Singapore Cable Car

Last updated

Sentosa Cable Car
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Mount Faber Line
Singapore Cable Car - Sentosa Line 2.jpg
Sentosa Line
Overview
StatusOperational
SystemMonocable detachable gondola lift
Location Mount Faber / Sentosa, Singapore
No. of stations6
Open15 February 1974;50 years ago (1974-02-15) (Mount Faber Line)
14 July 2015;8 years ago (2015-07-14) (Sentosa Line)
Operation
Carrier capacity67 cabins, maximum of 8 adult passengers per cabin, 2000 passengers per hour either way
Trip duration15 min
Technical features
Line length1,650 m (5,410 ft)
System map

Contents

Mount Faber Line
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Mount Faber
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BSicon TRAIN2.svg
HarbourFront
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BSicon FERRY.svg
BSicon MONO.svg
Sentosa Line
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BSicon STR lime.svg
BSicon uDOCKSr.svg
Siloso Point
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BSicon STR lime.svg
Imbiah Lookout
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BSicon GRZaq.svg
BSicon KHSTe lime.svg
BSicon GRZeq.svg
Sentosa
Merlion
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BSicon KHSTe orange.svg
Cabins departing from Imbiah Lookout Station on the Sentosa Line. Sentosa line Imbiah Lookout Station.jpg
Cabins departing from Imbiah Lookout Station on the Sentosa Line.
Poke Ball cabins departing from HarbourFront Station in May 2023. Poke Ball cabins departing from HarbourFront Station in May 2023..jpg
Poké Ball cabins departing from HarbourFront Station in May 2023.

The Singapore Cable Car is a gondola lift in Singapore, providing an aerial link from Mount Faber (Faber Peak Singapore) on Singapore Island to the resort island of Sentosa across the Keppel Harbour.

Opened on 15 February 1974, it was the second aerial ropeway system in the world to span a harbour, after Port Vell Aerial Tramway in Barcelona, which opened already in 1931. However, it is not the first aerial ropeway system to span the sea. For instance, Awashima Kaijō Ropeway in Japan, built in 1964, goes over a short strait to an island. [1] [2] [3]

The system is a major tourist attraction, as it provides a panoramic view of the central business district. In 2020, a round-trip ticket cost SGD35 for adults and SGD25 for children. [4]

History

Video taken from inside the cable car in August 2023.

The Singapore government came up with the idea of a cable car to Sentosa from Mount Faber in 1968 as part of its masterplan for tourism projects in the country. Four years later in 1972, construction on the S$5.8 million system commenced, and it was officially opened on 15 February 1974 by then Deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Goh Keng Swee.

At opening, the system had 43 cabins which required cabin attendants to manually open and close the doors. The number of cabins was increased to 51 in 1976. An episode of the popular American TV show Hawaii Five-O was filmed on the system in the late 1970s, while the world's first mass weddings on the cable cars were conducted in the late 1970s.

There was a major breakdown on 27 March 1977, when eyewitnesses heard screams coming from a stranded cable car. [5]

In 1988, the system celebrated its 10 millionth rider. It played host to contestants from the Miss World Pageant when it was held in Singapore in 1989, as well as the sportsmen and officials who were there for the Southeast Asian Games in 1990.

The system's cabins were replaced in 1994 at a cost of over S$11 million. The new cabins now numbered 80, and effectively doubled the system's capacity to 1400 passengers per hour in either direction from 700 passengers previously. The upgrade took 25 days to complete, during which time the system suspended operations.

A year later in 1995, the system welcomed its 20 millionth rider, and quickly reached its 25 millionth visitor just two years later in 1997. The stations at Mount Faber and Sentosa were also upgraded in the same year, while Lego presented to Singapore the world's only life-size cable car cabin made entirely of Lego, based on the Singapore cable car's design.

In November 1999, the Singapore cable car system achieved another world's first when it added glass-bottomed cabins at a cost of S$30,000 each. 6 more of these popular cabins were added in December 2000, giving the system a total of 81 cabins today.

For a week from 16 March 2004, as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations, the system conducted its 'Surviving the Sky' Challenge in which 34 two-person teams (2 teams withdrew at the last minute) from around Asia attempted to survive the longest in the cable car for 24 hours a day.

