chairperson of the Tourism Board, Selina Chow, has downplayed the impact of the delay in opening Hongkong's latest tourist attraction - the cable car system on Lantau. The postponement follows computer problems that disrupted trials last weekend. Tour companies face having to refund clients who've booked rides. Mrs Chow - who's an Executive Councillor - said it was important to ensure that everything was working smoothly.

Hong Kong delays MTR Corp - Skyrail-ITM tourism cable car service launch
20 June 2006
AFX Asia

HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - Skyrail-ITM (Hong Kong) Ltd said it will delay the launch of a new cable car service designed to take tourists to the world's largest statue of Buddha after glitches during last weekend's trial run left hundreds of people hanging in mid-air for two hours.

The launch of the so-called Ngong Ping 360, which had been due to open next Saturday, will be put back indefinitely, while operators investigate the cause of the breakdown.

In a statement, Skyrail-ITM gave no date for the new launch of the service.

The cable car, which took over two years to build, is designed to glide 5. 7 kilometers over hills to a culturally-themed village near Hong Kong's Big Buddha statue.

The project is being developed and financed by the MTR Corporation, which was awarded a 30-year build-operate-transfer franchise in 2002, following a competitive tendering process.

Skyrail-ITM, a Cairns-based Australian company, has the official operations management contract for the cableway and themed village tourism project.

Is this more likely to be close up to August?

A report from Ming Pao today says the NP 360 could be opened on late July at most.

昂坪纜車料7月底前啟用

【明報專訊】東涌纜車「昂坪360」最遲可於7月底啟用。據了解，纜車營運商Skyrail發現，上周六(17日 )令500名乘客被困2小時的纜車車廂互觸意外，除了是電腦系統出現故障外，亦涉及機械及操作問題，目前仍有待解決﹔纜車公司稍後將會重新進行測試，包括邀請乘客試搭，再定確實啟用日期。有消息指，纜車系統料可於7月底前正式通車。

機械操作問題待解決

Skyrail發言人昨日接受本報查詢時說，調查工作目前仍未有結論，公司亦未定出通車日期。

據本報了解，上周六兩部纜車在昂坪站內車廂互觸的事故，除了如早前所說涉及電腦系統故障，原來亦涉及機械及操作問題。消息指，當時兩部纜車的車身互相接觸後，系統即時「鎖死」，而工作人員當日的反應，確實未夠快速，以致500名乘客被困在纜車上整整兩句鐘。Skyrail的工程人員及纜車系統承建商目前仍在努力尋求解決方案。

工程師學會前會長梁廣灝指出，纜車在進入車站時，纜車頂部的扣件會跟拉動車廂的纜索分開，以便減速停站，他估計事故的機械問題可能涉及有關零件，問題應不難解決。

再邀乘客試搭

至於試車的程序，消息指纜車公司早在載客運行前，已按照軌道的最高容量，安排109部纜車同時運作，惟當時沒有出現同類問題。纜車公司稍後會進行更多測試，包括安排真實載客的「人肉」測試，估計纜車系統可以在7月底前正式通車。

另外，Skyrail主席簡卓民昨日則與多名旅遊業界人士開會。有份出席會議的香港旅行社協會執委胡兆英稱，對方未能確切承諾纜車何時才可啟用，只強調要等待故障調查報告完成後，才重訂啟用日期，業界只寄望調查盡快完成。旅發局主席周梁淑怡則相信，纜車延遲啟用不會影響香港旅遊業形象，目前最重要是確保啟用後的安全。她拒絕評論今次事件是否纜車公司的疏忽，認為要留待公司向公眾交代。

曾大力反對纜車項目的寶蓮禪寺住持釋智慧法師則批評，政府當初沒有考慮大嶼山北部的氣候環境，現在是「自食其果」，更直言政府應考慮拆掉纜車，「(纜車 )一年不開對我們好，永遠不開更好」。 (My opinion on this monk: :rant: as he wanted to pull down the cable car! :rant: :rant: )


http://www.mingpaonews.com/20060621/_21gg$006.jpg

東涌纜車「昂坪360」自上周六出事後，近日的試搭活動悉數取消。據了解，營運商Skyrail估計纜車系統可在下月底前正式啟用。（董玉金攝）

Humidity and faulty walkie-talkies also blamed in cable-car fiasco
Wendy Leung
Hong Kong Standard
Thursday, June 22, 2006

Computer programming errors were not the sole cause of the two-hour breakdown of Lantau's Ngong Ping 360 cable cars last Saturday, according to a source who told The Standard about a combination of factors including underestimating how humidity at the site would affect sensors, disconnection of staff walkie-talkies and a lack of staff training.

"The system had problems very often, partly because Ngong Ping is too foggy and humid for the sensors that help control the distance between the passenger gondolas," the source said. "The breakdowns became longer when all 109 cable cars were installed."

There are more than 30 spacing sensors installed in each of the cable car's four stations. The sensors' manufacturer underestimated the humidity in Ngong Ping, the source claimed.

"The incident involved a problem with the system that controls spacing of the cableway cabins in the Ngong Ping Skyrail Terminal and led to a delay in operations," operator Skyrail-ITM said earlier.

Skyrail chairman Ken Chapman said Sunday: "The manufacturer already identified the programming error."

Skyrail used water buckets to simulate the weight of passengers in the gondolas for tests for more than two months before the trials, but for most of the time ran only 84 cable cars instead of 109, the source said.

Ocean Park public affairs manager Christine Anne Lau said its 29-year-old cable-car system has preventative measures to deal with humidity.

Skyrail communications manager Wings Mok Wing-sze said the company would not comment further before its investigation report is completed.

The source also said the walkie- talkies used by staff suffered poor radio reception during the two-hour incident.

There were only two staff at the Ngong Ping terminal at the time, the source said, and they had to manually push two cabins that had bumped into each other into the depot, and this prolonged the breakdown time.

Management were aware of the radio reception problem earlier, the source said. The source also claimed staff training was inadequate.

The 13 operators had received less than two months' training from Skyrail staff before the trials commenced. Operators at Ocean Park must hold mechanical and electrical certificates, receive seven months of training and sit for exams from the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department. The source said none of the operators have an engineering background.

Mok said she could not remember how long the operators had trained, but each had passed the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department exam.

Cable-car subcontractor Leitner Ropeways would not comment.

The source said Skyrail hoped to reopen the cable car in a month's time.

Skyrail identifies cable-car glitch but puts lid on results
Staff reporter
Hong Kong Standard
Saturday, June 24, 2006

Skyrail-ITM has submitted to the government a preliminary investigation report pinpointing the cause of the disruption to Lantau's Ngong Ping 360 cable cars which left 500 people stranded in midair last week.

In a brief statement Friday, the government said the report had been submitted to the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, which is now studying it and that "follow-up actions and on-site monitoring of tests conducted by Skyrail will be undertaken by EMSD staff to confirm the cause of the incident and the improvement measures required."

Both the department and Skyrail refused to disclose the findings Friday, although Skyrail chairman Ken Chapman will announce the results of the investigation at a press conference at 2pm Saturday.

The Standard reported Thursday that computer programming errors were not the sole cause of the disruption.

According to a source, a combination of factors including underestimating how humidity at the site would affect sensors, disconnection of walkie- talkies and a lack of staff training were also involved.

"The system had problems very often, partly because Ngong Ping is too foggy and humid for the sensors that help control the distance between the passenger gondolas," the source said.

"The breakdowns became longer when all 109 cable cars were installed."

There are more than 30 spacing sensors installed in each of the cable car's four stations.

Skyrail earlier said the incident involved "a problem with the system that controls spacing of the cableway cabins" in the Ngong Ping Skyrail Terminal and led to a delay in operations.

The public launch of the cable car, originally scheduled for today, has been postponed pending further tests.

No new date has been set for the opening of the ride to Lantau's Big Buddha.

RTHK news:
3 faults delay cable car trial run 2006-06-24 HKT 15:16

The operator of the new cable car system on Lantau says a glitch that saw 500 passengers stranded during a trial run last week was caused by three separate faults on the system. The chairman of the operator, Skyrail-ITM, Ken Chapman, said the three problems combined explained the almost two-hour delay. Mr Chapman also said the company had not set the reopening date of the service which was originally planned to open to the public today.

Breakdown 'could leave Skyrail riders stranded'
Hong Kong Standard
Wendy Leung
Thursday, June 29, 2006

In the event of a breakdown at Lantau's Ngong Ping 360, cabins cannot be recalled manually and stranded passengers will have to be rescued by emergency services, the Legislative Council was told Wednesday.

Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Stephen Ip Shu-kwan said experts had ruled the manual recall of stranded cabins to be both "difficult and dangerous."

He said: "The most important thing will be to ensure the passengers are safe and then try to track down the problem.

"If the problem is a power failure, then the operators should be able to activate a back-up battery system to rescue the passengers."

If the problem is mechanical or a failure of the system, the Fire Services Department, the Government Flying Service and the Civil Aid Service will assist operator Skyrail-ITM, he said.

Ip said fire services staff had already received intensive training under such a rescue plan.

He also clarified that, according to the Hong Kong Observatory's wind speed data, it is likely the cable-car service will only be suspended for 23 hours a year on average, spread over seven days, instead of the previous figure of 55 days.

"Instead of 55 days, calculated earlier on wind speeds during a 24-hour period, we are talking about wind speeds during operating hours, that is between 9am and 6.30pm, so seven days is a more accurate estimation," Ip said.

He stressed that operators of cable- car systems in other countries also suspended operations in bad weather to ensure passenger safety.

The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department is currently studying a report submitted by Skyrail concerning the stranding of 500 passengers during a trial run earlier this month.

The report said the problem was due to a combination of three factors - a fault with the computer system controlling the spacing of cable cars; a friction problem on the conveyor rail system; and a failure of the gate leading into the cable-car parking area.

Ip said the three problems were not supposed to happen, but they did.

He said the government, MTR Corp and Skyrail were in agreement that the system should not be opened until all tests had been satisfactorily completed.

Liberal Party legislator and Tourism Board chief Selina Chow Liang Shuk- yee feared Hong Kong's tourism image could be affected if visitors were unable to enjoy their trip to Lantau should Skyrail become overcrowded or when the system is suspended because of the weather.

Ip said the government will discuss with Skyrail the possibility of arranging coaches to transport such tourists to other attractions like the Po Lin Monastery and the Wisdom Path, an outdoor wooden replica of the centuries-old Heart Sutra.

http://static.flickr.com/64/179636718_ba792e1abc_o.jpg

It wasnt even complete/testing in the winter, how did you sat on it?? lol!

Do you mean the cable car in Ocean Park??

Yes the one at ocean park..

Wow, it must be bad to be stuck above the water for 2 hours.

I'd hate to get stuck when nature calls.

Although it's probably easier to get rescued above water than over the mountains.

http://ihs.meric.hk/rforum.php/38004.jpg

I was wondering what those red/white balloons are?

I was wondering what those red/white balloons are?

Actually those balls are helicopters to avoid collusion with the wires. There are the lights at night.

RTHK news:
No decision yet on Lantau cable car's opening date 2006-07-13 HKT 17:47

http://www.rthk.org.hk/APSuppics/mfile_56_325525_2.jpg

Managing Director of Ngong Ping 360, Bill Calderwood (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/video/ram/mfile_325525_1.ram)

The operator of the new Lantau cable car says the firm has yet to set a new opening date, after the original grand opening was postponed last month due to a series of glitches during a trial run. Hundreds of passengers had been left stranded in mid-air for two hours during the breakdown. The Managing Director of Ngong Ping 360, Bill Calderwood, says the company has now completed a series of systematic reliability tests, and results have been submitted to the Government. He said further tests will be conducted before guests are invited back for another trial run.

Cable car opening date still uncertain
Wendy Leung
Hong Kong Standard
Friday, July 14, 2006

The exact date for the official opening of the controversial Lantau cable car, at the Ngong Ping 360 attraction, is still undecided, after the original grand opening was postponed due to a series of glitches during a trial run last month, according to operator Skyrail-ITM.

Asked if the opening will be before September, Skyrail managing director Bill Calderwood said Thursday that the company cannot make that decision at this stage.

The company and the government are in talks to decide the opening date as well as the number of trial runs required before the opening, a source said.

Skyrail will resume trial runs for 7,000 invited guests, including the 500 people who were stranded in motionless cabins for two hours last month, Calderwood said, without giving either the number or date of the trials.

June's two-hour stoppage caused the postponement of the original opening, which had been set for late last month.

"The company hopes to do the trial runs quicker, but the government wants to take things slowly," the source said, adding that the cable car is expected to open before late August.

Calderwood said: "We will soon perform preparatory tasks, including drills and contingency tests where staff will familiarize themselves with fine- tuned systems and adjusted operational procedures."

Once the two-week preparatory tasks are completed, there will be trial runs again, he said.

"When trial runs start depends on the success of the preparatory tasks," Calderwood said.

The government and MTR Corp, the owners of the cable car, will jointly decide the opening day, he said.

A series of systematic reliability tests were completed Wednesday, and a report has been submitted to the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, Calderwood said.

A department spokesman said it has received the reliability test report and is scrutinizing it.

Calderwood said the company had already fine-tuned the systems after an investigation by the company and the manufacturer, Leitner.

"Adjustments have been made and there has been no recurrence of the previous technical issues in subsequent testing," Calderwood said.

He reiterated that safety is the first priority, despite the extra tests and investigations costing the company.

The 14 shops in Ngong Ping Village, a tourist site at the uphill terminal next to the Big Buddha, do not have to pay rent to the company until the opening, Calderwood added.

Patrick Wong Man-sau, manager of Wing Wah, which operates a teahouse, described the incident as very "unfortunate."

Wong said: "The rent doesn't mean a lot. The biggest loss to us is our staff cost. We have more than 10 staff."

RTHK news:
Lantau cable car operator needs two more weeks for tests (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/elocal/news.htm?elocal&20060718&56&326885)

Gallant 600 for troubled cable car trip
Wendy Leung
Hong Kong Standard
Thursday, July 27, 2006

For the first time in six weeks, 600 volunteers will attempt another "journey of enlightenment" by riding the Lantau cable car system.

The volunteers comprise MTR staff who have been lured to the skyrail with restaurant and drink coupons to be used at the various outlets should they reach their destination.

The last journey on June 17 turned into a nightmare when the system broke down, leaving 500 passengers dangling in midair for up to two hours without food or drink even though there were emergency supplies in the various gondolas.

Skyrail-ITM managing director Bill Calderwood said Saturday's drill is part of preparations designed to give ground and mechanical staff more experience in dealing with emergencies should they occur.

These include calming stranded passengers and informing them where they can get emergency supplies until they are manually rescued.

There have been extensive drills since the last fiasco and both service and emergency staff are now better prepared, Calderwood said. However, one member of staff, who declined to give his name, said he is not yet ready to take the test. "I don't want to try that out again as I was left hanging in midair for two hours the last time I entered a gondola," he said.

No exact date has been set for the latest runs, but Calderwood said earlier Skyrail would invite up to 7,000 guests, including the 500 people who were stranded last month, to take part in the drill leading up to the grand opening of Hong Kong's newest tourist attraction.

He again insisted that MTR staff could not manually recall gondolas in the event of a breakdown and hence the need for staff to learn how to retrieve stranded passengers should this be necessary.

Contrary to reports, Calderwood said despite the teething problems the Skyrail was experiencing, staff morale had risen in recent weeks.

The Standard understands some staff have received a 10percent pay rise. "In line with our company policy, we have adjusted salaries in July to reflect the rise in the cost of living over the past 12 months," Calderwood said.

RTHK news:
Lantau Cable car ready for August opening 2006-07-29 HKT 18:28

The Managing Director of the Ngong Ping 360 cable car line, Bill Calderwood, says he's confident that the system will be ready to open by the end of August. Speaking after a test run today in windy and rainy conditions, Mr Calderwood said he was satisfied with the results. Some 600 people had participated in the latest trial. An earlier test last month had left 500 passengers stranded in midair due to a computer glitch, and had forced the postponement of the original grand opening date in June.

With the glitches I'm really worried about taking the cable car in summer.

Summer safety procedures before boarding the Cable car:

1. Go to toilet
2. Bring water
3. Check cellphone make sure it's operational
4. Carry an umbrella

Anything else?

^^ get life insurence...LOL

六百人風雨試搭 自己友讚不絕口
昂坪纜車或下月啟用
30/07/2006
太陽報

http://the-sun.orisun.com/channels/news/20060730/img/sn07073004_big.jpg


東涌纜車昂坪360系統運作在上月發生故障後，一直啟用無期，昨日雖然風雨交加，纜車仍按預定計劃進行調整系統後首次載人試行，六百名地鐵及九鐵員工自願性參加一連兩日的演習，活動結束後，昂坪360常務董事高德偉指出，滿意昨日測試成績，雖然昨日天氣不穩定，但沒有影響纜車運作，他有信心纜車可在八月底前正式通車。參與試行的部分兩鐵員工表示，纜車表現穩定，有人更稱「定過海洋公園的吊車」。

六百名自願參與試載的地鐵及九鐵員工分別在昨日及今日分批乘坐纜車，昨日約有二百名員工分別可獲五十元及八十元的車馬費。本港昨日整天下細雨，東涌及昂坪更風雨交加、陣陣涼意，纜車在風雨下載人運行，風雨不時吹打得車身搖晃，潮濕天雨下，煙霧圍繞纜車，試搭的員工亦無從欣賞窗外景色。

天氣欠佳纜車仍穩定
纜車試搭行動本來在十時三十分開始，昨日纜車公司提早十五分鐘讓員工入場。九鐵員工林先生表示不擔心試搭會發生故障，他說：「都測試了很久，應該無問題才讓員工試坐。」

試乘纜車的員工大都滿意纜車表現，九鐵員工李小姐指出，非常滿意纜車穩定性，遺憾是天氣不佳，無法在纜車欣賞海景，但感覺十分好。亦有員工稱，車廂雖然不時被風雨吹打，但只感到輕微搖晃，認為昂坪360「定過海洋公園的吊車」。

天氣欠佳，不少遊客都放棄由山路步行上天壇大佛，原本地鐵及九鐵公司安排員工在下午兩時至四時才試乘回程纜車，亦因此提早在中午十二時半載員工離開。

高德偉昨日回應活動時表示，測試纜車一切運作正常，並且有信心可於八月底前正式通車。高又指，雖然昨日天文台發出了雷暴警告，但由於風勢不算太大，故未有取消測試。

By jkwans from a Hong Kong transport forum :

http://333.fotoc.com/jkwans/d/1377-2/DSC_5523.jpg

http://333.fotoc.com/jkwans/d/1381-2/DSC_5528.jpg

http://333.fotoc.com/jkwans/d/1384-2/DSC_5529.jpg

http://333.fotoc.com/jkwans/d/1387-2/DSC_5530.jpg

http://333.fotoc.com/jkwans/d/1390-2/DSC_5531.jpg

http://333.fotoc.com/jkwans/d/1393-2/DSC_5534.jpg

At least they have this thing running.

When is it scheduled to run now?

RTHK news:
Ngong Ping 360 cable car to hold media test runs tomorrow 2006-08-29 HKT 00:19

The Ngong Ping 360 cable car will again hold test runs for the media tomorrow. The opening of the line has been delayed several times because of safety and technical issues. The Secretary for Economic Development and Labour, Stephen Ip, said the main concern was when Skyrail would open, rather than whether the operator should compensate for the delays. The Lantau Island cable car was originally scheduled to begin operations on June the 24th.

