KUALA LUMPUR: Integrated rolling stock and rail services company Hartasuma Sdn Bhd has been awarded the tender for the RM245 million cable car project in Penang.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the project was awarded through a public-private partnership (PPP) on design, finance, build, operate and transfer (BDFOT).
Chow said Hartasuma would own the concession for this tourist attraction project over the next 30 years, where it will be responsible for the BDFOT throughout the period.
"The project is expected to take three years to complete and be operational," he said in a statement.
Hartasuma is partnering with Austrian-based Dopplemayr Group for this project.
Dopplemayr is a global market leader in ropeways and people movers, having built more than 15,100 installations for customers in 96 nations.
Hartasuma executive director Tan Sri Ravindran Menon said the company is honoured and pleased to have been awarded this project by the Penang state government.
Ravindran said the company shares the same aspiration with the Penang government: to create unique and prestigious tourism destinations within Penang.
"We look forward to getting to work and making this project happen within the time frame," he said.
For the Penang cable car project, the cable car system will have a capacity of 1,000 passengers per hour at a speed of 6 meters per second, using 43 gondola cabins.
There will be 15 towers along the line, and the journey time from the lower to the upper station will take 10 minutes.
Notably, this alignment will be situated on state land and avoid any private land acquisition.
Ravindran said the company reiterated its commitment to preserving and conserving the environment.
Furthermore, he said this alignment ensures that disruptions to the users of the Botanical Garden during construction and operations are minimized.
"We commit that all the mitigation measures spelt out in the Environmental Impact Assessment report during the construction stage will be implemented.
"This will ensure minimal disruptions to the environment, and the operations of the buildings and cable car systems will incorporate best practices in environmental and sustainability management," he added.
As part of its proposal, Hartasuma is also establishing the Cable and Rail Centre of Excellence (CROE) in Penang. This will bring together world-class facilities, skilled workers, and technological development in cable and rail technology.