A S$36 million rebuild of the entire system as a modern monocable detachable gondola started on 14 September 2009, and it re-opened on 21 July 2010. All the cabins were now metallic black cars with chrome trimming (the current design). There are 67 bigger cabins, including World's First 7* VIP Glass-Bottomed Cabin. The two cables were raised by 30 m to facilitate the bigger cabins, to stand 120 m above sea level. Seating capacity was also increased to eight passengers per cabin from six. There are also new flip-up seats and a new music system. [6]

Interior of a SkyOrb cabin. Singapore Cable Car Skyorb Cabin Interior.jpg
Interior of a SkyOrb cabin.

The Sentosa Line, an intra-island cable car was opened on 14 July 2015 and is 890 metres in length, [7] and the older line is now called the Mount Faber Line. The lines are not physically linked up, so all visitors must walk 3 to 5 minutes from the original Sentosa station to the Imbiah Lookout station. The new line links Siloso Point to the Merlion station, with the Merlion station also providing a link with the Sentosa Express. The new S$78 million line has 51 eight-seater cabins and is able to move about 2,200 people per hour in one direction.

Between 1 May 2023 and 30 September 2023, as part of the lead-up to its 50th anniversary, the system's operators (Mount Faber Leisure Group) collaborated with The Pokémon Company to redecorate the Mount Faber Line cabins with Poké Ball designs; the interiors also featuring Pokémon. [8]

On 20 March 2024, seven new chrome-finished spherical SkyOrb glass-bottomed cabins entered the Mount Faber Line fleet as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations. [9] [10]

Incidents

A serious incident occurred on the Singapore Cable Car system at about 6 p.m. on 29 January 1983, when the derrick of the Eniwetok, a Panamanian-registered oil rig, passed under the aerial ropeway and struck the cable that stretched over the waterway between the Jardine Steps Station and the Sentosa Station. As a result, two cabins plunged 55 metres (180 ft) into the sea, killing seven people. The oil rig was being towed away from Keppel Wharf when it became entangled in the cable and caused it to snap. It also left 13 people trapped in four other cabins between Mount Faber and Sentosa. This was the first incident involving death or injury since the cable car system opened in February 1974. This disaster caused the entire system to shut down for almost seven months.

In 2010, 20 passengers found themselves trapped in their cabins for 15 minutes after lightning triggered sensors which brought the cable cars to a sudden halt.

In 2014, construction was underway on a new intra-island cableway on Sentosa when an empty car became dislodged and crashed. No one was hurt but a member of the staff in another cable car was trapped for several hours. [11]

On 27 July 2022, 18 people were left stranded in cable cars between Sentosa and Mount Faber due to system error. [12]

System

The Singapore Cable Car system consists of two independent lines: Mount Faber Line, which provides services between Mount Faber and Sentosa stations across Singapore main island and Sentosa island; and Sentosa Line, which provides services between Siloso Point and Merlion stations on Sentosa Island. [4]

The system has a total of six stations; three per line.

Specifications

Sentosa Cable Car station Singapore cable car station.jpg
Sentosa Cable Car station

The monocable detachable-grip gondola lift system has three stations, namely Mount Faber Station at the peak of Mount Faber, the HarbourFront Station (former Jardine Steps Station) at HarbourFront and the Sentosa Station at Imbiah, Sentosa. Two supporting towers are located between each pair of stations. This distance between Mount Faber Station and the first tower is about 300 metres (980 ft); from the first tower to the HarbourFront Station is 400 metres (1,300 ft); from the HarbourFront Station to the second tower is 500 metres (1,600 ft), and from the second tower to the Sentosa Station is 450 metres (1,480 ft) long.

The height of the track rope is as follows:

The system consists of 67 cabins, suspended at least 60 metres (197 ft) above the sea. Each cabin can carry a maximum of 8 adult passengers, while the whole system can support 2000 passengers per hour either way. Travelling at a speed of 5 metres per second (16 ft/s), it takes about 15 minutes for a continuous ride from Mount Faber to Sentosa. [13]

In addition, there are 27 red overhead wire markers mounted on a telephone rope just above the cableway.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cable transport</span> Class of transport modes

Cable transport is a broad class of transport modes that have cables. They transport passengers and goods, often in vehicles called cable cars. The cable may be driven or passive, and items may be moved by pulling, sliding, sailing, or by drives within the object being moved on cableways. The use of pulleys and balancing of loads moving up and down are common elements of cable transport. They are often used in mountainous areas where cable haulage can overcome large differences in elevation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerial tramway</span> Aerial lift in which the cars are permanently fixed to the cables