Lantau cable car aims for Golden start
Wendy Leung
Hong Kong Standard
Thursday, August 31, 2006

The Ngong Ping 360 cable car system on Lantau is expected to open before National Day, or what is known in the mainland as the Golden Week, the operator said.

Skyrail-ITM managing director Bill Calderwood said he will be meeting with the government and MTR Corp, the cable car owner, to decide on the exact date after a series of trials ends Tuesday.

"We have some options and we will also seek the opinion of a fung shui master," Calderwood said Wednesday.

The first 10 days of October in the mainland are a boom time for local tour companies and retail shops.

Calderwood expects the number of visitors using the Skyrail during this period to reach its daily capacity of 7,500 or about 50,000 a week.

"Ideally, the opening day should not be too close to the Golden Week," said Hong Kong Inbound Travel Association chairman Paul Leung Yiu-lam.

"To make sure everything runs smoothly and there is no chaos, it would be best if it opened a week earlier so that the staff could get a few days practice."

Calderwood estimates that 50 percent of the visitors will be locals who are usually keen to try anything new.

He expects 25 percent to come from the mainland with other overseas tourists making up the balance.

"Of the 25 percent from the mainland, about 70 percent are expected to come from Guangdong province," Calderwood said.

Skyrail is cooperating with the China International Travel Service, China Travel Service, GZL International Travel Service and Nanhu International Travel Service to promote the attraction in Guangdong.

He said despite initial hiccups, the company is still targeting 1.5 million visitors in its first year of operation. "The previous problem is no longer an issue," said Calderwood, referring to the breakdown in June that left 500 people stranded in midair.

He also said the entire system has been comprehensively rechecked and breakages repaired after Typhoon Prapiroon roared past Hong Kong earlier this month.

Asked about the economic losses brought about by the three-month delay in opening the system, Calderwood said: "This is a 30-year-project. We will pick up the business." Almost all the shops, restaurants and other attractions such as Walking with the Buddha, Ngong Ping Tea House and Monkey's Tale Theatre, are open.

Victor Chan Chun-yee, director of one of the shops in Ngong Ping village, Wo Kee Loong Gift Shop, said to make up for lost business, the company offered discounts to travel agents and distributed gift coupons at the Tung Chung bus stops to attract visitors.

"We have also put up a special promotion for mooncakes," he said.

The owner of Ngong Ping Tea House, another village attraction, said its official opening will be timed to coincide with the opening date of the cable car.

Wing Wah Cake Shop manager Patrick Wong Man-sau said that although the company has lost more than HK$100,000 because of the delay, he is not complaining because the lease is for six years.

He hopes to recover the initial loss within that period.

掛三號風球將暫停運作
昂坪360試搭暢順傳9．11通車
31/08/2006
太陽報

經過多月的測試之後，東涌纜車公司昨日再次恢復通車前的連串試搭活動。昂坪360常務董事高德偉預計纜車將可於十一黃金周前通車，以及維持首年乘客量達一百五十萬人次的預期目標。有昂坪市集的商戶透露，近日正盛傳纜車會於「九一一」當日開幕。

東涌纜車恢復一連七日的試搭活動，招待傳媒、旅遊業界及政府官員共八千人。昨日率先接待約三百名傳媒試搭纜車，運作大致暢順。高德偉昨日會見記者時稱，纜車暫定於十一黃金周前啟用，但仍須待試搭活動結束後，與政府及地鐵公司磋商，才能對外公布開幕的確實日期。

他直言，雖然纜車延期開幕，但該公司已於歐美等地進行廣泛宣傳，並與廣東省四間主要旅行社合作推售門票，故相信纜車開幕首年，乘客量仍能達到最初一百五十萬人次的預期目標。他預計，十一黃金周首日會有七千五百人乘搭，而黃金周一星期內，總乘客量則會超過五萬人次。

延期開幕苦了商戶
高德偉強調，該公司一直與纜車系統製造商Leither合作調校系統，以確保六月出現的技術問題不再發生。至於上月初吹襲本港的颱風派比安，雖對纜車系統造成輕微損毀，但該公司已完成所需的維修工作，而日後若天文台發出三號強風信號，纜車則會暫停運作，以及盡快疏導人潮。

不過，昂坪市集內的商戶對纜車開幕日卻眾說紛紜，榮華餅家經理黃文修指出，最近一次接獲纜車公司澳洲總部來電時，其高層人員透露東涌纜車已計劃於九月中通車。零食店和記隆有限公司董事總經理則稱，近日商戶間甚至盛傳纜車將於九月十一日通車，但有關消息未被證實。

黃文修說，估計纜車延期開幕對該店起碼造成十多萬元的損失，該店已計劃推出以清代背景包裝的中秋茶藝表演來吸引人流。不過，豪裝近百萬元的仙足按摩保健中心，由於該店目標客群是以外地遊客為主，故該店已決定待纜車通車後才正式開業。

http://www.np360.com.hk/html/eng/images/np360_exp/logo_v_skyrail.gif

28 August 2006
Corporate Press Release
Ngong Ping 360 Trial Run Programme

Ngong Ping 360 will start a series of trial runs on 30 August 2006. The following groups have been invited to participate in the trial run programme so far. Other groups may be invited to join the trials at a later date, and this will be confirmed in due course.
So far, approximately 8,000 people will be participating in the programme.

Wed, 30 August Media
Thu, 31 August Selected local residents, Trade Groups
Fri, 1 September Government, Trade Groups
Sat, 2 September Business Partners, Trade Groups
Sun, 3 September Trade Groups
Mon, 4 September Trade Groups
Tue, 5 September Trade Groups

The public opening date for Ngong Ping 360 will be announced after the trial run programme is complete and following consultation with MTR Corporation and Government.

It's a bit weird to have something open on [9/11]....

It's a bit weird to have something open on [9/11]....

It's still not officially confirmed! :runaway:

It's a bit weird to have something open on [9/11]....
It's still not officially confirmed! :runaway:

It's seems to be officially trail open on Sep 18. :|

RTHK Chinese news:
昂 坪 360 纜 車 下 星 期 一 開 幕 2006-09-11 HKT 16:28

昂 坪 360 纜 車 將 於 本 月 十 八 日 正 式 啟 用 ， 接 載 公 眾 。

消 息 透 露 ， 昂 坪 纜 車 今 次 會 以 試 業 形 式 ， 投 入 運 作 。

原 訂 在 六 月 二 十 四 日 開 幕 的 昂 坪 纜 車 ， 由 於 在 試 車 時 ， 纜 車 間 隔 出 現 問 題 ， 要 修 訂 電 腦 程 式 ， 因 此 押 後 啟 用 。

RTHK English news:
Lantau cable car to open next Monday 2006-09-11 HKT 17:41

The long delayed Lantau cable car system will open next Monday. It had been scheduled to open in June, but teething problems forced the operator, the Mass Transit Railway Corporation, to carry out more test runs. The system will now open in time for the National Day golden week. It links Tung Chung with Ngong Ping - the site of Po Lin monastery and the Big Buddha.

Once the cable car opens, going to the Po Lin Monestary would be more scenic and more visited by tourists.

Good. They have a few weeks to smoothen out the operations before the tourists arrive for National Day.

Cable car to Hong Kong's Big Buddha to open on September 18

HONG KONG, Sept 11, 2006 (AFP) - A new Hong Kong cable car designed to take tourists to the world's largest outdoor statue of Buddha will open on September 18, nearly three months after technical glitches delayed the launch.

The launch of Ngong Ping 360, originally set for June 24, had been postponed indefinitely while operators investigated the cause of a breakdown that left 500 visitors hanging in mid-air in motionless cabins for two hours.

Bill Calderwood, managing director of Skyrail, said the opening date was now set following the successful completion of the seven-day trial run.

"In addition to the spectacular cable car ride with panoramic views of the North Lantau Country Park and Tung Chung Bay, our guests can be assured that the cableway and its supporting systems will offer a reliable, comfortable and fun tourism experience," he said in a statement.

The cable car, which took over two years to build, will glide 5.7 kilometers (3.5 miles) over hills to a culturally-themed village near Hong Kong's Big Buddha statue.

RTHK news:
Government confident about Lantau cable car (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20060913/news_20060913_56_341740.htm)

Skyrail opening-day tickets sell briskly as safety fears evaporate
Hong Kong Standard
Thursday, September 14, 2006

Hong Kongers have apparently set aside their fears about being stranded in midair with more than 300 tickets for the opening of Lantau's skyrail being snapped up within an hour at the Central MTR station Wednesday.

By day's end, about half the 1,688 first-day tickets were sold.

The cable car system, known as Ngong Ping 360, will open on September 18.

In keeping with feng shui traditions, the operator, Skyrail-ITM, is selling just 1,688 tickets at HK$88 each, as the numbers are considered lucky.

The opening was delayed by three months - following a breakdown in June when invited guests were left dangling in the air - for tests and emergency drills for staff.

Because of the late opening, Skyrail has not been able to cash in on the summer crowds. But business is expected to pick up with the National Day holiday just around the corner followed by the Golden Week when most mainlanders are on holiday.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong Disneyland, which celebrated its first anniversary Tuesday, fell just short of its target of 5.6 million visitors in the first year of operation.

Tourism Board chairwoman Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee said Hong Kong as a whole would find it difficult to meet its annual target of 27 million visitors. She said only 14 million visitors had arrived in the first seven months.

Asked if the hiccups at Ngong Ping and reports of problems at Disney were responsible for the lower-than-expected figures, Chow said: "I don't think any single factor could be held responsible for the lack of numbers."

RTHK news:
HKIE says cable car terminal crack is abnormal 2006-09-22 HKT 02:27

The operators of the Lantau Ngong Ping 360 cable car system say a crack has been found in one of the horizontal beams at the Tung Chung Terminal Building. In a statement, SkyRail said a minor fracture had been identified in July and temporary steel supports installed as a precautionary measure. It said the crack was caused by the uneven distribution of loading on the beam. But it stressed it would neither affect the integrity of the building's structure nor the safety of the cable car system. But a council member of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, Shiu Yin-wai, said the fracture was abnormal and huge.

Long haul to Ngong Ping
19 September 2006
South China Morning Post

1998

May 29 Financial secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen announces HK$1 billion cable-car project on Lantau

2000

January 18 Town Planning Board rejects objections from New Lantau Bus and a landowner, paving the way for the project tendering

2003

November The MTR Corp is awarded a 30-year franchise for the project, which is to be operated by Skyrail-ITM (Hong Kong)

2004

February Work begins

May 9 Six mules arrive from Alberta, Canada, to help transport building materials for the project

2005

April 19 Project officially named Ngong Ping 360

2006

January 13 Matthias Sprecher, 39, a Swiss expert in erecting towers, is killed by a part hanging from a helicopter during construction

June 8 Gale force winds exceeding 90km/h disrupt the first day of trials

June 14 - Chief Executive Donald Tsang takes his first ride

June 16 Hundreds of elderly and disabled guests invited to the trials are forced to wait in the heat after a 45-minute delay

June 17 About 500 MTR Corp and KCRC staff invited to trials are stranded in mid-air

June 18 Trial run is cancelled

June 19 Announcement of delay to June 24 launch

June 22 Report on June 17 incident submitted to the government

June 24 Investigation results on June 17 incident released and three technical problems highlighted

July 29-30 Two days of drills with up to 300 MTR Corp and KCRC volunteers

August 2 Cable car suffers minor damage as Typhoon Prapiroon approaches

August 30 Seven-day trial with about 8,000 people

September 18 Ngong Ping 360 opens to the public

Wind delays cable-car ride
Raymond Ma
24 September 2006
South China Morning Post

Strong winds yesterday disrupted the troubled Ngong Ping 360 cable car on Lantau, less than a week after it finally opened for business after a series of delays.

Wind speeds in excess of 60km/h in the morning forced the cable car to start 10 minutes later than its scheduled opening at 10am. It was a short delay but enough to annoy the many passengers who were forced to wait as the queue steadily grew.

Originally scheduled to open in June, Ngong Ping 360 finally began operating last Monday - three months behind schedule. There have always been concerns that high winds would frequently disrupt the ride.

The problem became apparent early in the morning when the company posted notices outside its Tung Chung terminal that it had suspended operations because of high winds.

People who had bought date-specific tickets and arrived at the base station at 10am were told services would resume shortly since the winds had calmed down.

Those who did not want to wait were told they would be given refunds.

Wow, I guess they didnt predict that the wind level around that area would be high.

All cable cars fall foul of weather: MTR chief
Hong Kong Standard
Michael Ng in Changsha
Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Cable-car systems worldwide are prone to weather interruptions and Ngong Ping 360 is no exception, MTR Corp chief executive Chow Chung-kong said.

Speaking in Changsha, where he is part of a 90-member delegation visiting Hunan, Chow said Monday the two brief service interruptions suffered by the Lantau Skyrail in its first week of operation should not hurt customer confidence.

Nor should it affect Skyrail's business as weather interruptions had been factored into projections long before the first stone was laid for the project, he said.

The so-called "journey of enlightenment" was suspended for 32 minutes Sunday after wind gusts reaching 90 kilometers an hour were recorded at Ngong Ping. Skyrail later said speeds were also reduced from five meters a second to four in the interests of safety, and consequently there were only 6,000 return trips on the day instead of the anticipated 7,500.

Chow said Skyrail would always put passengers' safety and comfort ahead of all other concerns and dismissed claims frequent disruptions would affect public confidence and reduce its appeal as a tourist attraction.

"All cable-car systems are weather-dependent. I believe the public will accept that it is better to briefly suspend a service during strong wind gusts as travel at such times can be uncomfortable," Chow said.

He urged the public not to overreact to disruptions, which are common the world over.

Chow said, on average, every cable car system is forced to shut down for at least 24 hours in a calendar year because of adverse weather conditions. The length of shutdowns is even higher at ski resorts and most scenic spots as these are exposed to the elements.

Chow reiterated that Skyrail would continue to operate Ngong Ping 360 in the foreseeable future.

"But as an investor, MTR Corp will be in frequent communication with Skyrail and will offer it all the assistance it requires," he said.

"Our relationship remains very good."

A spokeswoman for Skyrail said Monday's operation of Ngong Ping 360 ran smoothly.

She said Skyrail would keep passengers informed of any delays and possible suspensions due to changes in weather conditions, as well as ticket sellouts, via announcements throughout the Tung Chung line.

The Hong Kong Observatory, meanwhile, Monday recorded maximum gusts at 78kph between 10am and 6pm.

With regard to the crack found in a beam of the terminus in July, Chow emphasized it was a minor defect and posed no danger whatever either to the terminus or the structure.

However, in the long term, Skyrail will add an extra structural support as a precautionary measure, he said.

Ip gives cable-car business a lift
Wendy Leung
Hong Kong Standard
Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Stephen Ip Shu-kwan Monday gave a personal push to the SAR's two tourism icons - Hong Kong Disneyland and Ngong Ping 360 - as the mainland's "Golden Week" entered its second day.

Accompanied by managing director Bill Ernest, Ip visited three of the latest attractions at Hong Kong Disneyland - Stitch Encounter, Autopia and the UFO zone - and bought a HK$100 Disney baseball cap on Mainstreet USA.

He said he was pleased with the recent increase in the number of visitors to the theme park, as well as the improvements being made by the management.

"The management has tried very hard to make improvements, including strengthening promotional and marketing efforts, adding new attractions and enhancing communication with the travel industry," Ip said, adding he had talked to tourists from Beijing, Shanghai and Switzerland and found them to be happy with the theme park.

Although Hong Kong Disneyland missed its first-year target of getting 5.6 million visitors, Ip said he hoped next year's attendance figure would exceed this year's.

He said the park, in which the SAR government holds a 57 percent stake, is a long-term investment and has no financial problems that would require further government investment.

Ngong Ping 360, the Lantau cable- car system which opened two weeks ago, received more than 9,500 visitors Monday - a record for a single day - with 16,000 cable-car trips being made, breaking the 15,000 daily capacity.

Dressed in a T-shirt emblazoned with the "360" logo, Ip took a cable- car ride to Ngong Ping Village.

"Everyone seems happy today and business here is really good," he said. Referring to the recent string of technical glitches that have caused the system to be suspended, resulting in long queues at the Tung Chung terminal, Ip said: "The problem of strong winds is unavoidable. The most important thing is that [Skyrail-ITM, the operator] is providing a safe, reliable service."

Shop operators and tourists hope the cable-car operator will extend its business hours.

Chopstick Gallery owner Sing Hon- wai said his business has grown by 20 percent in the first two days of the "Golden Week" holidays.

"I hope the cable-car company will extend its business hours so that we can stay open until 10pm on weekends and during the Mid-Autumn Festival, Christmas and the New Year period," Sing said.

Another ship owner, Tim Cheung Kwok-wah, said the "Golden Week" is not of much help. "I reckon it will take at least six months for us to break even."

Kelvin Wong, who works in the printing industry, visited Ngong Ping Village with his pregnant wife. "This place should not close too early. It should remain open until at least 11pm so we can have dinner here and hang around longer," he said.

A Skyrail spokeswoman said the company has been working closely with its shop tenants, but there has been no plans to extend operating hours.

"We'll assess the response from the public and certainly welcome suggestions from our tenants and other business partners on how to further enhance our services," she said.

Ip said the decline in the number of mainland tourists who are avoiding the huge crowds and increased costs should not have a big impact as they would still come to Hong Kong on normal days. "That doesn't mean we're losing visitors. Hong Kong is still an international travel center, and our key tourism markets - Australia, Europe and the Middle East - are pretty strong," he added.

Shops want longer hours for cable car
3 October 2006
South China Morning Post

Some Ngong Ping 360 shops and restaurants want the new Lantau tourist attraction to remain open for at least four more hours during weekends and public holidays to encourage night shopping. Tenants also believe more needs to be done to promote it, including staging celebrity shows and concerts.

Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Stephen Ip Shu-kwan said he understood the tenants' concerns but it was up to their ultimate landlord, the MTR Corp, to decide.

A spokesman for Skyrail-ITM, which manages the cable car and cultural village, said: "We do not have any plans to extend operating hours at this moment but will gauge the interest from the public."

The cable car, which opens daily at 10am, closes at 6pm on weekdays and 6.30pm on weekends. The operator said 16,000 people rode the cable car by closing time yesterday, the second day of the mainland's "golden week" holiday. This was 1,000 more than it's 15,000 capacity, made possible because the cable car opened 15 minutes early.

Victor Chan Chun-yee, managing director of the Wo Kee Loong Gift Shop in the Ngong Ping Village, said shops should ideally stay open until 10pm, especially on Fridays, Saturdays and special holidays.

"By 4pm, people don't want to come up here because it will be too late," Mr Chan said. "We shouldn't waste this tourist attraction like this."

Business at the gift shop has improved about 5 per cent to 10 per cent from the pre-opening period, Mr Chan said.

Visitor Kelvin Wong, 32, also said the current closing time was too early and made people feel they had to rush their visit.

But Sing Hon-wai of Chopsticks Gallery said extending hours may not necessarily boost business given the relatively remote location of the attraction, which is near the Big Buddha statue. He said more should be done to promote a "shopping mall atmosphere" with mini concerts and celebrity performances.

Mr Ip said he was encouraged by the public's and tourists' response to the two new attractions.

When asked about the fewer mainland visitors to Disneyland yesterday compared to the same time last year, he said fewer mainlanders were timing their visits during the peak golden weeks, but this did not necessarily mean tourist arrival numbers were falling.

Mr Ip said he was also encouraged by recent improvements in the theme park's promotions and communication with the travel trade.

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5826344

view of airport from Ngong Ping Cable Car

Nice views of the airport!

Cable car delay riles passengers
16 October 2006
South China Morning Post

Cable car riders were angered yesterday by the lack of notification when another delay of the Ngong Ping 360 held up more than 500 visitors for an hour, with some having to queue in the rain.

Eager passengers became upset in the morning when told the cable car opening was being delayed.

Among them was executive councillor David Li Kwok-po. "At first they said it's going to be 30 minutes, then they said it will take an hour, but safety is more important {hellip} no, I didn't hear any broadcast about the reason for the delay."

One passenger said he called to confirm the opening time before going but was not warned of the delay. But another passenger said he, among others, was waiting in the rain for about 10 minutes because the queue was so long he ended up waiting outside the covered area.

Cable car operator Skyrail-ITM said the delay was caused by the shortened spacing between cabins found during a regular inspection in the morning, which could have been caused by maintenance on Saturday night.

Managing director Bill Calderwood said they had not expected the delay to be so long.

The incident marked the fifth delay since the cable car opened to the public last month.

The cable car started services at 11am.

Wow, this is just ridiculous....

LCQ5: Ngong Ping 360 cable car system
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Government Press Release

Following is a question by the Hon Lau Kong-wah and a reply by the Secretary for Economic Development and Labour, Mr Stephen Ip, in the Legislative Council today (October 18):

Question:

Regarding the Ngong Ping 360 cable car system, which was commissioned last month, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the number of incidents in which cable car service was suspended due to system failures or weather conditions since the commissioning of the system, and the details of each incident;

(2) whether it has looked into the reasons for the frequent failures of the cable car system within a short period from commissioning; and

(3) whether the operator of the cable car system has immediately reported to the relevant authorities on each of the system failures, and whether the existing notification mechanism requires a public announcement to be made immediately in the event of any accident or system failure?

Reply:

Madam President,

(1) Since the commissioning of Ngong Ping cable car system on September 18 this year (up to October 16), the operator Skyrail-ITM (Hong Kong) Ltd. (Skyrail) has suspended the cable car services three times due to weather conditions and four times due to system and mechanical failure. Details are as follows:

(a) on September 23, 24 and 30, the cable car services were suspended due to strong winds, with a period of suspension ranging from 15 minutes to 39 minutes, to ensure passengers' safety and comfort;

(b) on September 30, the cable car service was suspended for 38 minutes due to technical problems associated with the adjustor device in adjusting the spacing between cabins in Tung Chung Skyrail Terminal. On October 8, the cable car stopped for 33 minutes, triggered by a signal from the safety system. On October 15, the commencement of the cable car service was delayed for 59 minutes in the morning because Skyrail took time to adjust the spacing between cabins. On the same day from 6.05 pm to 7 pm, the cable car service intermittently stopped also because of the signal from the safety system. Under the Aerial Ropeways (Safety) Ordinance, Skyrail has to submit a report to the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) on any failure of the cable car system. Skyrail has already submitted reports on the incidents on September 30, October 8 and October 15 to the EMSD.

(2) The September 30 incident was attributable to technical problems associated with the adjustor device in adjusting the spacing between cabins. Skyrail fine-tuned its staff's code of practice immediately after the incident.

As indicated in Skyrail's report, the incident on October 8 was triggered by a signal from the safety system to suspend operation. In accordance with the safety measures, the cable car system should not resume service until it had been inspected by operational staff to make sure everything was in order. On the day Skyrail, following the code of practice, immediately deployed its staff to check the related equipment at various terminals and aerial towers to ensure that the cable car system was safe before it resumed operation. After investigation, the EMSD believed the safety system was over sensitive and had therefore requested the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) and Skyrail to make improvements.

Turning to the delay in cable car service on October 15, the cause of the incident was the over close spacing between cabins as a result of the maintenance carried out on the night of October 14. To ensure safety, Skyrail had to adjust the spacing between cabins on October 15 morning before activating the system and therefore boarding was delayed. As regards the intermittent stoppages that afternoon, they were triggered by the technical problems with the sensors at Lei Nak Shan Angle Station. Skyrail immediately deployed its staff to the Angle Station to make emergency repairs.

The design, construction, operation and maintenance of Ngong Ping cable car system are under the supervision of the EMSD in compliance with the Aerial Ropeways (Safety) Ordinance. The Department has been closely monitoring the operation and maintenance of the cable car system before and after its commissioning. The Department considers that both the design and construction of the cable car system meet the safety requirements.

(3) Skyrail has put in place a notification mechanism whereby the departments concerned will be informed in the light of different situations. For instance, any failure in the cable car system with passengers on board has to be reported immediately to the EMSD; any requirement for special traffic arrangements arising from an incident has to be reported to the Transport Department. If an incident will give rise to other problems, Skyrail may need to report to the Hong Kong Police Force and the Fire Services Department depending on the nature of the problems.

For each suspension of the cable car service, the MTRC and Skyrail have undertaken to inform the public through placards, notices and announcements in the MTR stations on the Tung Chung Line and the Tung Chung and Ngong Ping Skyrail Terminals. Skyrail has also promised to deploy its staff to explain the situation to visitors on site and notify the tour groups that have made advance bookings to ensure that the affected visitors are aware of the situation on the spot as soon as possible.

The recent incidents on suspension of service reflect that there is still room for Skyrail to improve its notification mechanism. We have already asked the MTRC and Skyrail to enhance transparency in their operation and improve the notification mechanism to minimise inconvenience to visitors.

Want to ride it soooo bad!!!!!!!!!!! And there is a trial under the system, you can hike between Ngong Ping and Tung Chung along the mountain.

Can't wait the day I will be back in Hong Kong and do them.

has anyone seen any pictures taken along the system?

i went... but i got no time to upload pics... I'll try to do it later tonite

LCQ3 : Ngong Ping cable car operational problem
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Government Press Release

Following is the question by the Hon LEUNG Yiu-chung and a written reply by the Secretary for Economic Development and Labour, Mr Stephen Ip, in the Legislative Council today (October 25):

Question:

During a trial run of the Ngong Ping 360 cable car system in June this year, many people were trapped in the cable cars as a result of a suspension of operation due to strong wind. Moreover, a number of problems were also identified. The commissioning of the system was consequently postponed. Since its commissioning in September, the operation of the cable car system has been suspended on a number of occasions due to strong wind, and cracks were also found on the crossbeam of the lowest level of Tung Chung Station and at Nei Lak Shan Angle Station. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:

(a) it has conducted an investigation to ascertain if a faulty design of the cable car system has necessitated the suspension of the system in strong wind conditions; if so, of the investigation results, as well as the improvement measures to ensure the safe operation of the cable car system in strong wind conditions (except when a tropical cyclone warning signal No. 3 or above is in force);

(b) it has looked into the causes of the above cracks, and come up with the remedial measures; and

(c) it has assessed the losses suffered by the operator of the cable car system, shop operators at Ngong Ping Village and the tourism industry as a result of the suspension of operation and discovery of cracks; if so, of the amount of losses; and

(d) it knows if the authorities concerned have conducted an investigation to establish if the cracks were caused by the negligence of the contractor; if such negligence of the contractor has been established, whether compensation will be sought from the contractor; if so, whether the amount of compensation to be sought will cover the various losses mentioned in (c) above?

Reply

Madam President,

(a) According to the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, wind speed limit is an integral part of the design of a cable car system as cable cars operate in an outdoor and exposed environment. The Ngong Ping 360 cable car system is no exception. Whenever the wind speed approaches the threshold (not only in case of Typhoon Signal No. 3 or above), the Ngong Ping 360 cable car system will issue a warning signal which requires the cable cars to decelerate or cease service. It is necessary for the cable cars to suspend operation or delay boarding under strong winds for the sake of passengers’safety and comfort. This practice does not involve any design or safety issues of the cable car system. Temporary suspension of cable car service under adverse weather conditions is common in other places.

(b) As regards the cracks on a crossbeam of the Tung Chung Skyrail Terminal, the MTRCL informed the Buildings Department (BD) of the incident on 20 September 2006. The BD carried out promptly an inspection of the entire Tung Chung Skyrail Terminal Building on 21 September 2006. The BD considers that as temporary support was erected under the crossbeam and no other cracks or structural damage was found, the Terminal Building is structurally safe and the incident will not have any impact on the safety and operation of the cable car system.

In early October, the MTRCL, the Authorised Person, the Registered Structural Engineer and the Registered General Building Contractor submitted reports on the incident to explain the causes of the cracks.

As for the cracks identified in the Nei Lak Shan Angle Station, the BD is of the view that the cracks are not structural ones after investigation. They will not give rise to any structural safety problems. The MTRCL has commenced repair works.

(c) The Ngong Ping 360 cable car system has commenced operation for one month only. Skyrail would improve its workflow and enhance staff training so as to upgrade their service. The MTRCL and Skyrail have also pledged to enhance transparency in the operation of the cable car system and to improve their notification mechanism so as to lessen the impact on passengers. While there is still room for improvement in its operation, the incidents of stoppages and cracks would not affect Hong Kong's tourism industry. As indicated by the MTRCL, Ngong Ping 360 has received 190,000 visitors from its opening to 23 October. During the National Day Golden Week, Ngong Ping 360 attracted some 60,000 visitors. The Skyrail-ITM (Hong Kong) Limited (Skyrail), which manages and operates the Ngong Ping 360 cable car system, will continue to liaise with the shop tenants at Ngong Ping Village and the tourism industry, and enhance visitors’awareness of and interest in the cable car ride, the Ngong Ping Village and other tourist attractions at Ngong Ping.

(d) The BD considers that the cracks found in the Nei Lak Shan Angle Station are not structural ones and are caused by normal concrete shrinkage during the construction period. There is no contravention of the provisions of the Buildings Ordinance. As for the cracks found on one of the crossbeams at the Tung Chung Terminal Building, the BD is examining its causes and will follow up as necessary. The MTRCL has applied to the BD for installation of extra permanent support to the crossbeam. The BD is processing the application. The MTRCL will commence the enhancement works once approval has been granted. The enhancement works will take four to six weeks, and are expected to be completed by mid-December 2006.

RTHK News:
Lantau cable car services suspended 2006-10-27 HKT 14:10

The Lantau cable car system, Ngong Ping 360, has suspended services temporarily due to technical problems. More than 200 passengers are said to be waiting outside the cable car's Tung Chung station.

Changes demanded after another cable car failure 2006-10-27 HKT 17:45

Democratic Party lawmaker Andrew Cheng has called for a change to the management team of the Ngong Ping 360 cable car - following another service suspension. The system was suspended for over four hours earlier today as a result of technical problems. Mr Cheng, who also chairs Legco's transport panel, said the government should no longer tolerate the operator's numerous failures.

Pressure builds on troubled Skyrail operator

Chester Yung

Saturday, October 28, 2006

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/newsimage/20061028/cable.jpg

A lawmaker has called on the government to either take over or replace the operator of the Ngong Ping 360 cable car system, saying its frequent interruptions of service are hurting Hong Kong's tourism image.
The call by the Democratic Party's Andrew Cheng Kar-foo, chairman of the Legislative Council's transport panel, followed a four-hour service suspension Friday that affected more than 200 passengers.

It was the longest of eight suspensions that have been recorded since the new tourist attraction was opened on September 18.

"Public confidence in the Ngong Ping 360 cable car service is already at a red light," Cheng said.

"The government should seriously consider whether it needs to replace, or even take over the management, as the service has reached a level that is unacceptable to the public and to tourists."

Cheng said that should this situation continue, it would jeopardize the image of Hong Kong's tourism industry.

According to the operator, Skyrail- ITM, Friday's service disruption was due to a technical problem, the cause of which was still being investigated.

Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Stephen Ip Shu-kwan said the government had asked the company to submit a report to the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department within seven days to explain the incident.

"We asked the company to conduct a thorough review and a complete inspection of the system. They need to explain to us why these suspensions are happening so frequently," Ip
said.

He said Skyrail has been operating for just over a month and despite the service interruptions had recorded a 90 percent usage. He also agreed it would take time to improve the service.

But, he said, the government could not accept the frequent breakdowns in service and that the MTR Corp, which owns the system, had ultimate responsibility to ensure the smoothness of Skyrail's operation

Meanwhile, the company has distributed an apology, in English only, to the affected passengers, saying they would receive a free return ticket as compensation, valid until the end of March 2007.

The HK$950 million Ngong Ping 360 project is a 5.7-kilometer cable car linking Tung Chung with the Big Buddha at Ngong Ping, and includes a stop at Hong Kong International Airport.

However, since June, there have been a number of stoppages that have caught the attention of the media.

In June, a two-hour stoppage caused the postponement of the attraction's opening, which had been set for later that month. After a three-month delay, mainly due to technical glitches, Skyrail got off the ground on September 18.

It was also reported at the time that the operator was plagued by an exodus of senior executives, mainly from the company's finance, public relations, maintenance, leasing, retail and purchasing units.

I just returned from my trip to HK. The Ngong Ping 360 cable car was a great experience! The views were really stunning and fortunately we did not face any problems with the system as reported on tv a few days later. This cable car is much higher than the Ocean Park cable car.
Next time we will do it again for sure! Please enjoy the pictures!

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/7476/dsc01390001on3.jpg

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/4696/dsc01410001lw0.jpg

http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/679/dsc01420001yv6.jpg

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/4544/dsc01460001gj8.jpg

View to Chek Lap Kok Airport
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/7684/dsc01570001wu3.jpg

Higher and higher....
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/5272/dsc01600001vn7.jpg

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/3193/dsc01610001uf7.jpg

Stunning views!
http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/623/dsc01630001lr1.jpg

Left HKIA, right Tung Chung
http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/6418/dsc01680001ck0.jpg

The big buddha is visible from here.
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/2392/dsc01720001yw6.jpg

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/6387/dsc01750001ud1.jpg

The cable car terminal.
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/4972/dsc01840001rc4.jpg

Amazing. Can't imagine how stunning would the view be on a clear day.

Thx Benlee, do you think it was worth the price?

Amazing. Can't imagine how stunning would the view be on a clear day.

Yes you are right. I was already impressed by this view.

Thx Benlee, do you think it was worth the price?

Yes definately. The price was around HK$ 60 each. By bus it would take around 1 hour. By cable car it only takes around 25 minutes. And ofcourse the great view...so it was really worth.

Team to keep closer watch on cable car
Winnie Chong
Hong Kong Standard
Saturday, November 04, 2006

A special team has been set up to monitor the operation of the Ngong Ping 360 cable car system at Lantau.

Legislative Council economic services panel chairman Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, during a visit Friday to Lantau with 13 members of the transport and economic services panels, Tourism Commissioner Au King-chi and Permanent Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Eva Cheng Yu-wah, said the team comprises representatives from the cable car operator and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department.

"They will use special ways to deal with problems once they occur. We do not know what causes the problems. But if there are representatives from the mechanical services department, I think it shows the government's concern," Lam said, adding most of the past incidents were caused by computer and mechanical problems.

Since the cable car system is still within its guarantee period, all maintenance work will be handled by the manufacturer, he said. To ensure all work is carried out efficiently, the maintenance team has been expanded from 11 people to 27.

Cheng said the operation ran smoothly Friday, adding that the current notification mechanism is adequate, and visitor safety is of the utmost importance.

Despite Friday's smooth operation, one legislator still called for improvements to the service.

Democrat Andrew Cheng Kar-foo, chairman of Legco's transport panel, hoped the company could improve its notification system should it believe the delay will exceed 20 minutes instead of 30 minutes.

Regarding earlier calls for operator Skyrail-ITM's management to be overhauled or replaced, Cheng said he would observe their performance.

"There is room for improving Ngong Ping 360's crisis management. If they still adopt a relatively hierarchical attitude in dealing with problems, the public will demand a management replacement," Cheng said.

The official opening is scheduled for November 9, but Financial Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen has yet to confirm his attendance. Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Stephen Ip Shu-kwan and Tourism Commissioner Au have also not confirmed whether they will attend.

Great pics!

Gov't Press Release:
Speech by FS at opening ceremony for Ngong Ping 360 (http://info.gov.hk/gia/general/200611/09/P200611090126.htm)

wow nice pictures Benlee!!

Awesome pictures!

Gov't Press Release:
LCQ5:Smooth operation of Ngong Ping 360 and HK Disneyland (http://info.gov.hk/gia/general/200611/15/P200611150115.htm)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/155/361423752_bf75f74ee8_b.jpg
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=361423752&size=l

Lunar boost for Lantau cable system
Hong Kong Standard
Saturday, January 27, 2007

The Ngong Ping 360 cable-car system on Lantau is gearing up for an estimated influx of up to 100,000 passengers over the Lunar New Year holidays next month.

However, operator Skyrail-ITM's managing director Bill Calderwood said Friday he did not expect the number to go much higher than the 100,000 who took the cable-car ride over Christmas.

He said more than 20,000 group tickets for the period have already been sold, adding that during the first two days of the holiday most visitors would be mainlanders. To cope with the expected influx, cable-car services will begin an hour earlier at 9am and stop at 6.30pm, 30 minutes later than usual. However, services could be extended should there be demand.

Calderwood said should any problem occur, the public will be informed of the situation within 15 minutes and coaches will be arranged for those affected.

Ngong Ping 360 was opened to the public on September 18 last year.

The cable car and village have had more than 750,000 visitors so far despite suffering a number of service disruptions or delays. The problems have been caused mainly by high winds and system glitches.

Calderwood said while Ngong Ping Village will not be open at night during the Lunar New Year period, the management was considering this possibility for the Mid-Autumn Festival later this year.

This is a vid of me and my friend on the cable cars leaving the Big Buddha when it stopped :-D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXAf6UqQBYE

I got more HK pics of my trip on my blog but I guess I shouldn't plug :-)

昂 坪 360 一 部 沒 有 接 載 乘 客 的 吊 車 ， 晚 上 墮 下 赤 鱲 角 南 路 一 處 山 坡 ， 車 廂 損 毀 ， 工 程 人 員 正 在 現 場 檢 查 出 事 吊 車 ， 消 防 車 同 救 護 車 在 場 戒 備 。

Source : RTHK News (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/expressnews/news.htm?expressnews&20070611&55&407383)

Cable Car Accident - A Cable Car Plunged Down

昂坪纜車墮下料無人傷

http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/video/asx/mfile_407379_1.asx

東涌 昂坪360 纜車晚上有車卡於赤角南路墮下，初步估計車卡內無人。

昂坪360纜車去年開始服務以來，事故不斷，纜車在六月五日起曾進行周年檢查三日，暫停服務，六月八日上周五上午十時才恢復正常。

暫 時 未 知 道 昂 平 360 吊 車 跌 下 的 原 因 。 , 理 工 大 學 機 械 工 程 學 系 工 程 師 盧 覺 強 認 為 ， 雖 然 近 日 天 氣 不 穩 定 ， 但 事 故 應 該 不 涉 及 天 氣 ， 他 推 測 ， 可 能 是 接 連 鋼  同 吊 車 中 間 ， 一 個 叫 「 環 邊 」 的 部 分 ， 設 計 不 當 。
他 認 為 ， 今 次 屬 於 嚴 重 事 故 。

墮下的昂坪纜車正進行測試2007/06/11 21:32

昂 坪 纜 車 晚 上 發 生 車 廂 墮 下 事 故 ， 一 個 無 載 人 的 纜 車 車 廂 ， 晚 上 八 時 半 ， 進 行 測 試 ， 在 駛 往 赤 立 角 方 向 的 一 個 轉 向 站 ， 跌 落 赤 立 角 南 路 附 近 的 叢 林 ， 當 局 接 報 ， 派 出 大 批 消 防 及 救 護 車 ， 到 場 戒 備 。 法 會 交 通 事 務 委 員 會 主 席 鄭 家 富 認 為 ， 昂 坪 纜 車 晚 上 有 車 廂 墮 下 ， 雖 然 無 人 受 傷 ， 但 明 日 應 該 停 駛 ， 撤 查 事 故 直 相 ， 作 出 補 救 措 施 ， 以 挽 回 市 民 及 遊 客 的 信 心 ， 政 府 亦 應 責 成 纜 車 公 司 提 交 報 告 ， 徹 換 整 個 管 理 層 。



理 工 大 學 機 械 工 程 系 工 程 師 盧 覺 強 表 示 ， 曾 參 觀 過 昂 坪 纜 車 車 廂 ， 當 時 認 為 車 廂 橫 邊 過 幼 ， 擔 心 風 力 加 上 乘 客 重 量 ， 造 成 壓 力 ， 容 易 折 斷 ， 他 認 為 ， 今 次 纜 車 墮 下 ， 可 能 是 橫 邊 折 斷 。

I think it's cursed.