An aerial tramway, aerial tram, sky tram, aerial cablecar, aerial cableway, telepherique, or seilbahn is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion. With this form of lift, the grip of an aerial tramway cabin is fixed onto the propulsion rope and cannot be decoupled from it during operations. In comparison to gondola lifts, aerial tramways generally provide lower line capacities and higher wait times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sentosa</span> Island of Singapore

Sentosa Island, known mononymously as Sentosa, and formerly Pulau Blakang Mati, is an island located off the southern coast of Singapore's main island. The island is separated from the main island of Singapore by a channel of water, the Keppel Harbour, and is adjacent to Pulau Brani, a smaller island wedged between Sentosa and the main island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gondola lift</span> Aerial transport by cable

A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal, which is typically connected to an engine or electric motor. It is often considered a continuous system since it features a haul rope which continuously moves and circulates around two terminal stations. In contrast, an aerial tramway operates solely with fixed grips and simply shuttles back and forth between two end terminals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerial lift</span> Method of cable transport

An aerial lift, also known as a cable car or ropeway, is a means of cable transport in which cabins, cars, gondolas, or open chairs are hauled above the ground by means of one or more cables. Aerial lift systems are frequently employed in a mountainous territory where roads are relatively difficult to build and use, and have seen extensive use in mining. Aerial lift systems are relatively easy to move and have been used to cross rivers and ravines. In more recent times, the cost-effectiveness and flexibility of aerial lifts have seen an increase of gondola lift being integrated into urban public transport systems.

Ropeway may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiger Sky Tower</span>

The Tiger Sky Tower, previously known as Carlsberg Sky Tower, was the highest observation tower in Singapore. It is located in the Imbiah Lookout zone in the centre of Sentosa Island. It was opened on 7 February 2004 and closed on 28 December 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ngong Ping 360</span> Gondola lift in Hong Kong

Ngong Ping 360 is a bicable gondola lift on Lantau Island in Hong Kong. Intended to improve tourism to the area, the aerial lift was previously known as Tung Chung Cable Car Project before acquiring the Ngong Ping 360 brand in April 2005. It consists of the Ngong Ping Cable Car, formerly known as the Ngong Ping 360 Skyrail, and the Ngong Ping Village, a retail and entertainment centre adjacent to the cable car's upper station. Ngong Ping 360 connects Tung Chung, on the north coast of Lantau and itself linked to central Hong Kong by the Tung Chung line, with the Ngong Ping area in the hills above. This is home to the Po Lin Monastery and the Tian Tan Buddha, both already significant tourist attractions in their own right. Before Ngong Ping 360's opening, the only access was via a mountain road and bus service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore cable car crash</span> 1983 fatal accident

At about 6 p.m. on 29 January 1983, the derrick of the Eniwetok, a Panamanian-registered oil rig, passed under the aerial ropeway of the Singapore Cable Car system and struck the cable that stretched over the waterway between the Jardine Steps Station and the Sentosa Station. As a result, two cabins plunged 55 metres (180 ft) into the sea, killing seven people. The oil rig was being towed away from Keppel Wharf when it became entangled in the cable and caused it to snap. It also left thirteen people trapped in four other cabins between Mount Faber and Sentosa. The disaster was the first involving death or injury since the cable car system opened in February 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Faber</span> Place in Singapore

Mount Faber, formerly Telok Blangah Hill, is a hill about 94 metres (308 ft) in height, located in the town of Bukit Merah in the Central Region of Singapore. It overlooks the Telok Blangah area and the western parts of the Central Area. The summit is accessible by Mount Faber Road or Mount Faber Loop via Morse Road, but there are many footpaths or trails leading up the hill. The main paths are: Marang Trail, which leads from Marang Road at the Harbourfront MRT station, and the Southern Ridges Park Connector which connects from Telok Blangah Hill Park, Kent Ridge Park, and Henderson Waves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seilbahn Zugspitze</span>

The Seilbahn Zugspitze is an aerial tramway running from the Eibsee Lake to the top of Zugspitze in Bavaria, Germany. It currently holds the world record for the longest freespan in a cable car at 3,213 metres (10,541 ft) as well as the tallest lattice steel aerial tramway support tower in the world at 127 metres (417 ft). Construction of the system began in 2015 and it opened on 22 December 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norsjö ropeway</span> Aerial tramway in Sweden

Norsjö aerial tramway is a 13.2 kilometre long aerial tramway between Örträsk and Mensträsk in the Norsjö Municipality in Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tricable gondola lift</span> Cable car system introduced in 1991

The tricable gondola lift, also known as the 3S gondola lift, is a cable car system that was developed by the Swiss company Von Roll transport systems in Thun to unite the benefits of a gondola lift with those of a reversible cable car system. '3S' is an abbreviation of the German word dreiseil, meaning 'tricable'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Langkawi Cable Car</span> Gondola lift in Langkawi Island, Kedah, Malaysia

The Langkawi Cable Car, also known as Langkawi SkyCab, is a gondola lift and one of the major attractions in Langkawi Island, Kedah, Malaysia. It provides an aerial link from the Oriental Village at Teluk Burau to the peak of Gunung Machinchang, which is also the location of the Langkawi Sky Bridge. The total length is 2.2 km (1.4 mi), with a journey time from the base to the top of around 15 minutes. It was officially opened in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tbilisi cable car crash</span> 1990 cable car crash in Tbilisi, Georgia

The Tbilisi cable car crash was an aerial tramway accident in Tbilisi, the capital of Soviet Georgia on 1 June 1990, which resulted in 19 deaths and at least 42 injuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manakamana Cable Car</span>

The Manakamana Cable Car is a gondola lift transportation system located in Chitwan, Nepal. The 2,772.2 m (9,095 ft) line has two stations, connecting Kurintar, Chitwan to Manakamana temple, Gorkha. It provides an aerial link from the base station located inside the cable car station to the peak of the Kafakdada hill, where the Manakamana Temple is located at 1300 metres above sea level and from which the cable car receives its name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eyüp Gondola</span>

The Eyüp Gondola, a.k.a. Eyüp–Piyerloti Aerial Cable Car, is a two-station gondola-type line of aerial lift passenger transport system located in Eyüp district of Istanbul, Turkey. Opened on November 30, 2005, the 420 m (1,380 ft) long line serves the Piyerloti Hill from Eyüp at the coast of Golden Horn. It is operated under the line number TF2 by Metro Istanbul. The fare is paid by the contactless smart card Istanbulkart, which is valid for all public transport in Istanbul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Awana Skyway</span> Aerial lift in Pahang, Malaysia

The Awana Skyway, also referred to as the new Awana Skyway, is a gondola lift system connecting Awana Transport Hub, Chin Swee Temple and SkyAvenue in Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia since December 2016. The Awana Transport Hub terminus consists of the new Awana Bus Terminal, the station building and a new 8-storey car park while the other terminus is located at SkyAvenue.

References

  1. "Welcome to Awashima Marine Park". Archived from the original on 9 October 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2007.
  2. "つなわたり(Cableway)". Archived from the original on 21 March 2005. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  3. "Ropeway in Shizuoka". www.lares.dti.ne.jp.
  4. 1 2 "Singapore Cable Car Sky Network". One Faber Group. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  5. Dale, Steven. "Probe Into Stranded Cable Car Case". Newspaper.SG. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  6. Dale, Steven. "Singapore's Sentosa Island Gondola, Part 1 – The Essentials". The Gondola Project. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  7. "New cable car service to help visitors get around Sentosa". The Straits Times. 14 July 2015. Archived from the original on 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  8. Chai, Ruth (26 April 2023). "S'pore Cable Car celebrates 50th anniversary with Pokemon-themed cable cars". Mothership. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  9. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/futuristic-fleet-to-join-s-pore-s-cable-cars-in-2024-as-it-turns-50#:~:text=Today%2C%20SCC%20operates%20two%20lines,Line%20on%20May%201%2C%202023.
  10. Correspondent, Chin Soo FangSenior (15 March 2024). "Futuristic SkyOrb cabins mark another world first for Singapore Cable Car". The Straits Times. ISSN   0585-3923 . Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  11. Auto, Hermes (13 October 2016). "All you need to know about the 1983 Sentosa cable car accident | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  12. Auto, Hermes (28 July 2022). "18 people left stranded in cable cars between Sentosa and Mount Faber due to system error | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  13. Chu, Nick. "System Dossier: Singapore Cable Car". The Gondola Project. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
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