理 大 工 程 師 指 昂 坪 纜 車 事 故 　 涉 設 計 不 當
2007-06-11 HKT 21:41
暫 時 未 知 道 昂 平 360 吊 車 跌 下 的 原 因 。 , 理工 大 學 機 械 工 程 學 系 工 程 師 盧 覺 強 認 為 ， 雖 然 近 日 天 氣 不 穩 定 ， 但 事 故 應 該 不 涉 及天 氣 ， 他 推 測 ， 可 能 是 接 連 鋼 毵 同 吊 車 中 間 ， 一 個 叫 「 環 邊 」 的 部 分 ， 設 計 不 當 。

他 認 為 ， 今 次 屬 於 嚴 重 事 故 。


Source : RTHK News (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/expressnews/news.htm?expressnews&20070611&55&407383)

speechless. lucky it happened after the hours, otherwise it would have been a lot more serious.

Wow, so the car actually fell off?!

This is quite an unpleasant surprise...

The damage....

http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/news/20070612/img/sn01061202_big.jpg

yah i just read this over @ singtao... i'm speechless.

wa...

吊 車 墜 毀
昂 坪 360 無 限 期 停 駛


【 本 報 訊 】 用 不 足 一 年 的 昂 坪 360 發 生 歷 來 最 嚴 重 意 外 ， 一 部 運 行 中 的 吊 車 昨 晚 凌 空 墜 地 ， 車 廂 毀 爛 不 堪 ， 幸 當 時 吊 車 服 務 已 經 停 止 ， 無 人 受 傷 。 消 息 稱 ， 事 發 吊 車 當 時 正 進 行 加 速 測 試 ， 出 事 時 正 返 回 東 涌 總 站 。 吊 車 跌 進 赤 角 機 場 島 一 處 草 叢 ， 距 離 馬 路 僅 10 米 ， 稍 有 差 池 ， 已 足 以 釀 成 人 命 傷 亡 。 政 府 已 即 時 勒 令 昂 坪 360 無 限 期 停 駛 ， 立 法 會 各 大 黨 派 要 求 徹 查 事 件 。 記 者 ： 蔡 元 貴 　 黃 偉 民 　 陳 偉 良




這 宗 令 人 汗 顏 的 事 故 發 生 於 昨 晚 近 8 時 ， 昂 坪 360 方 面 表 示 ， 昨 晚 營 運 時 間 過 後 ， 吊 車 系 統 進 行 連 串 測 試 期 間 ， 其 中 一 個 吊 車 車 廂 晚 上 8 時 被 發 現 在 編 號 T2B 的 架 空 纜 塔 下 的 地 面 。 事 故 發 生 時 ， 並 沒 有 人 在 吊 車 系 統 之 內 。 大 批 消 防 人 員 接 報 後 趕 赴 現 場 ， 搜 索 是 否 有 人 受 傷 。




52 米 墜 下 零 件 散 脫

離 奇 墮 山 的 吊 車 跌 在 赤 角 機 場 島 南 部 的 觀 景 山 上 ， 意 外 後 吊 車 殘 骸 幾 乎 180 度 倒 在 山 坡 的 樹 叢 中 ， 車 底 朝 天 ， 大 樹 則 被 重 力 砸 斷 。 T2B 塔 離 地 52 米 ， 吊 車 墜 地 後 底 部 朝 天 ， 零 件 全 部 脫 落 ， 扣 架 空 纜 索 的 車 頂 吊 轆 扭 曲 ， 車 門 被 破 開 ， 可 以 想 像 ， 假 如 當 時 吊 車 內 有 旅 客 ， 必 定 粉 身 碎 骨 。
公 司 常 務 董 事 高 德 偉 向 公 眾 致 歉 ， 他 說 ， 昂 坪 360 正 與 機 電 工 程 署 及 吊 車 製 造 商 Leitner 展 開 是 次 事 故 的 詳 細 調 查 ， 暫 時 無 法 確 定 肇 事 原 因 。 現 場 消 息 稱 ， 吊 車 公 司 當 時 正 進 行 「 快 行 模 式 」 測 試 ， 肇 事 吊 車 正 返 回 東 涌 總 站 ， 但 當 吊 車 經 過 距 離 機 場 島 轉 向 站 150 米 的 T2B 塔 後 ， 突 然 脫 墮 地 ， 並 發 出 隆 然 巨 響 。 吊 車 落 地 的 位 置 很 接 近 赤 角 一 條 前 往 國 泰 城 的 馬 路 ， 只 有 10 米 距 離 ， 假 如 吊 車 再 駛 前 一 點 ， 就 有 可 能 掉 進 馬 路 上 ， 釀 成 災 難 。
昂 坪 360 剛 於 數 天 前 才 完 成 一 連 三 天 的 大 修 ， 昨 晚 事 發 時 東 涌 一 帶 也 未 覺 有 異 常 氣 象 。 天 文 台 設 於 赤 角 的 監 測 站 錄 得 資 料 顯 示 ， 赤 角 昨 晚 8 時 的 10 分 鐘 平 均 風 速 為 每 小 時 19 至 20 公 里 ， 風 勢 不 算 強 勁 。




學 者 疑 橫 栓 不 夠 粗

理 工 大 學 機 械 工 程 學 系 工 程 師 盧 覺 強 估 計 ， 意 外 成 因 可 能 與 接 連 鋼 纜 與 吊 車 的 橫 栓 不 夠 粗 壯 。 他 指 出 ， 通 車 前 試 坐 吊 車 時 已 發 現 橫 栓 只 有 兩 厘 米 粗 ， 載 客 量 多 時 可 能 有 斷 裂 的 危 險 。 他 表 示 當 時 已 向 身 邊 的 吊 車 員 工 反 映 此 問 題 ， 對 方 卻 回 應 說 ： 「 唔 會 ， 好 實 淨 。 」
另 一 個 意 外 原 因 可 能 是 吊 轆 鬆 脫 ， 離 開 了 鋼 纜 ： 「 呢 個 係 機 械 結 構 問 題 ， 轆 係 有 彈 弓 扣 住 ， 可 能 扣 唔 穩 ， 所 以 鬆 出 。 」 盧 覺 強 指 出 ， 昂 坪 360 應 暫 停 吊 車 運 作 ， 並 仔 細 檢 查 哪 一 個 部 份 出 錯 。 他 認 為 ， 其 實 只 要 在 吊 車 頂 與 吊 轆 臂 之 間 加 上 安 全 吊 繩 索 ， 便 可 增 加 吊 車 的 安 全 性 ， 因 為 一 旦 發 生 意 外 ， 仍 有 後 備 繩 索 吊 車 廂 ， 有 助 減 低 意 外 傷 亡 。
盧 覺 強 稱 ， 以 吊 車 重 半 噸 ， 離 地 高 50 米 計 算 ， 一 旦 下 墜 ， 時 速 可 高 達 112 公 里 ， 撞 擊 地 面 的 力 度 為 5 噸 ： 「 如 果 有 人 話 ， 會 有 人 死 亡 。 」 由 於 今 次 吊 車 跌 入 樹 叢 ， 力 度 會 減 至 兩 噸 。 假 如 跌 落 附 近 海 面 ， 撞 擊 力 則 為 一 噸 半 ， 「 纜 車 唔 係 封 閉 式 ， 所 以 唔 會 因 為 有 壓 力 開 唔 到 門 問 題 ， 乘 客 應 該 可 以 逃 生 。 」




議 員 倡 撤 換 管 理 層

政 府 表 示 高 度 關 注 今 次 事 故 ， 經 濟 發 展 及 勞 工 局 局 長 葉 澍 稱 ， 政 府 已 勒 令 吊 車 公 司 暫 停 服 務 ， 並 要 求 營 運 昂 坪 360 的 地 下 鐵 路 公 司 進 行 全 面 調 查 ， 找 出 事 件 原 因 ， 同 時 採 取 一 切 措 施 ， 以 確 保 吊 車 運 作 安 全 。 機 電 工 程 署 得 悉 事 故 後 ， 也 馬 上 派 遣 專 責 的 工 程 師 前 往 現 場 進 行 調 查 。 機 電 署 會 全 面 調 查 事 故 ， 政 府 滿 意 地 鐵 及 吊 車 公 司 所 採 取 的 措 施 之 前 ， 不 會 准 許 吊 車 恢 復 運 作 。
立 法 會 各 大 黨 均 把 矛 頭 直 指 吊 車 公 司 的 管 理 層 。 自 由 黨 副 主 席 劉 健 儀 表 示 ， 吊 車 墜 下 相 當 嚴 重 ， 會 令 旅 客 失 去 信 心 ， 一 定 要 徹 查 事 件 ， 若 發 現 昂 坪 360 管 理 層 失 誤 ， 便 需 要 考 慮 要 求 撤 換 管 理 層 。 公 民 黨 立 法 會 議 員 湯 家 驊 形 容 事 件 嚴 重 ， 因 為 旅 客 安 全 十 分 重 要 ， 這 次 慶 幸 沒 有 人 受 傷 ， 但 若 令 旅 客 對 昂 坪 360 失 去 信 心 ， 將 打 擊 旅 遊 業 ， 政 府 一 定 要 徹 查 事 件 ， 包 括 管 理 層 是 否 需 要 責 任 。

http://appledaily.atnext.com/images/apple-photos/apple/20070612/large/12la1p7.jpg

「 重 開 都 冇 人 敢 坐 」

【 本 報 訊 】 昂 坪 360 是 本 港 重 點 旅 遊 項 目 ， 通 車 以 來 吸 引 逾 140 萬 人 次 旅 客 ， 港 府 更 計 劃 斥 資 興 建 園 景 露 天 廣 場 ， 將 吊 車 系 統 、 大 佛 和 心 經 簡 林 營 造 為 宗 、 文 化 和 旅 遊 基 地 ， 但 墜 車 意 外 勢 將 嚴 重 打 擊 旅 客 信 心 ， 並 對 旅 遊 業 界 帶 來 災 難 性 影 響 。 旅 遊 發 展 局 主 席 田 北 俊 對 事 件 表 示 非 常 失 望 。 旅 行 社 急 改 行 程 安 排 旅 客 坐 巴 士 上 昂 坪 ， 但 昂 坪 市 集 的 商 戶 估 計 生 意 將 直 插 九 成 ： 「 就 算 整 番 重 開 都 冇 人 敢 坐 ， 實 冇 晒 生 意 」 。 記 者 : 梁 洵 瑜 　 倪 清 江 　 莊 曉 陽



昂 坪 360 自 去 年 9 月 通 車 以 來 ， 雖 然 事 故 不 斷 ， 但 無 影 響 旅 客 遊 覽 興 趣 ， 旅 客 已 超 過 140 萬 人 次 ， 港 府 未 來 將 大 力 拓 展 大 嶼 山 的 旅 遊 業 ， 要 將 大 嶼 山 發 展 成 消 閒 及 娛 樂 樞 紐 。 旅 遊 發 展 局 主 席 田 北 俊 昨 晚 表 示 ， 昂 坪 360 自 用 以 來 ， 接 二 連 三 地 發 生 事 故 ， 今 次 更 有 車 廂 墜 下 ， 他 本 人 對 此 感 到 十 分 失 望 。
他 批 評 ， 昂 坪 360 是 受 旅 客 歡 迎 的 旅 遊 景 點 ， 旅 發 局 過 去 曾 在 海 外 做 了 不 少 推 廣 工 作 ， 相 信 今 次 事 件 必 定 會 對 旅 客 造 成 一 定 影 響 ， 要 求 昂 坪 360 盡 快 向 公 眾 交 代 事 件 ， 以 便 日 後 重 新 推 廣 工 作 。
香 港 旅 行 社 協 會 執 行 委 員 胡 兆 英 昨 晚 知 悉 意 外 後 說 ： 「 我 都 好 驚 訝 ， 呢 次 比 以 前 咁 多 次 事 故 都 嚴 重 好 多 倍 ； 吊 車 冇 安 全 網 ， 一 跌 就 直 落 。 」 他 希 望 昂 坪 360 盡 快 找 出 意 外 成 因 ， 保 證 不 再 發 生 。




商 戶 料 生 意 減 少 九 成

雖 然 昂 坪 360 昨 晚 表 示 ， 已 預 訂 今 天 車 票 的 旅 客 可 以 退 票 ， 或 改 乘 巴 士 上 昂 坪 。 康 泰 旅 行 社 總 經 理 劉 美 詩 稱 ， 原 定 有 本 地 遊 旅 行 團 乘 坐 昂 坪 360 ， 現 時 惟 有 改 坐 旅 遊 巴 前 往 昂 坪 ， 差 價 會 退 回 給 團 友 。
至 於 事 件 對 旅 遊 業 影 響 ， 她 說 ， 一 旦 旅 遊 點 發 生 意 外 ， 一 段 時 間 內 遊 客 會 卻 步 ， 所 以 即 使 昂 坪 360 恢 復 運 作 ， 短 時 間 難 免 無 人 問 津 。
在 昂 坪 市 集 旁 經 營 士 多 的 文 潤 棠 昨 晚 聽 到 有 關 消 息 時 感 到 驚 訝 ， 他 料 對 生 意 有 重 大 影 響 ， 「 吊 車 一 停 就 大 件 事 ， 早 幾 日 天 氣 麻 麻 ， 又 停 駛 進 行 年 度 維 修 ， 市 集 靜 好 多 ， 生 意 少 七 、 八 成 。 」 他 預 計 這 次 意 外 之 後 ， 生 意 可 能 減 少 九 成 。 另 一 名 市 集 商 戶 負 責 人 十 分 失 望 「 就 算 整 番 重 開 都 冇 人 敢 坐 ， 實 冇 晒 生 意 」 。




寶 蓮 寺 擴 建 或 受 影 響

昂 坪 市 集 仙 足 按 摩 保 健 中 心 經 理 杜 家 琪 也 指 ， 之 前 數 日 年 度 維 修 期 間 ， 每 日 只 有 數 十 人 到 昂 坪 市 集 ， 所 以 現 在 停 駛 ， 對 生 意 會 有 重 大 打 擊 。 另 一 商 戶 燕 之 家 的 高 級 市 務 主 任 李 美 思 表 示 ， 意 外 一 定 影 響 市 民 到 昂 坪 的 心 情 ， 她 指 昂 坪 360 用 以 來 不 時 有 負 面 新 聞 ， 生 意 也 受 影 響 ， 遊 客 又 以 本 地 人 為 主 ， 並 非 如 當 初 所 預 計 。
大 嶼 山 寶 蓮 寺 原 本 受 惠 於 昂 坪 360 用 而 令 人 流 增 加 ， 更 計 劃 動 工 興 建 造 價 達 二 億 元 的 萬 佛 寶 殿 ， 住 持 釋 智 慧 早 前 更 指 會 收 十 元 入 場 費 ， 本 報 昨 晚 未 能 聯 絡 釋 智 慧 回 應 事 件 影 響 。




昂 坪 360 簡 介

發 展 及 營 運 商 ： 由 地 鐵 公 司 發 展 、 前 田 建 設 承 辦 建 築 、 澳 洲 Skyrail-ITM 在 港 設 立 分 公 司 營 運

車 程 ： 由 大 嶼 山 東 涌 市 中 心 至 昂 坪 ， 全 程 5.7 公 里 ， 約 至 25 分 鐘

車 廂 容 量 ： 共 112 個 車 廂 ， 每 個 可 乘 載 17 人 ， 包 括 10 個 坐 位 及 7 個 站 位

載 客 量 ： 每 小 時 單 一 方 向 3,500 人

造 價 ： 10 億 元

資 料 來 源 ： 《 蘋 果 》 資 料 室




各 地 嚴 重 吊 車 意 外

日 期 ： 06 年 7 月
事 件 ： 英 國 蘇 格 蘭 高 地 一 落 山 纜 車 離 站 不 久 出 軌 ， 在 600 米 高 空 與 前 面 纜 車 相 撞 後 墜 落 山 邊 ， 5 人 受 傷

日 期 ： 05 年 9 月
事 件 ： 奧 地 利 度 假 勝 地 索 爾 登 ， 一 架 載 建 築 材 料 的 直 升 機 ， 掉 落 混 凝 土 塊 砸 中 空 中 纜 車 ， 造 成 9 人 死 亡

日 期 ： 99 年 7 月
事 件 ： 法 國 阿 爾 卑 斯 山 一 個 天 文 台 的 纜 車 意 外 掉 落 80 公 尺 深 谷 ， 20 人 死 亡

日 期 ： 98 年 2 月
事 件 ： 美 軍 一 戰 機 在 意 大 利 北 部 卡 瓦 萊 賽 附 近 作 低 空 飛 行 訓 練 時 削 斷 纜 車 索 道 ， 纜 車 墜 下 ， 車 廂 內 20 人 跌 死

日 期 ： 83 年 1 月
事 件 ： 新 加 坡 跨 越 花 帕 山 和 聖 陶 沙 島 之 間 的 吊 車 ， 被 一 艘 鑽 油 船 弄 斷 吊 纜 ， 兩 架 吊 車 凌 空 飛 脫 ， 13 乘 客 一 度 被 困

日 期 ： 76 年 3 月
事 件 ： 意 大 利 北 部 卡 瓦 萊 賽 附 近 的 塞 爾 米 斯 運 動 場 ， 一 輛 纜 車 由 於 纜 繩 斷 裂 ， 從 60 米 高 空 墜 下 ， 造 成 42 人 死 亡

I guess few people will be on the unemployment line next week.

This is quite an unpleasant surprise...

Wow, so the car actually fell off?!

speechless. lucky it happened after the hours, otherwise it would have been a lot more serious.

yah i just read this over @ singtao... i'm speechless.

wa...

Speechless..............

Just my luck, last year i was too early to catch the opening, and now this happens.

It should be renamed as Ngong Ping 90 or Ngong Ping Parabola!
LOL!!!

A Series news from RTHK:
Ngong Ping 360 to be shut down following plunge of cable car (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/elocal/news.htm?elocal&20070612&56&407412)

Cheng calls for cable car management team to be replaced (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/elocal/news.htm?elocal&20070612&56&407413)

Cable car to remain closed until cause of plunge known (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/elocal/news.htm?elocal&20070612&56&407480)

Cause of cable car plunge still a mystery (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/elocal/news.htm?elocal&20070612&56&407535)

International expert to probe cable car plunge (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/elocal/news.htm?elocal&20070612&56&407570)

Warning cable car plunge could damage tourism image (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/elocal/news.htm?elocal&20070612&56&407576)

Cable car operator to waive rents for Ngong Ping shops (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/elocal/news.htm?elocal&20070612&56&407696)

this is impossible... but it actually happened..


乘 昂 坪 吊 車 或 要 加 保 費

【 本 報 訊 】 昂 坪 360 接 連 發 生 意 外 ， 嚇 怕 了 保 險 業 界 ， 有 訪 港 旅 客 稱 其 保 險 公 司 已 將 乘 搭 昂 坪 360 列 入 不 受 保 範 圍 。 世 運 保 險 顧 問 主 席 羅 少 雄 認 為 ， 昂 坪 吊 車 意 外 頻 生 ， 預 料 業 界 或 會 將 吊 車 系 統 評 估 為 較 高 風 險 的 交 通 工 具 ， 甚 至 會 增 加 承 保 費 用 。

昂坪360隨時人頭落地 政府責成若有疏忽 要換管理層
(明報) 06月 13日 星期三 05:05AM

【明報專訊】東涌纜車「昂坪360」車廂墜下事故引起政府高度關注，管理層更隨時「人頭落地」。經濟發展及勞工局長葉澍表明，政府將委聘外國的獨立專家，期望一個月內找出事件原因，他並措辭


強硬地責成地鐵檢討纜車公司Skyrail的管理表現，倘發現有人為錯誤或疏忽，地鐵有需要撤換管理層。

Skyrail地鐵未交代原因

Skyrail及地鐵至今未交代意外原因，據了解，今次事件有可能與上周一連三天周年檢查後，纜索鬆緊度出現問題有關，亦不排除涉及人為因素。立法會經濟事務委員會將於周五（8日）舉行特別會議，要求纜車公司交代事件。

東涌纜車前晚發生意外後16小時，政府隨即高調回應。財政司長唐英年表示，今次事件非常嚴重，必須嚴肅及深入處理。葉澍隨後亦強調，政府高度重視今次事件，並已責成地鐵調查，範圍涵蓋管理、維修及操作等方面。機電工程署亦會檢視纜車公司的維修及管理，查看有沒有涉及人為錯誤或疏忽。

他表明，倘調查顯示纜車公司的管理出現問題，政府會責成地鐵公司處理，包括是否需要更換管理階層，「如果發現有（人為疏忽）的話，我們（政府）當然會責成地鐵公司做他們應該做的事，即是要確保管理階層有能力，如果一些人需要撤換，就要撤換……這個是地鐵的事，他們有責任要確保管理階層有能力勝任」。

雙線調查 盼一月內完成

至於調查工作，機電工程署長何光偉說，已跟地鐵、纜車營運公司Skyrail、製造商Leitner接觸，並已要求地鐵公司聯同獨立顧問，調查事件原因；機電工程署並會另行委聘海外的纜車操作專家獨立調查，包括查看纜車公司的電腦紀錄、觀察損壞的配件等，希望一個月內完成。地鐵需要重新測試纜車，並取得機電工程署滿意後，才會准許纜車恢復運作。

地鐵昨晚表示，會充分配合政府的工作，包括向機電工程署及其聘請的海外纜車專家，提供所需資料。發言人補充，地鐵稍後將自行委託獨立顧問調查，但由於工作剛剛開始，暫不擬揣測事故的原因，現階段評論撤換管理層的問題，亦言之過早。他拒絕公開地鐵跟Skyrail簽署的合約內容，但稱合約中已有條款，列明雙方的承諾。

Skyrail發聲明：測試依指引

纜車公司Skyrail昨晚亦發表聲明，指前晚發生意外時，正根據獨立工程測量師的指引，測試纜車系統在不同情下的運作情形。聲明指出，工程隊伍已落實一系列措施，包括檢查所有車廂、檢視整個系統的纜索、纜塔，並準備檢查牽引索纜，未來數周亦會做不同的檢查工作。

Skyrail又說，澳洲母公司的高層及纜車製造商的專家將於日內抵港，參與調查工作，公司已經跟地鐵及政府部門舉行多次會議，並會在調查完成後，採取補救措施。

周一晚8時20分，一部正駛回東涌站的纜車，在接近機場島轉向站的位置，突然從52米高墜下，幸車上當時無人，未有造成傷亡。

旅客失望又慶幸：好彩無坐

(明報) 06月 13日 星期三 05:05AM


【明報專訊】遠道從外地來港，欲乘搭號稱「亞洲最長」的昂坪纜車 系統的遊客，昨日統統失望而回。有專程訪港試乘昂坪360 的遊客，一方面深感失望，一方面亦慶幸自己未有乘搭，「好彩無坐！」並

坦言想不到香港作為一個國際城市會發生此事，認為有損香港的國際形象。

指有損香港國際形象

參加旅行團的內地遊客陳先生昨晨才由廣州抵港，來港專程試乘昂坪360，但抵後才得悉纜車暫停服務，他感到非常失望，滿腹牢騷，大肆批評政府監管不力，並將昂坪360跟當年惡評如潮的迪士尼 樂園相比。他指出，早前已聽聞昂坪360事故頻頻，因而已有心理準備；日後纜車重開後會再來，「富貴由天、生死有命嘛！」

陳太與親朋戚友，扶老攜幼一行15人，昨日浩浩蕩蕩乘坐巴士前往昂坪。陳太指他們遠從新加坡 來香港，行程重點除了遊覽迪士尼，亦想乘纜車到天壇大佛 觀光，豈料纜車下墜，她一方面深感失望，另一方面亦慶幸自己未有乘搭，「好彩無坐！」

她坦言想不到香港作為一個國際城市會發生此事，深表失望。至於日後會否再次乘搭昂坪360，她耍手擰頭的表示，「不用了，謝謝！」

有導遊表示，因應今次事故需要改動行程，「（遊客）有點失望，但談到安全問題，今天不能乘纜車，他們沒說什麼，但我們（旅行社 ）有安排，昨晚知道有關新聞，今早公司安排我們坐旅遊巴士上來」。

Skyrail高層扭計 地鐵屢催見傳媒
(明報) 06月 13日 星期三 05:05AM

【明報專訊】昂坪360「墜車廂」事件雖無造成人命傷亡，但港府認為，今次將無可避免對香港的聲譽造成一定打擊。據悉，港府短期內將集中處理造成纜車墜下的原因，若發現營運公司Skyrail在保證安

全的工作上存在疏忽，將會透過地鐵撤換該公司的管理層，但因目前仍要該公司配合調查，因此現階段不會提出有關要求。由於今次事件原因未明，港府暫不可以評論事件責任，但預料仍可能出現索償和訴訟。

港府不評責任 料現索償訴訟

港府消息人士形容，今次事件性質非常嚴重，但首務仍是找出原因，向公眾保證安全。為了顯示安全不容妥協的決心，無論地鐵和機電工程署的調查，都會加入獨立第三者的專家意見。

一併調查管理漏洞

除了機械工程的問題外，港府亦希望利用今次調查，找出纜車公司的「系統性失誤」，當中當然包括社會關注的管理漏洞，例如過往從開幕混亂、意外停駛以至公關處理等，纜車公司的營運都予人未盡人意的感覺，亦反映了管理層未臻理想。

消息人士稱，長遠而言是要挽回公眾、旅遊界和國際上的信心。雖然解僱一兩名公司高層可以消解「民怨」，但事件並不可單從政治好處和便利出發，而是要以科學事實為根據，堵塞事件漏洞，防止意外再次發生和提升公眾信心。但現階段無意成立獨立調查委員會，以消除外間疑慮。

地鐵常「收拾殘局」有怨言

不過，若調查發現纜車公司管理層須為事件負責，港府則不會為公司背書。消息人士稱，若發現公司管理層在專業上疏忽，將會透過地鐵要求撤換公司的管理層，甚至終止合作關係。據悉，批出營運合約的地鐵公司，其高層對昂坪360過去負面消息不斷亦有怨言，例如不滿在問題出現後，往往要地鐵來「收拾殘局」。在這情下，若多項調查的矛頭都指向Skyrail，其後果不言而喻。

據了解，纜車車廂前晚8時許墜下後，Skyrail管理層一度想發聲明了事，不安排傳媒簡布會，結果地鐵「三催四請」後，常務董事高德偉才於深夜11時會見記者。至昨日，地鐵再次要求Skyrail親身交代調查進度，但Skyrail又再「扭計」，最後只在晚上9時發出新聞稿。

明報記者 葉根銓 華銘慶

Skyrail firm told to fire staff if liable for accident

Mimi Lau and Diana Lee
Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Skyrail-ITM - the Australian firm behind the Ngong Ping 360 cable car system on Lantau - will be asked to replace its entire management team if it is found to be responsible for the incident Monday in which a cabin plunged 50 meters to the ground after becoming detached from the cable.
The warning came from Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Stephen Ip Shu-kwan Tuesday as he announced a thorough investigation will be launched with the help of overseas experts.

The probe is expected to be completed within a month.

The incident was the first of its kind at the Lantau tourist attraction since the trouble-plagued cable car system began operation in September last year.

Ip said the investigation will cover not only the mishap itself, but also the overall management and maintenance of the system.

"If it turns out to be a management problem, we'll ask MTR Corp [which owns and operates the project] to do what it needs to do."

He said that, according to the Aerial Ropeways (Safety) Ordinance, the director of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department is empowered to request the corporation to have a management team that is capable of handling the skyrail system.

"We're taking safety as our top priority. Unless and until the director is satisfied with the safety of the system, we'll not allow the service to resume," Ip said.

Cable car services at Tung Chung - which is linked to the famous Big Buddha by the system - have been ordered to be suspended
indefinitely until it can be established what went wrong.

No one was injured in Monday evening's incident in which the empty cable car crashed to the ground during a test run after operating hours.

Immediately after the crash, maintenance staff members were sent to each of the system's supporting towers to examine if other cabins had plunged along the whole ropeway.

Investigators found some 10 gear wheels had been seriously damaged on the system where the cable car plunged.

The gear wheels, installed on the towers, are used to hook cable cars in place as they pass the towers.

Investigators are still trying to find out how these gears were damaged and whether the damage was related to the crash.

An inside source revealed to The Standard Tuesday the mishap was associated with a decision by Skyrail- ITM's senior management to boost passenger capacity during peak periods.

According to the source, it was the first time Skyrail had tried to push the motors of the "circulating bi-cable aerial ropeway" system to the fullest and unprecedented speed of seven meters per second. "The system has always been tested on five meters per second even at its initial trial runs. It's a senior management decision to test the system's fullest operational speed and its emergency braking.

"With a nearly 30-40 percent speed enhancement, the journey time could, therefore, be shortened, enabling a faster circulation of cabins. At least 3,000 to 4,000 extra passengers a day could be carried," the source said.

Currently, the highest passenger load recorded is about 11,000 per day. According to Skyrail, the system's maximum load can be boosted to 3,500 passengers an hour. The whole ropeway circulates 109 cabins at an average speed of four to five meters per second.

It takes 20 to 25 minutes to finish the 5.7-kilometer journey from Tung Chung to Ngong Ping.

According to an international expert from the world's largest ropeway construction company, operating on seven meters per second is "not common," and he was shocked to hear of the accident. "Bi-cable aerial ropeway is what we call one of the pioneering ropeways.

"Such an installation is not so common around the world," said Christoph Hinteregger, technical director at Austria-based Doppelmayr Seilbahnen.

"There aren't many models that can successfully run at seven meters per second, operators of bi-cable aerial ropeway still need to gather more experience," he told The Standard by phone from Switzerland.

Hinteregger said while "the maximum speed of a circulating bi-cable aerial ropeway is not theoretically unachievable," it can depend other factors like weather conditions such as wind and smog.

A spokesman for Skyrail-ITM refused to comment on whether the system was running at seven meters per second under an "ongoing review."

However, the spokesman admitted that an increased speed would help boost passenger load and the company is promoting Ngong Ping 360 in other countries.

The spokesman also denied there was any relationship between enhanced speed and passenger capacity.

After a three-day annual review was performed in early June to adjust ropeway tension, Leitner Ropeways programmers were adjusting a monitoring system called the Scada System, the source said.

The system is designed to monitor various functions during operations, including distance between cabins, motors, cabin doors and wind speed.

A fault message would be sent out and the system halted should the monitoring system detect any abnormalities, the source said.

But it was discovered a few hours before Monday's accident that a door on a cabin departing Ngong Ping for Tung Chung failed to close tightly, leaving a space of "two to three fingers."

"It was Monday afternoon, right before the accident took place, but the monitoring system didn't send out any alarm message. The cabin kept on operating," the source said.

The company performed emergency braking while the cable cars were operating at the maximum speed of seven meters per second, when suddenly "ka ka" noises were heard. Right after that, a fault alarm was raised, suggesting there had been problems in Tower 2B.

A Skyrail statement said an engineering team had been investigating since Monday night.

The Legislative Council will hold a special meeting of its economic panel Friday to discuss the incident.

RTHK news:
Too early for blame over cable car plunge - Skyrail (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20070613/news_20070613_56_407911.htm)

RTHK News:
Mismanagement blamed for cable car plunge (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20070917/news_20070917_56_432325.htm)

-- I really hope the NP 360 can be opened ASAP.

Has the technical cause of the accident been found? Management is one thing; parts and design are another...

The official press conference will be held later today (9/18) HKT.

Local Newspaper reported the problems are found to be human and management errors; it had nothing to do with the design and technical issues.

Let see what the report is really pointing to.

Lantau cable car operator should get ax for crash, suggests report

Staff reporter
Tuesday, September 18, 2007

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/newsimage/20070918/NP-1.jpg

Skyrail-ITM - the Australian operator of the cable car system at Ngong Ping 360 - should be replaced to restore public confidence in the running of Hong Kong's newest tourist attraction, a report has proposed.
According to a source, the report, due to be released today, says human error and the company's management are to blame for the crash of a cabin that plunged 50 meters to the ground after it was detached from the cable during a test run in June this year.

No one was injured in the incident, which occurred after operating hours.

The source said MTR Corp (0066), which owns the HK$1 billion project on Lantau Island, is keen to change the cable car operator following a series of incidents that have plagued the attraction since its opening in September last year.

The troubles included occasions on which hundreds of people were stranded in cabins for several hours due to technical glitches.

The report, conducted jointly by MTRC and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, was ordered by then Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Stephen Ip Shu- kwan to look into the causes of the cable car crash on June 11.

He had warned that the Skyrail-ITM management would have to be replaced if it was found to be responsible.

According to unconfirmed reports, both the government and MTRC intend to terminate the 20-year contract with Skyrail-ITM.

Company chairman Ken Chapman is already in Hong Kong for talks on the matter.

It is understood the Aust
ralian firm will agree to its contract being scrapped if it is allowed to make a "graceful exit" and without any huge compensation involved.

Bill Calderwood, managing director of Skyrail-ITM, said yesterday he had not made any decision yet on whether to resign.

"I think we'll have to wait and see what the report says. Then, we'll make a decision," he said.

A spokesman for the MTRC confirmed yesterday that a meeting had been held between the government and the corporation's management to discuss what steps to take.

The report into the crash will be released today by Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Frederick Ma Si-hang, MTRC chairman Raymond Ch'ien Kuo-fung, Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services Ho Kwong-wai, Commissioner for Tourism Au King-chi and MTRC project director Russell Black.

The Legislative Council's economic services panel will hold a special meeting today to discuss the report.

Cable car services at Ngong Ping 360, which have been suspended indefinitely since the crash, are not expected to resume until a new operator is named.

Operators at Ngong Ping market have complained that their businesses have been severely affected, and hope cable car services will return to normal as soon as possible.

Tearing up Skyrail contract could be very costly, warns legislator

Scarlett Chiang
Tuesday, September 18, 2007

A lawmaker has warned of the financial implications of terminating the contract with Skyrail- ITM, which operates the trouble-plagued cable car system at Ngong Ping 360.
Andrew Cheng Kar-foo, who chairs the Legislative Council's transport panel, said the government and MTR Corp (0066), which owns the Lantau project, should avoid taking such drastic action if there is no evidence that the Australian company is to blame for the plunge of a cable car cabin in June.

He warned that the government may have to foot a huge legal bill if it cancels the 20-year contract with the firm. "We should always be cautious with the matter. If the company decides to claim damages, the case will go before the court and the government could face massive compensation claims."

Cheng suggested that Skyrail-ITM's management be changed instead if the report into the cable car crash fails to prove the operator is at fault.

But he added that if the operator refuses to replace its management or to overhaul the cable car system, there will be no other way but to end the contract.

Legislator Chan Kam-lam, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, agreed that Skyrail-ITM should be punished if the report finds the operator responsible for the accident.

"Of course, the operator must shoulder the responsibility if the report shows it had made mistakes. The worst thing to happen is to have their contract terminated."

Edmund Leung Kwong-ho, former president of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, said there are many choices for the government if it wants to replace the operator.

"If MTR Corp replaces Skyrail-ITM, it can ask the cable car manufacturer to send experts to Hong Kong to work with local technicians in operating a new system," he said.

Leung said the cable car system at Ngong Ping 360 is simple and can be run easily by any new operator.

The cabin plunge during a test run on June 11 was among a series of incidents that have hit the attraction since it opened last September.

Bill Calderwood, managing director of Skyrail- ITM, has said that he does not intend to resign over the incident as it was not due to "operational problems" and the company has a professional team to run the system.

The report is understood to have put the blame for the incident on human error and management problems at Skyrail-ITM and recommended that its senior management be replaced.

Gov't Press Release:
Opening remarks by Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development at a press conference on Ngong Ping Skyrail (http://info.gov.hk/gia/general/200709/18/P200709180190.htm)

RTHK News:
Govt report expected to blame human error for cable car mishap (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20070918/news_20070918_56_432476.htm)

Criminal negligence blamed for cable car accident (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20070918/news_20070918_56_432653.htm)

--Goodbye, Skyrail. Hello, MTRC!

Ngong Ping 360 operator replaced

The Mass Transit Railway Corporation will change its Ngong Ping 360 operator, Skyrail, in the wake of an expert panel report on the falling of a gondola on the cable car in June. The Government has also initiated legal action against a Skyrail official.

Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Frederick Ma today said the report confirmed the cable car design is safe and the existing regulatory regime meets international practices. However, the Government has urged the MTRC, as owner of the system, to implement management, operation and maintenance upgrades.

He said the Government cannot discuss the case or release any information detailing the cause of the incident as it was now a legal matter and certain parts of the report have been withheld from publication.

New management

MTRC Chairman Dr Raymond Ch'ien said a subsidiary company will be formed to take up the management and operation of the system, adding that an agreement has been reached with the current operator Skyrail-ITM (Hong Kong) on the transfer of administration. The new company will be led by an international management team comprising MTR engineers and experienced cable-car professionals.

Dr Ch'ien said the corporation is committed to win back confidence in the Ngong Ping cable-car system and the aim is to try to reopen the system by year's-end.

Assistant Director of Electrical & Mechanical Services Chan Fan said all damaged and worn components have been repaired or replaced since the incident. He said, before reopening, the system should be tested and commissioned as if it were newly built, and a full examination of it should be conducted annually after that.

Safety priority

Mr Ma said safety is the Government's top priority, adding it will press the MTRC to ensure a safe and reliable cable-car service. The system must comply with the improvement measures before the Electrical & Mechanical Services Department permits it to reopen to the public.

He said the Government sympathises with Ngong Ping Village tenants affected by the system suspension, and has asked the MTRC to liaise with and assist them during this difficult period.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Source: http://news.gov.hk/en/category/businessandfinance/070918/html/070918en03001.htm

Report from the Expert Panel on the Cabin Falling Incident ocurred on June 11 at Ngong Ping Ropeway: (Big File Warning: 113 MB :nuts: :nuts: )
http://www.emsd.gov.hk/emsd/e_download/wnew/Report_from_the_Expert_Panel_on_the_Cabin_Falling_Incident_on_11_June_2007_(Sanitised_Version).pdf

Goodbye, Skyrail. Hello, MTRC!

MTRC is getting big!!!

It already has experience for MTR system worldwide, then taking over commuter rail KCR. And now it's going up in the sky running cable car~~~

I wonder how much the government need to pay Skyrail to end the contract 19 years early.

I wonder how much the government need to pay Skyrail to end the contract 19 years early.

I don't think the charge would be paid by the Gov't but by the MTRC instead, as the MTRC is already released in the HK Stock Exchange.

RTHK News:
(Andrew) Cheng questions govt's filing of charges before releasing report (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20070919/news_20070919_56_432780.htm)

MTRC cable car staff to be relocated (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20070919/news_20070919_56_432781.htm)

Releasing a 20-yr contract, sounds like a big payout ... even though they say its 'relatively small'

Skyrail contract ripped up over cable car woes

Carol Chung and Carrie Chan
Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Exactly one year after its grand opening, the operator of Ngong Ping 360 has seen its 20-year contract torn up and one of its staff sued for criminal negligence.
The double blow for Skyrail-ITM came yesterday with the release of a report by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department on its investigation as to why and how an empty cabin came off the ropeway and plunged 50 meters into a valley on June 11.

"The expert panel pointed to problems in the operation, not in the design or the regulatory regime, which were in line with international standards and practices," Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Frederick Ma Si-hang said.

The three-member panel found a Skyrail employee responsible for the cabin plunge during a brake test when the system was being operated manually instead of by computer.

But the panel did not say exactly how the cabin came loose, and did not name the person responsible.

According to a government source, the person charged is Li Kit-loi, an assistant manager responsible for the ropeway's maintenance.

Project owner MTR Corp (0066) said it had decided to replace the management and would form a new subsidiary with an international management team comprising MTRC engineers and experienced cable car professionals. About 200 Skyrail staff will move to the new company.

"Virtually all existing operating and maintenance staff will be transferred to the new company, but the chief executive and chief operating officer will be new.
The selection of candidates hasn't been finalized," MTRC chairman Raymond Ch'ien Kuo-fung said.

Ch'ien would not reveal how much Skyrail would receive by way of compensation but a government source said it will be a "relatively small sum" with respect to what it would be in 20 years.

The MTRC and the government are bargaining on the basis that services were, and will continue to be, suspended, the low credibility of the operator in management, and the fact the mishap was the result of staff negligence, the source said.

The MTRC agreed to complete improvement measures recommended by the panel before resuming service.

To help operators of businesses in Ngong Ping market who suffered losses as a result of the suspension, the MTRC will cut rents and work closely with the travel trade and Tourism Board in promoting the relaunch.

Skyrail managing director Bill Calderwood, who left his Tung Chung office in a taxi with bags of documents yesterday, did not respond to questions.

Skyrail said it and staff had been operating in accordance with given procedures.

According to the panel, Ngong Ping 360 experienced 22 major incidents leading to frequent service interruptions and complaints from passengers since its opening on September 18 last year.

Apart from weather disruptions, the causes included component design imperfections, operational blunders, poor works coordination, poor workmanship, inadequate operation awareness and poor maintenance

well, i guess signing a 20-yr contract was quite foolish to begin with ...

Silence all round on cost of final ride for cable car firm

Nickkita Lau
Wednesday, September 19, 2007

The amount MTR Corp paid - or intends to pay - Skyrail-ITM to scrap the Australian firm's 20-year contract to operate the Ngong Ping 360 cable- car system remains a tightly guarded secret.
Lawmakers tried hard to get the answer at a special meeting of the Legislative Council's economic services panel yesterday, but failed.

Both Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Frederick Ma Si-hang and MTR Corp chief Raymond Ch'ien Kuo-fung were tight-lipped about the matter.

Ch'ien refused to say anything when asked if the corporation had paid Skyrail any compensation at all.

He told legislators the agreement is confidential and which, they believe, meets the interests of all parties concerned, including the public.

Democrat Andrew Cheng Kar-foo said as the government is the biggest shareholder in MTR Corp, taxpayers have the right to know how their money is being spent, and if Skyrail is at fault, it should compensate taxpayers.

"We see safety as the No1 public interest, and now we're focusing on the safe reopening of the cable car system. Shareholders will eventually get to know the details of the agreement when we release our annual report," Ch'ien replied.

The government also came under fire from lawmakers over the maintenance of the cable car system.

The report on the June 11 incident at Ngong Ping 360, in which an empty cabin plunged 50 meters to the ground, said more than 130 regular and random inspections had been carried out, and 47 advisory notices issued by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department during its nine-month operation.

Department director Ho Kwong-wai said maintenance notices might affect the reliability but not the safety of the system. The international experts who prepared the report concluded that the system's design had complied with international standards.

Many legislators said they were interested in seeing Ngong Ping Village revitalized after the indefinite suspension of cable car services which has forced many shop operators out of business. Independent Abraham Shek Lai- him suggested that MTR Corp could offer free cable car rides for a month after it reopens.

Others said the temporary waiving of rents for shop operators at Ngong Ping Village is not enough to help the small- and medium-size businesses.

"Before the accident, they were getting 5,500 visitors a day," Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen of the Liberal Party said.

"MTR Corp says it's trying its best right now, but there are now only about 6,000 visitors at Ngong Ping Village a week, or an average of less than 1,000 a day. Even if the stall owners are not paying any rent, they are still losing money just by operating."

Compensation avoided with purchase of Skyrail firm
Hong Kong Standard
Friday, September 21, 2007

MTR Corp has apparently avoided compensating Skyrail-ITM over termination of its 20-year contract to manage the Ngong Ping 360 cable-car system by buying the Australian company and taking over management itself.

But a lawmaker has warned that the corporation's move could lead to conflict of interest between MTRC shareholders and the public, as the listed rail operator refuses to say how much it paid for Skyrail-ITM.

MTRC chairman Raymond Ch'ien Kuo-fung confirmed yesterday the transfer of management was made possible by acquiring Skyrail-ITM, but he refused to disclose how big the bill is.

"This [acquisition] is in the best interests of MTRC's shareholders," Ch'ien said. "We're a listed company governed by certain listing rules and regulations, and we'll notify our shareholders accordingly."

According to securities analysts, MTRC is not required to reveal the acquisition amount if it falls below a certain size in relation to the corporation's total assets of about HK$120.4 billion. Also, if MTRC wants to sell its management contract, revealing the amount at this stage may affect the price in future, the analysts say.

An MTRC spokeswoman confirmed yesterday that the acquisition sidesteps any compensation requirements.

But lawmaker Mandy Tam Heung- man, who represents the accountancy sector, criticized the MTRC for ignoring public interests, insisting it should reveal the amount. "The government, as the majority shareholder of MTRC, is spending taxpayers' money to acquire Skyrail. Hong Kong people have the right to know how much has been paid and whether it's value for money. Who knows, there may be a lot of rusty components in the facilities," Tam said.

She said Skyrail should perhaps even compensate MTRC for its apparent bad management of the system.

The government also appears relaxed about pressing MTRC to disclose more details.

"MTRC has signed the confidentiality clause in its agreement with Skyrail, and they can only notify the government at [MTRC] board meetings," Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Frederick Ma Si-hang told a radio program yesterday. Ma had earlier said it was inappropriate for the government to join the new management of Ngong Ping 360.

A spokeswoman for the government last night said it will not and cannot press the MTRC to publicize price details, given the commercial sensitivities involved.

"MTRC will release the amount to the board - a few [members] of which are government officials representing the public. We must respect the spirit of agreement terms in the business world."

Electrical and Mechanical Services Department assistant director Chan Fan said there have been problems with Skyrail since it opened on September 18 last year.

From news.gov.hk:
New Ngong Ping 360 management named (http://news.gov.hk/en/category/businessandfinance/070927/html/070927en03001.htm)

Cabins back on cable at Ngong Ping

Carol Chung
Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Cars were put back on the cableway at Ngong Ping 360 yesterday as part of preparations for the reopening of the troubled-plagued Lantau tourist attraction by the end of the year.
The management of Ngong Ping 360 Ltd - the new firm that will manage the cable-car system - said all 84 cabins reinstalled have been checked and confirmed to be in good working order.

More cars may be reinstalled in the coming week. The system can hold a maximum 109 cabins.

The system will be re-examined by the manufacturer Leitner before a re-testing and re-certification program is carried out.

During the testing period, the cabins will be seen moving and stopping on the cableway at frequent intervals as a normal part of the process.

After re-testing, an independent ropeway surveyor from Austria, will conduct the annual survey of the system, as required under the Aerial Ropeways Ordinance.

Morris Cheung Siu-wa, managing director of the new firm, said preparatory work for the re- opening has been making good progress.

"Our operations and maintenance staff have completed refresher training and I'm pleased to say the relevant personnel have successfully passed evaluation."

Ngong Ping 360 - a subsidiary of MTR Corp, which owns the project - replaced the Australian company Skyrail-ITM last month after 22 major incidents and frequent service interruptions occurred during the first nine months of the system operation.

The cable-car system has been shut down since an empty cabin plunged 50 meters from the cableway during a test run on June 11, but no one was injured.

A government-appointed expert panel found a 42-year-old Skyrail employee negligent during a brake test as part of an annual examination of the cable-car system.

But the experts failed to pinpoint the exact causes of the crash.

Cable car undergoes testing before reopening
(SCMP) 10月 10日 星期三 00:03AM
Cabins of the trouble-plagued Ngong Ping 360 cable car were put back on the cable yesterday for inspection and testing of the system ahead of its reopening.

A spokesman for the cableway said each cabin had been thoroughly checked and confirmed to be in good condition before being moved out of the storage area. The MTR Corporation, owner of the cable car company, has paid out the original Australian-based operator Skyrail-ITM and taken over the management team after a spate of system glitches since its opening in September last year.

In the most stunning incident, a gondola plunged 50 metres to the ground during tests after service hours in June.

The attraction has been closed since then.

The MTR Corp had said earlier that the cableway will reopen before Christmas.

The cable system will be examined by Leitner, the manufacturer, before undergoing tests over the next few days, the spokesman said.

Following that, an independent ropeway surveyor from Austria will be conducting the annual check of the system under the Aerial Ropeways (Safety) Ordinance, to verify the system's safety and functionality.

"Our operations and maintenance staff have completed refresher training and I am pleased to say that the relevant personnel have successfully passed evaluation," the new managing director of Ngong Ping 360, Morris Cheung Siu-wa, said.

News about tests? Thank'you

RTHK News:
Cable car could reopen by end of year (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20071106/news_20071106_56_444526.htm)

Tour operators left hanging over cable car reopening
7 November 2007
Hong Kong Standard

A travel agency yesterday said it hoped the Lantau cable car system will be up and running in time for the long Christmas holiday season.

China Travel Service (Hong Kong), which runs inbound tours, hoped Ngong Ping 360, which now operates the cable car service, will give a specific date, hopefully before Christmas, to help them plan their tours.

But Morris Cheung Siu-wa, managing director of Ngong Ping 360, did not give a definite opening date beyond saying that the cable cars will start running at the end of the year.

Cheung said the cable car system, which was shut down when an empty cable car plunged to the ground in June, has been tested.

The tests were satisfactory.

The whole system has been thoroughly checked by Leitner, the Austrian manufacturer, under normal operating conditions, including a dummy load test in which water containers weighing 1.5 tonnes were used.

Test reports will be submitted in two weeks' time to the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department for review.

There will also be a reliability test on the entire system using different load conditions and operating speeds.

A report on this test, including preparatory tasks such as drills and contingency measures, will be sent to the EMSD.

When the reports have been reviewed and judged satisfactory, the cable car system will reopen as expected by the end of the year, Cheung said.

He added that all rusting components have been replaced with non- rusting aluminum alloy parts or parts with anti-rust coating.

Maintenance has also been enhanced, he said.

For example, a special rope-cleaning apparatus from Europe has replaced the former labor-intensive manual cleaning system, to ensure thorough cleaning of the ropeway.

A government-appointed probe into the cable car plunge found a 42-year- old former Skyrail worker, Li Kit-loi, had allegedly been negligent during a brake test as part of an annual examination of the cable car system.

Li will appear at Tsuen Wan Magistracy tomorrow on three criminal charges of negligence.

Ngong Ping 360 _ a subsidiary of MTR Corp that owns the project _ replaced the Australian company Skyrail-ITM in September after 22 major incidents and frequent service interruptions occurred in the first nine months of operation.

Cheung said the management will work with shop tenants at Ngong Ping Village, some of whom complained of a 90 percent drop in business since the cable car service was suspended.

A Mr Cheung, who runs a photo shop in the village, said he hopes the Tourism Board will enhance promotion to overseas tourists after the reopening.

But the board said promotions will not start until the system is operating without a hitch. The board will work with MTRC and Ngong Ping 360 on promotional strategies targeting different overseas markets.

Is the ropeway open?

They've put the cars back on the rope and are testing it with expected re-launch by Christmas.

A friend told me he went with this ropeway yesterday...is it possible? could you get more infos?

A friend told me he went with this ropeway yesterday...is it possible? could you get more infos?

Are you talking about the trail / emergency escape route below the cable cars?

No, a ride with cable car...but I know that the lift should be closed until december...

Doubt the public will be allowed to ride during the current test runs.

Cable car awaits final test before resuming operations
28 November 2007
Hong Kong Standard

The green light for relaunching Lantau's problem-plagued cable car depends on a final reliability test scheduled within two weeks' time, Ngong Ping 360's deputy head of operations Raymond Leung Wai-man said yesterday.

Leung said this after a successful rescue drill and exercise involving the Fire Services Department, Government Flying Services and Civil Aid Services.

On the issue of a definite date for the relaunch, he could only repeat a previous ``by the end of the year'' promise, saying the company is not behind schedule.

The newly formed company _ a subsidiary of MTR Corp that owns the cable car and tourist village project _ satisfactorily finished a series of tests and checks by the Austrian manufacturer Leitner three weeks ago.

The system was shut down in June after an empty cabin plunged 50 meters to the ground during a night-time check.

New Territories chief fire officer Lau Shu-lam said the exercise went ``smoothly and efficiently.''

A dummy passenger in a cabin 52 meters above the sea was lowered onto a fireboat while another was lowered onto the ground. The rescue exercise took about 45 minutes from the moment an emergency call was received.

Lau said the fire department has vertical and horizontal strategies to rescue trapped passengers on the 5.7-kilometer cableway. The most difficult rescue position is the highest point of the cable system which is 560m above sea level.

The joint rescue exercise is held at least once a year.

Ngong Ping 360 to lure families with free tickets
12 December 2007
Hong Kong Standard

Thousands of children will join free trial runs of the Ngong Ping 360 cable car before it reopens at the end of the month.

The cable car system on Lantau was plagued with problems before and after it opened in June last year. It has been shut down since a gondola fell off the cableway during a night-time test in June this year.

A company source said tickets will be handed out to children aged between three and 11 years during the trial runs, while rides will be organized for officials such as Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Frederick Ma Si-hang to show confidence in the system.

Trials will take place once maintenance staff under new managers Ngong Ping 360 Limited, a subsidiary of MTR Corp, are trained and assessed.

Ngong Ping 360's previous management team, Australia's Skyrail-ITM, oversaw two failed trial runs last year before opening Ngong Ping to the public.

The first, in June last year, was canceled after the mountain was buffetted by 90 kilometer-per- hour winds. A later trial was disrupted by a breakdown that stranded 500 MTRC and KCRC staff in mid-air for two hours as hundreds of people queued in searing heat below.

The final trial run took place in August before the cable car finally opened in September.

A source said Ngong Ping 360 had implemented measures to ensure system safety.

The maintenance team has been expanded from 27 to 40 staff, and 12 days of checks will be carried out each year rather than three.

The company has fine-tuned the sensor system that checks the position of cable car cabins.

``With fine-tuned sensors we can minimize sending wrong signals,'' the source said, adding that the system transmits and receives more than 26,900 signals during each full journey made by its 109 cabins.

When the system stops for more than 30 minutes, the media will be notified, notices will be put up and broadcast at MTR stations.

A test was completed last Friday, showing an operational reliability rate of 99.3 percent over a continuous seven-day period. This exceeded the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department's minimum requirement of 98 percent reliability.

Ngong Ping Ltd is planning to open ticket counters at more MTR stations. Tickets are currently available at Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong and Tsim Sha Tsui stations.

It is asking retailers who closed shops after the cable car stopped to reopen at lower rents.

One third of the village's 26 shops closed as the number of visitors slipped from 6,000 to less than 900 a day.

Hehe.... Free. I wonder if its worth the risk?

Hehe.... Free. I wonder if its worth the risk?

Safest time is after an accident occurs. :)

It will opened on Dec 31! :okay:

RTHK News:
Lantau cable car reopening on New Year's Eve (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20071218/news_20071218_56_454750.htm)

Safest time is after an accident occurs. :)

Lightning never strikes twice in the same place and all that...?

Cable car ready to swing into action in new year
Hong Kong Standard
Wednesday, December 19, 2007

The troubled Ngong Ping 360 cable car system will resume operations on New Year's Eve, preceded by a week-long trial run starting Saturday.

The long-awaited news came yesterday after the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department gave the green light for staff training and system checks for the system.

The attraction, previously operated by Skyrail-ITM, closed after less than a year in operation. Shutdowns and other problems plagued the cable car from the start, and operations were suspended indefinitely after a gondola fell off the cable during a night time system test in June.

The contract with Skyrail was subsequently terminated and Ngong Ping 360 Limited, a subsidiary of Mass Transit Railway Corporation, was set up to manage the attraction.


The public will be able to enjoy the 25-minute journey from Tung Chung to Ngong Ping when the service resumes at 10am on December 31.

Until February 29, children under 12 and senior citizen card holders will be given free tickets, while adult passengers will receive cash coupons valued at HK$10, HK$20 or HK$40 to use at souvenir shops in Ngong Ping Village depending on the type of ticket they purchase.

A week-long trial will begin Saturday with special guests including Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Frederick Ma Si-hang, and MTRC chairman Raymond Ch'ien Kuo-fung.

Invitations have also been issued to MTRC and Ngong Ping 360 staff and their families, Tung Chung community representatives and members of the travel industry to visit the attraction from December 23-29. The trial run will be interrupted with a one-day break on December 27.

Meanwhile, the company is still negotiating rents with commercial tenants at Ngong Ping Village. A third of the village's 26 shops closed as the number of visitors fell from 6,000 per day to 6,000 per week while the cable car's operations were suspended.

"We're confident of a successful re- opening as the system has passed a series of inspections and tests over the past few months," Ngong Ping 360 managing director Morris Cheung Siu- wa said, adding that a six-day trial will be adequate to ensure reliability.

He said Ngong Ping 360 has put more measures in place to ensure system safety with maintenance checks increased from three days every year to 12 days. The company has also fine- tuned the sensor system, which tracks the distance between the gondolas and caused several stoppages last year.

Tickets will go on sale at Tung Chung and Ngong Ping terminals from December 28 , while vouchers will be available at several MTR stations including Hong Kong, Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui.

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What exactly was the "negligence" in the maintenance procedure?

360出醜試搭竟猝停
高官擠笑容「順便睇風景」
23/12/2007
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馬時亨（右）昨日試坐四次，其中一次更陪伴傳媒。

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寶蓮禪寺住持釋智慧（左）亦在馬時亨（右）的邀請下，試搭纜車。

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耗資約十億元興建的昂坪纜車，在飛墮事故後停駛多月，昨日終復航試載，當局特別安排大規模試乘儀式，惜籌備多月的試乘活動首日再次發生事故，運載商務及經濟發展局局長馬時亨及眾多嘉賓的其中一架纜車返回東涌時，竟在半空停頓約五分鐘；亦有試乘者的車卡曾倒後再向前。纜車公司解釋並非意外，只是繫緊纜索與車廂的抱索器夾到纜索接駁位，觸動系統因而發出警告。馬時亨及一眾嘉賓都稱纜車安全、平穩，馬時亨更稱「唔搭就係損失」。

昂坪纜車公司昨日安排百多名貴賓試搭纜車，馬時亨來回總共乘搭了四次，上午十一時多，他與傳媒首次搭纜車由昂坪返回東涌，當纜車駛離彌勒山轉向站後，纜車突然停駛，車廂隨即播出廣播，指纜車正在進行車務調動，車廂將前後移動，乘客在車廂內十分安全。約五分鐘後，車廂緩緩倒後行駛數十呎，然後重新啟動。馬時亨笑言不介意遇上事故，還笑說「可以順便睇風景！」

抱索器夾到接駁位
昂坪纜車公司董事總經理張少華事後強調事件並非故障。他解釋，當纜車離開車站時，連接車廂及牽引纜的抱索器，發現牽引纜的力度出現偏差，預警系統發出訊號，令纜車停頓。他說，處理這種情況的方法是將纜車向後移動，檢查抱索器運作是否正常，再重新啟動系統。

張少華指，每個車廂離開車站時均有機會出現類似問題，可能每隔數日出現一次，但不會太頻密，昨日技術人員五分鐘內已完成檢查，做法符合安全要求。田北俊事後亦代纜車公司解釋，稱昨日的停駛、倒後，是纜車公司專門安排的操作試演，目的是讓嘉賓了解纜車系統。

田又稱，重開當日，旅發局會在機場、羅湖等出入境口岸派發宣傳單張。旅發局在重開後一兩個月，確定纜車安全穩定後，會恢復在海外的推廣活動。

理工大學機械工程系講師盧覺強認為今次只是正常機械操作問題，並非機件故障。他指，昂坪纜車的纜索這樣長，一定會有接駁位，若抱索器夾到接駁位，因接駁位的直徑與纜索有差異，就會影響抱索器夾緊接駁位置的力度，從而觸動預警系統，處理方法就是將車廂退後，讓抱索器再夾緊纜索其他位置。他說這種情況不會經常發生，但若果索道上有較多車廂行駛，發生的機會相對較大。

六天邀三萬人試搭
昂坪纜車今日起進行為期六日的試搭活動，港鐵邀請了三萬名員工及家屬試搭，又會邀請大嶼山團體及天水圍家庭等。纜車將於下周一重新展開商業運作，當日會如常開放，並無任何拜神或剪綵儀式。

市民點睇
余女士

「未坐過纜車，今日特登由荃灣搭車上來昂坪，其實都有信心，下次會考慮試搭。」

照相店負責人郭先生

「昨日人流比平時增加，但要等一月正式重開，先見到生意能否恢復。」

MTRC ironing out kinks in Ngong Ping 360 relaunch
Hong Kong Standard
Monday, December 24, 2007

The relaunch of the Ngong Ping 360 cable car system on Lantau Island was met with two minor halts lasting several minutes in the first two days of trials since an empty cabin plunged more than 50 meters to the ground six months ago.

The company offered 8,000 to 10,000 free tickets to MTR staff and their family members as well as to local engineers yesterday, ending up with more than 5,800 people enjoying a fog- shrouded ride from Tung Chung to Ngong Ping plateau.

A full relaunch of the line will be made on New Year's Eve after nearly six months of enforced closure.

The two breaks, lasting eight minutes yesterday and five minutes on Saturday, were described as "normal situations" by Ngong Ping 360 managing director Morris Cheung Siu-wah.

"Those were because the sensors of the cable car had deviations. The operators of the car made announcements immediately through the public address system while the cabins were moved backwards for checkups," he said.

Cheung added such incidents were a matter of probability and normally took place once or twice a week.

The company yesterday ran two two-minute test trials simulating problems - one of which saw a slowing down of the line from a normal speed of five meters per second to two meters per second. The other was a complete halt of the system with passengers allowed to get off. Both tests went through smoothly.

Lo Kwok-keung, an engineer at the Polytechnic University's department of mechanical engineering who took the ride, said the line was more stable than before, and the ride was smoother.

Hong Kong Institute of Engineers president Lo Wai-kwok, who paid visits to the system's operations and engine rooms, said the designs are of a professional level and the technical system mature.

Mr Lee, a family member of an MTRC employee who was among those taking the ride, said he was not worried, expressing confidence the company had conducted sufficient tests before the relaunch.

In Ngong Ping Village, shopowners said their business had improved by 20 to 30 percent.

On Saturday, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Frederick Ma Si-hang, MTR Corporation chairman Raymond Ch'ien Kuo- fung and Hong Kong Tourism Board chairman James Tien Pei-chun were among the people who hopped on to the cable car cabins for the first time in nearly half a year.

"I wasn't scared for half a second on the cable car, which was a smooth ride. I hope tourists will ride it happily and worry-free. Not riding it is really a loss for you," Ma said.

Patience required for cable-car trial run
Hong Kong Standard
Thursday, December 27, 2007

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The breath-taking charm of Ngong Ping 360 is still there despite the six-month suspension as 19,500 passengers with free tickets waited patiently for hours to ride the cable car on both Christmas and Boxing Day.

Twenty thousand tickets were given to MTR Corp employees and their families and friends on both public holidays for the trial run, with gondolas carrying 10,000 happy riders on Tuesday and 9,500 yesterday.

MTR Corp explained the free rides were to test its capacity and crowd control.

Passengers appeared to be more prepared yesterday than on Tuesday as many brought food and drinks with them after discovering that the wait on Christmas Day lasted as long as four hours.

Morris Cheung Siu-wa, managing director of Ngong Ping 360, said MTRC made some adjustments yesterday after the first day experience.

"We made public broadcasts asking passengers to be patient because of the big crowds," Cheung said. "When passengers arrived from Tung Chung station they were told where to get in line."

Some passengers arrived at the cable car station as early as 7am. The system opened at 9.15am yesterday, 45 minutes before its scheduled 10am opening.

By noon the line snaked back to the Tung Chung MTR station. Public broadcasts told passengers to expect a three-hour wait.

The system experienced two minor incidents yesterday - operations stopped for under one minute due to a signal indicating the door of one cable car had not closed properly

In the afternoon a signal sent from a rope grip interrupted operations for three minutes. Cheung said they were both normal incidents.

On Tuesday the system experienced an interruption when a passenger in a wheelchair was unable to get into a cabin, but the situation improved yesterday when other passengers using wheelchairs were able to get into cabins smoothly.

The trial run will resume tomorrow.

Cheung said some inbound tour groups are already booked for Ngong Ping 360 and will visit on its official reopening on New Year's Eve.

Wow, I would never wait 4 hours long for that. Lol..

yea i waited for around 3.5hrs...i'll post some pics later

2007-12-25
Everything was fine except I had to wait for 3.5hrs.
The cable car didn't stop, didn't drop. very smooth. But the song play inside the car was very very annoying.
The Ngong Ping Village (市集) is clean. Feels like 集古村@Ocean Park but much better.

You can view bigger size (1024 x 683) at this link.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/justin_ckt/archives/date-posted/2007/12/27/

:banana:

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http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2290/2143039812_b4cfb9996c.jpg?v=0

Very nice pics! Thanks!!

Former Lantau cable-car chief denies criminal negligence
Hong Kong Standard
Friday, January 11, 2008

The former chief of the troubled Ngong Ping 360 yesterday denied charges of criminal negligence in connection with the June cable car plunge on Lantau.

Bill Calderwood, managing director of the former operator Skyrail-ITM, appeared at Tsuen Wan Magistracy.

Calderwood and the company are charged under the Aerial Ropeway (Safety) Ordinance for failing to provide staff with necessary procedures and instructions to perform a brake test.

Calderwood's case will have a pre-trial hearing on February 18, along with another employee, Li Kit- loi, 42, who was also allegedly found to be responsible for the incident.

Principal Magistrate Andrew Ma Hon-cheung exempted Calderwood from having to appear in the pre-trials. His lawyer said his client would have to travel from Australia.

Li, former assistant maintenance manager, was charged with two counts of negligence.

He appeared at Tsuen Wan Magistracy on November 8 and pleaded not guilty to the charge of not consulting or clarifying with the manufacturer of the cable car system before performing a brake test, though not stated nor required in the system's operational and maintenance manual.

Li also denied negligence in conducting a brake test that was likely to cause danger to others, as well as in supervising his assistant during the test.

The Australian company, Skyrail-ITM, whose image was tainted by 22 major incidents and frequent service interruptions, had its 20-year contract with MTR Corp terminated after the June 11 incident. No one was injured. The incident led to the immediate closure of the system, which has a new operator and was re-opened on New Year's Eve.

For More: http://www.fotop.net/lewis00x/2007NGongPing

http://images5.fotop.net/albums3/lewis00x/2007NGongPing/DSC00123.jpg

http://images5.fotop.net/albums3/lewis00x/2007NGongPing/DSC00138.jpg

http://images5.fotop.net/albums3/lewis00x/2007NGongPing/DSC00129.jpg

http://images5.fotop.net/albums3/lewis00x/2007NGongPing/DSC00146.jpg

http://images5.fotop.net/albums3/lewis00x/2007NGongPing/DSC00151.jpg

By allansky from a Hong Kong photography forum :

http://album.allanchow.hk/albums/080123np360/DSC_8613.jpg

http://album.allanchow.hk/albums/080123np360/DSC_8657.jpg

http://album.allanchow.hk/albums/080123np360/DSC_8625.jpg

http://album.allanchow.hk/albums/080123np360/DSC_8345.jpg

@ the top

http://album.allanchow.hk/albums/080123np360/DSC_8407.jpg

http://album.allanchow.hk/albums/080123np360/DSC_8421.jpg

http://album.allanchow.hk/albums/080123np360/DSC_8409.jpg

http://album.allanchow.hk/albums/080123np360/DSC_8375.jpg

200 stranded after glitch on cable car
20 March 2008
South China Morning Post

Two hundred passengers on the Lantau cable car were stranded in mid-air for 50 minutes yesterday when a misplaced conveyor belt halted operations - the longest such halt since the service reopened on December 31.

The latest hitch was caused by a technical error that occurred for the first time, a spokesman said. Engineers insisted the incident did not endanger anyone.

The incident happened at 3.40pm when a belt that pulls the cable into the terminal tower at Ngong Ping slipped out of position.

The system automatically shut down and service resumed at 4.30pm. Previous delays during the period after the system was brought back into service in December were no longer than eight minutes.

Broadcasts inside the gondola informed passengers about the problem three minutes after the system halted, although some passengers complained they were not informed.

Ngong Ping 360 cable car officials were investigating last night, but a spokesman said it was a one-off incident and normal service would resume today.

The former president of the Hong Kong Institute of Engineers, Edmund Leung Kwong-ho, said the error was an operational one without safety implications. "Even if the belt slipped away from the pulley, the gondola would not fall, because it is not the belt but a rail track inside the terminal that supports the weight of the gondola," Mr Leung said.

He said a set of conveyor belts at the terminal building replaced the cable system that propelled the gondolas when they arrived at the terminal. Those conveyor belts were propelled by a set of tyres. If a tyre shrank because of air leakage or any other reason, it was possible for a belt to move out of position.

Mechanical engineer Lo Kok-keung agreed, adding that the MTR Corp had been quick to spot and fix the problem.

The last inspection was conducted on February 6 and the next one is scheduled on April 8 and 9.

Oh, Man! It brakes down again! :ohno:

RTHK News:
Cable car breakdown strands 100 (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20080411/news_20080411_56_481878.htm)

Fortunately, this time isn't such a big deal.

RTHK News:
Lantau cable car resumes service (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20080412/news_20080412_56_482013.htm)

Source : http://www.pbase.com/specialteam/giant_buddha

http://www.pbase.com/specialteam/image/96966066.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/specialteam/image/96966067.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/specialteam/image/97001101.jpg

Gov't Press Release:
LCQ6: Ngong Ping 360 operation (http://info.gov.hk/gia/general/200805/14/P200805140168.htm)

250 people stranded in mid-air for 1 hour
Faulty sensor stops Lantau cable car
16 May 2008
South China Morning Post

About 250 passengers were trapped in mid-air for an hour yesterday when a faulty sensor halted the Lantau cable car - the seventh disruption since the beginning of the year.

The delay, the second-longest since the trouble-plagued tourist attraction reopened on December 31, was triggered by a faulty sensor used to monitor the speed of different parts in the cable car system.

It happened at 10.38am at the Nei Lak Shan angle station near the summit, one of two points on the route where the cable changes direction.

A misplaced conveyor belt at the same station last month disrupted the service for 90 minutes, the longest stoppage since the Ngong Ping 360 cableway resumed after a six-month halt caused when an empty gondola plunged to the ground.

A tour group from Thailand was among those affected by yesterday's stoppage. Passengers told Cable TV they were scared and frustrated about a lack of information on when service would resume.

Others complained that broadcasts inside the cabins kept repeating that service would get back to normal in 15 minutes but the glitch lasted until 11.38am.

Operators offered each stranded passenger a bottle of mineral water when they departed the cable car.

Those queuing in the Tung Chung terminal said they waited for more than an hour without being told the cause of the delay.

A Ngong Ping 360 spokesman said passengers had been told of the holdup in a broadcast shortly after it happened and were advised they could get a refund if they chose not to wait.

Hong Kong Polytechnic University mechanical engineer Lo Kwok-keung said that when one of the sensors stopped detecting anything, others would halt the system as a precautionary measure.

"If the operator cannot rectify the sensor right away, they would either have to replace it or switch the operation to manual mode; either way it would have taken the technicians some time, which may explain the long delay," he said.

The cable car operator said it had adjusted the sensors to make them less sensitive, one of the reasons for the many disruptions over the past few months, although similar problems continued to plague the system.

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Frederick Ma Si-hang told lawmakers on Wednesday the glitches had had no impact on the attraction's popularity, with patronage having climbed back to the level before the fall of the gondola.

Repairs delay reopening of cable car
Hong Kong Standard
Monday, June 23, 2008

The reopening of the Ngong Ping 360 cable car system, which had been closed for an annual inspection, has been delayed to enable repairs to be made to one of its rescue cars.

The system was scheduled to reopen yesterday following completion of its annual servicing and repairs to damage caused by a severe rainstorm two weeks ago.

But managing director Morris Cheung Siu-wah said a problem with the rescue carrier's hydraulic motoring system was detected on Saturday during the annual check.

"For the safety of passengers, we decided to suspend the service and we apologize for the inconvenience caused," Cheung said, adding that a new date for the reopening of the system will be announced after further checks.

Ngong Ping Village will remain open.

Cheung emphasized the rescue carrier was a backup system and did not affect the operation of cable cars.

Notice of the service suspension was announced at the cable car station yesterday morning as staff directed affected passengers to buses to take them to the village.

About 800 HK$10 vouchers were distributed to affected passengers for shopping at the village.

Several tourists said they were disappointed but a group of Australian holidaymakers said safety was their main concern. They took a taxi to Ngong Ping.

A mainland traveler said she had stayed at a relative's home in Tung Chung overnight so she could catch an early cable car.

"There was no announcement yesterday that the suspension would continue. The messa
ges were confusing," she said.

Traders at Ngong Ping Village were angry, saying the suspension had caused them additional losses.

But a spokesman for the MTR Corp, which owns the attraction, said tours and traders had been notified as soon as the failure had been confirmed.

Lawmaker Andrew Cheng Kar-foo said residents and tourists would lose confidence if the suspension continued for any length of time and that this could affect Hong Kong tourism.

"Being the gatekeepers of Ngong Ping 360, the government and the cable car company should find out what has happened and assure the public all is well with the system," he said.

Cheng suggested employing specialists to monitor the cable car.

MTR said reliability tests and annual checks were carried out to maintain the public's confidence.

In a separate development, the East Rail train service was interrupted at University Station for half an hour yesterday, affecting almost 600 people.

A train heading for East Tsim Sha Tsui stalled around 5pm, effectively blocking one rail.

A limited two-way train service was provided on the remaining rail while the stalled train was taken to the depot for inspection.

OMG, so many problems. I'm going to be back in Hong Kong during August and plan on going to this Ngong Ping car but I wonder if I really should. Imagine trapped up there and you need to use the restroom.

OMG, so many problems. I'm going to be back in Hong Kong during August and plan on going to this Ngong Ping car but I wonder if I really should. Imagine trapped up there and you need to use the restroom.

I actually don't mind being stuck up there on a clear day. I get more time to admire the view and perhaps even a fare refund at the end of all this. The view is really nice - can even see airplanes take off and land plus the whole airport island. That being said, bring an empty bottle just in case ;)

OMG, so many problems. I'm going to be back in Hong Kong during August and plan on going to this Ngong Ping car but I wonder if I really should. Imagine trapped up there and you need to use the restroom.

I actually don't mind being stuck up there on a clear day. I get more time to admire the view and perhaps even a fare refund at the end of all this. The view is really nice - can even see airplanes take off and land plus the whole airport island. That being said, bring an empty bottle just in case ;)


Better take a plastic bag if necessary! :lol: Anyway, it is worth to take the cable car for the scenic view.

I actually don't mind being stuck up there on a clear day. I get more time to admire the view and perhaps even a fare refund at the end of all this. The view is really nice - can even see airplanes take off and land plus the whole airport island. That being said, bring an empty bottle just in case ;)

Good thing im a guy. LOL!

Source : http://www.pbase.com/elinglee/tung_chung

http://www.pbase.com/elinglee/image/67496951.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/elinglee/image/67496988.jpg

By kwankit from a Hong Kong photography forum :

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n179/KITNOU/0012.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n179/KITNOU/0058.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n179/KITNOU/0089.jpg

Did they install Windows Vista as their operating system? Maybe this explains all the glitches.

The things you see when walking up the mountain beats anything you see on the cable car.

Did they install Windows Vista as their operating system? Maybe this explains all the glitches.

The things you see when walking up the mountain beats anything you see on the cable car.



LMAO!!!! Vista SUXs

By robertlaw13610 from dchome :

http://www.dchome.net/attachments/day_080730/20080730_a983b9e0692708964e523qZR4XB6oZTw.jpg

http://www.dchome.net/attachments/day_080730/20080730_64108afe1804cddc34bfhLPbjtv7nyY7.jpg

All pictures here are the own work of mine taken in early August, 2008.
Originally posted at http://s491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Ngong%20Ping%20360/

I rode the cable cars three time in just one week and got two different perspective from them. Two time on August 4, 2008, it was a clam day but very hazy over HKIA; so I wasn't able to get a very good distance view.

The other time was on August 7, 2008, the day after Typhoon Kammuri hit HK with a signal no. 8; it was still windy out in Lantau, but blew the haze away and had a better view. Even the carriage did swing a little, but it was actually surprisingly stable and took quite a wind gust to rock the carriage.

August 4, 2008
http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Ngong%20Ping%20360/20080804_0001.jpg
http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Ngong%20Ping%20360/20080804_0007.jpg
http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Ngong%20Ping%20360/20080804_0011.jpg
http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Ngong%20Ping%20360/20080804_0015.jpg
http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Ngong%20Ping%20360/20080804_0016.jpg
http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Ngong%20Ping%20360/20080804_0023.jpg
http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Ngong%20Ping%20360/20080804_0024.jpg
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http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Ngong%20Ping%20360/20080804_0035.jpg
http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Ngong%20Ping%20360/20080804_0036.jpg

August 7, 2008
http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Ngong%20Ping%20360/20080807_0001.jpg
http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Ngong%20Ping%20360/20080807_0008.jpg
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http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Ngong%20Ping%20360/20080807_0020.jpg
http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Ngong%20Ping%20360/20080807_0021.jpg
http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Ngong%20Ping%20360/20080807_0024.jpg
http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Ngong%20Ping%20360/20080807_0025.jpg
http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr280/ericishim/2008%20Ngong%20Ping%20360/20080807_0026.jpg

Source : http://www.pbase.com/specialteam/hk_airport_2008

http://www.pbase.com/specialteam/image/101353260/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/specialteam/image/101353266/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/specialteam/image/101353271/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/specialteam/image/101353273/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/specialteam/image/101353315/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/specialteam/image/101353325/original.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2656.jpg

The city-side terminus is in Tung Chung, one of the new satellite towns built to service the airport.

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2660.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2661.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2662.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2666.jpg

Soon we arrive at a tower where the cable is turned into a different direction for a long ascent.

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2670.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2672.jpg

On the other side is the airport.

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2673.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2678.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2683.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2686.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2691.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2697.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2693.jpg

One section of Tung Chung is public housing-only.

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2700.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2702.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2703.jpg

See the planes?

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2706.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2714.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2713.jpg

Soon we reached the clouds and another tower.

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2720.jpg

Notice the steps? You can actually walk the whole length by foot, which probably takes half a day.

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2721.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2725.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2730.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2732.jpg

A plane takes off in the distance.

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2736.jpg

Many of these landslides should originate from June, which was a very wet month in Hong Kong.

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2735.jpg

The statue of the Buddha is the key attraction at the Ngong Ping end of the cable car.

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2738.jpg

Here we are ...

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/2008/0815/IMG_2739.jpg

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http://www.dchome.net/attachments/day_081017/20081017_5ce919e818b3ad600066KzO5Xhqa3zkf.jpg

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http://www.dchome.net/attachments/day_081017/20081017_3683ad757740305dc4c2Gzt1StpoxWKy.jpg

昂坪360逆市加價一成
13/11/2008
http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/img/endmarker.gif

http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/news/20081113/img/a61113a_big.jpg

港鐵旗下昂坪360無視金融海嘯嚴重衝擊本港消費市道和旅遊業，昨日宣布逆市加價，由下月一日起調高纜車、景點門票及套票收費，加幅最高幾近一成。有立法會議員批評昂坪360帶頭加價是不智，更狠批港府作為港鐵大股東，竟容許港鐵旗下公司、本港其中一個旅遊景點逆市加價，完全違反一直提倡振興本港旅遊行業的理念。旅遊業界則擔心加價不利推廣本港旅遊。

昂坪360昨日宣布由下月一日起加價，纜車收費加價近百分之七至百分之九不等，而特別日子的纜車收費加幅又較平日票價的加幅略高。調整價格後，平日成人單程纜車票價由現時的五十八元將加至六十三元，小童單程票價則加兩元至新價三十元；至於特別日子成人票價單程新價為七十四元，較現時的六十八元，高出六元。

辯稱入口零件價升
至於「身心啟迪之旅」套票，平日成人收費由現時的一百四十五元加至一百五十九元，加幅高達百分之九點七，加幅之高為各項目之冠。

昂坪市集的景點「靈猴影院」或「與佛同行」則只有成人門票加價，新價為三十六元，加幅近百分之三。

昂坪360發言人解釋，纜車系統自○六年啟用至今，一直未有加價，但受過去數年本港的通脹累積升幅影響，公司又要加強纜車維修保養，歐洲的入口零件價格上漲，均令經營成本上升，故需要調整票價。為吸引遊客聖誕及新年期間乘坐昂坪纜車，昂坪360將於下月十三日至明年一月四日期間，為小童提供二五折票價優惠。本港註冊認可的臈育機構組辦的學生旅行團，成人票價將於下月一日起享半價至七五折票價優惠。

不過，昂坪360加價的決定招來各界狠批。立法會議員王國興直指，昂坪360之前發生多次事故，現時運作才步入穩定，質疑為何要選擇在逆市加價，認為公司的決定實屬不智。

王國興更批評，昂坪360為港鐵旗下機構，而港府作為港鐵大股東，卻容許有關公司帶頭逆市加價，與一直提倡振興本港旅遊行業的理念背道而馳，更擔心今次加價會掀起旅遊業加價潮。

市集商戶憂遊客減
香港入境旅遊接待協會會長梁耀霖表示，不贊成昂坪360在金融海嘯下加價，他慨嘆：「要加都無辦法，希望係加得有價值，唔好再發生車廂吊吊瑶事件。」香港旅行社協會主席胡兆英表示，由於旅行社與昂坪360簽訂的合約至年底才滿約，故暫不受下月加價的影響，但他認為加價始終不利本港旅遊業的推廣。

有昂坪市集的商戶指出，金融海嘯後減價兩成才能吸引顧客，擔心加價後遊客減少，生意會少兩至三成。

I would definitely pay $100 to ride those.
It's probably worth it!

昂坪360加價政府卸膊
11/12/2008
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【本報訊】港鐵旗下昂坪360本月起逆市加價接近一成，但政府仍堅稱乘客數字未有減少，並指加價是商業決定，政府只能表達關注，無權否決或干預。結果，招來議員炮轟作為港鐵大股東的政府卸責，任由事故不絕的昂坪纜車「無王管」加價，令深受金融海嘯打擊的昂坪商戶及整體旅遊業雪上加霜。

商務及經濟發展局局長劉吳惠蘭昨日在立法會表示，政府對昂坪360加價深表關注，但同時又指加價是商業決定，加價後的乘客數目亦未見減少。她又表示，昂坪360與旅遊業簽訂的收費協議將於本月底屆滿，政府已向公司清楚表明，希望對方考慮金融海嘯的影響，在新協議下向旅遊業提供更多優惠。

商戶及旅遊業雪上加霜
代表廠商會的立法會議員林大輝對政府的回覆表示驚訝，炮轟政府卸責，任由事故不絕的昂坪360「無王管」加價。鄭家富則批評昂坪360逆市加價，令深受金融海嘯打擊的昂坪商戶及整體旅遊業雪上加霜。旅遊界謝偉俊促請政府加強宣傳昂坪360的安全性，協助旅遊業爭取優惠票價及調低商戶租金。

劉吳惠蘭則為昂坪360辯護，指出纜車出現事故的頻率最近已顯著下降，又指出昂坪公司亦有向個別商戶提供租務優惠及不時舉辦活動，吸引海內外旅客到該區消費。

昂坪纜車擬推下午票價優惠
15/12/2008
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【本報訊】昂坪纜車逆市加價後，纜車公司表示客量未受影響，周末假期人流更因市民多留港消費而輕微上升。不過，纜車公司商務及業務發展主管邵信明指出，正考慮推出下午票價優惠，為下午三至四時後乘坐纜車登山的旅客提供購票折扣，預計會率先推出情侶遊玩套餐。

研究情侶遊玩套餐
邵信明昨向本報稱，纜車票加價後客量不變，平日平均有四至五千人次，主要為內地遊客；而周六日則多為港人，平均有七至八千人次乘搭。他說，未來將針對學生及情侶推出宣傳工作，早前已向臈育團體提供兩成半至五成的票價折扣，現正研究情侶遊玩套餐，包括向下午三至四時後乘搭纜車登山的戀人減票價，鼓勵他們在纜車上欣賞醉人日落景色。

另外，邵說昂坪市集現有一間店舖仍未租出，纜車公司嘗試以短租形式租賃，在十二月期間售賣聖誕公仔，下月則會出租予售賣香港特色小食。

旅遊界立法會議員謝偉俊昨乘搭纜車，他說發生纜車墮下意外後，旅客對纜車存有誤解，希望港人趁經濟不景多留港遊玩。

Source : http://www.fotop.net/david8964

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By eddykid from dchome :

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昂坪360推玻璃底纜車
下月4日首航 來回票價貴50元

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2009年3月21日






【明報專訊】昂坪360纜車斥資7位數字，把其中12架纜車底部改為透明玻璃，令搭客可透過「水晶車」觀看腳下風景，首航日定於下月4日，市民最快可於本月28日預訂門票。昂坪360指「水晶車」是全球首架底部由整塊玻璃裝嵌而成的纜車，並已通過測試證實安全，雙程收費會較一般纜車貴50元，預料每日最多可載1600人。

昂坪360董事總經理張少華表示，一年前開始構思有關計劃，希望「水晶車」可吸引更多年輕人乘搭纜車，雖然新加坡、多倫多等地均有玻璃底纜車，但都只是在底部設一個玻璃窗口，相信本港以整塊玻璃製成纜車是全世界首創。

全球首創 料每日載1600人

現時109架纜車中，有12架纜車於歐洲原廠改裝為「水晶車」，底部改以強化玻璃製作，3層玻璃合共厚48毫米，張少華表示，每部水晶車均有出世紙，並已通過負重測試，現時每架纜車最多可載10人，經過測試證明，「水晶車」可負荷較規定高2.5倍的重量，以每架載滿10人計算，料每日最多可載1600人。

「水晶車」車身與其他纜車沒有分別，但為方便市民識別，「水晶車」車身將塗上「迷彩銀色」，現有6架已在運行中，但不載客。票價方面以成人為例，雙程票價會較一般車廂貴50元，即157元，單程票為109元，市民最快可於首航前7日，即本月28日透過網上或親臨櫃位訂票。張少華表示，昂坪360透過網誌作推廣，首航日頭兩小時已預留給網上博客，現已「爆滿」，其餘時間則開放予公眾訂購，屆時會分流排隊上車。

經安全測試 一周前可訂票

工程師學會前會長黃澤恩認為，48毫米的強化玻璃算「好厚」，一般玻璃的厚度約為16毫米，相信強化玻璃足以承受人的重量，即使大風亦不會構成影響，設計上不會是大問題，如不幸跌下來，他相信如車廂跌在軟地上玻璃底仍「頂得住」，未必會爛。

機電工程署回應指已知悉有關計劃，有關設計由原廠經過國際安全標準測試，署方於昂坪360車廠就有關設計進行了相關安全測試，對測試結果感滿意。

另外，昂坪360亦推出環保、大自然及文化3項類別的學習套票予學校，吸引他們帶學生團乘纜車，而3隻原本只有英文名字的招牌宣傳靈猴，亦改了中文名，分別為「阿笨」、「阿叻」及「阿細」，更趨本地化。

Glass bottom all the way? Gosh it's a bit scary ... don't think I'll want to stand.

Offical Promotion from np360,
Ngong Ping 360 Pricing and Packages (http://np360.com.hk/html/eng/booking/prices.html#crystal)

from tung chung mtr station can we just walk to the ngong ping cable car station? is it possible?

then from the station how many minutes will it take to reach the big buddha? thanks

from tung chung mtr station can we just walk to the ngong ping cable car station? is it possible?

then from the station how many minutes will it take to reach the big buddha? thanks
Yes - it's a short 5 minute walk to the cable car station. The ride will take about 20 minutes and then another 10 minute brisk walk to the Buddha.

thank you so much hkskyline you are a big help

By 443729 from dchome :

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Lantau cable car closes for 6 weeks
17 August 2009
The Standard

Ngong Ping 360's cable car service will be suspended for about six weeks from today for scheduled maintenance work on the ropeway.

Service will likely resume before the October 1 national holiday.

Ngong Ping Village, however, will remain open to visitors. Announcements will be made at MTR stations to remind passengers of the suspension of the cable-car service.

Announcing the stoppage on July 15, then operations chief Morris Cheung Siu-wa had said the ropeway check is done every three to four years. Cheung was succeeded by MTR deputy operations director Li Yan-tai.

Experts from Europe will carry out the HK$1 million maintenance on the 11.4 kilometer Lantau island ropeway. All travel agencies were informed well in advance, Cheung said.

The service has seen a number of suspensions since opening in September 2006.

In June 2007, a cable carplunged more than 50 meters during after-hours maintenance work. No one was injured.

The attraction reopened that December after a probe.

Australian operators Skyrail-ITM withdrew with MTR taking control of Ngong Ping 360.

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By 淮海陳 from a Chinese photography forum (http://www.photofans.cn/forum/showthread.php?forumid=40&threadyear=2011&threadid=73) :

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By wise from a Hong Kong photography forum (http://www.dchome.net/viewthread.php?tid=1075316&extra=page%3D1) :

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Many take dim view after fares go up at cable cars
The Standard
Monday, November 21, 2011

Riding the 25-minute Ngong Ping 360 will cost 7 to 11 percent more from next month, the third time ticket prices have increased since the Lantau attraction opened in 2006.

To soften the blow, local children and the elderly may enjoy free cable car rides for the whole of next month.

Everyone else will have to fork out more from December 1.

A round-trip adult standard cabin will increase HK$125, or up 8.7 percent from the current HK$115.

A round-trip ticket for the crystal cabin will be HK$188, up 11 percent from HK$169.

For children aged three to 11, a round trip in the standard cabin will be increased from HK$58 to HK$62, a 6.9 percent rise.

Children riding in the crystal cabin will have to pay between HK$112 to HK$125, an increase of 11.6 percent.

For those aged 65 and above, a standard cabin round-trip ticket will rise from HK$91 to HK$98, up 7.7 percent.

Explaining the increases, managing director Wilson Shao Shing-ming said operating costs have soared.

Shao said depreciation of the Hong Kong dollar has made cable car parts more expensive because they are sourced mainly from Europe.

He confirmed that local children under the age of 12 may ride the standard cable car for free during the whole of next month. The same offer applies to those over 65.

Visitors had mixed opinions over the fare increase.

While some said the rise is acceptable, others believe it is too much and want to see different prices for locals and tourists.

One tourist said: "The new fare increase will pose a burden on us."

In the first six months of the year around 740,000 people took time to ride the attraction.

This is a 9 percent increase over the same period last year.

The 5.7-kilometer bi-cable ropeway has ever-changing panoramic views that include the Hong Kong International Airport, the verdant, mountainous terrain of Lantau Island, the Tian Tan Buddha Statue and the 360-degree view of the Ngong Ping Plateau.

Ngong Ping 360 is a subsidiary of MTR Corp.

Noise alert halts Buddha cable cars again
The Standard
Monday, December 19, 2011

The Ngong Ping 360 cable car service was suspended for more than two hours yesterday after strange noises from equipment at the Tung Chung terminal.

Several passengers were stranded in midair for about six minutes in the afternoon. They were among 300 passengers affected.

A spokesman of the company said the noises came from a bearing.

When the mechanical system was confirmed to be safe, the stranded passengers were brought safely back to the terminal.

Afterwards, company technicians conducted repair work and made a thorough check for two hours.

Cable car service, which stopped at around 2pm, resumed at 4.15pm.

The spokesman said the primary cause of the strange noise was likely mechanical and that it had been fixed. Queuing passengers were frustrated, while tourists who visited the Giant Buddha and Ngong Ping market on Lantau had to take coaches, arranged by the company, to head back to Tung Chung. Some left by other public transport.

A Shenzhen tourist called Lu was puzzled. "I have already bought the ticket," he said. "But no one has informed us what happened exactly with the cable car service.

"They have to communicate better to prevent confusion."

A Hongkonger named Lee was furious. "I purposely came here on Sunday," he said. "I thought it would be a pleasant ride. How disappointing."

Legislator Andrew Cheng Kar-foo urged the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and Ngong Ping 360 to clearly say what was the actual cause of mechanical problems.

"Passengers will be worried and scared of being stranded again in the future," he said. "They must release reports of mechanical checkups and ensure the safety standard is optimal."

The suspension was the second incident within 10 days.

The service was suspended on December 8, stranding more than 100 passengers for 20 minutes.

Investigation by the department found that one "rubber lining piece" in a cable pulley was damaged and worn out, causing a mechanical problem.

The department also sent officers to Ngong Ping 360 to monitor the repair work and testing. All services resumed after a comprehensive checkup.

Cable car passengers left hanging again
The Standard
Friday, December 23, 2011

About 400 passengers were stranded in cable cars for about 13 minutes yesterday on Ngong Ping 360 - the third such incident to hit the Lantau mountain system in three weeks. It leaves a question mark over services during the final countdown to Christmas.

The operator, a unit of MTR Corp, said an automatic monitoring system halted the cable cars at 4.40pm after detecting the distance between them was "less than allowed."

Fault finders went into action immediately and discovered that a section of belt in the power mechanism was not moving normally. It was replaced while the passengers remained stranded, and their cars were moving into stations at 4.53pm.

Managing director Wilson Shao Shing-ming ruled out suggestions that the recent incidents are a sign of age catching up with mechanical parts of the system that runs between Tung Chung and Ngong Ping, the home of the Big Buddha.

But late last night the company could not say whether services would resume today, though Shao promised an announcement before 8am.

Frozen up
The Standard
Thursday, January 26, 2012

More than 800 passengers were left hanging in the air in the freezing cold yesterday when the Ngong Ping 360 cable car system came to a sudden halt.

The Lantau attraction will now be shut for 10 days for checks to be carried out.

Shivering riders were stranded in the air for up to two hours following a malfunction involving a bearing - the fourth problem to hit the system in six weeks.

The automatic monitoring system halted the cable cars at 2.49pm after detecting that a bearing in one of its two mid-stations - the Airport Island Angle Station - was not running smoothly because of wear.

The cable cars started moving again at 3.22pm and the last of the trapped passengers was transported back to the terminals at Tung Chung or Ngong Ping Market by 4.53pm.

Temperatures were between two and five degree Celsius at Ngong Ping when the incident happened and four trapped passengers called emergency services for help.

One angry passenger said: "It was freezing cold up there, and the wind was blowing hard. We did not know what happened, and there was no announcement or anything."

Others complained that although they hit car windows hard while they were at a mid-station, the staff did not let them get off or do anything to help.

"We hit the window so hard and you pretended you did not see us," a woman yelled at the staff. "One of us was not feeling well at the time. This is outrageous."

Shuttle buses were used to take people stranded in Ngong Ping Market back to Tung Chung, but many said they had to wait about an hour for the ride.

All stranded passengers had left the market by around 7pm.

Many angry passengers, who expected just a 25-minute ride, said they will never visit Hong Kong again.

A tourist from Taiwan said: "The service is just too poor. I only got a refund for my ticket, but I missed my flight."

The company's managing director Wilson Shao Shing-ming announced the 10-day suspension of the cable cars last night, adding the system's European manufacturers have been asked to examine the fault.

The bearing will be replaced during the checks and the company will conduct a trial run. The bearing is not one implicated in other recent incidents.

A company spokeswoman said there was no immediate danger to the passengers, and a team checked the bearing as soon as the system was halted.

Trapped passengers or passengers who could not get on cable cars will be given a refund on request.

The company is still considering whether there will be further compensation as some passengers missed flights.

Tourism sector lawmaker Paul Tse Wai-chun said the incident will have a negative effect on the city's image, adding Ngong Ping 360 should give a detailed explanation of why incidents happen so frequently.

Hong Kong Polytechnic University engineer Lo Kwok-keung believes the bearing was worn down after long use, so the pulley did not run smoothly.