The
Peak Tramway is a funicular railway in
Hong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, which carries both tourists and residents to the upper levels of
Hong Kong IslandHong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
. Running from
Central districtCentral is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...
to
Victoria PeakVictoria Peak is a mountain in Hong Kong. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. The mountain is located in the western half of Hong Kong Island...
via the
Mid-LevelsMid-levels is an expensive residential area on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is located halfway up Victoria Peak, directly above Central...
, it provides the most direct route and offers good views over the harbour and skyscrapers of Hong Kong.
The Peak Tram is owned and operated by the Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels Group (HSH), the owner of Hong Kong's famous
Peninsula HotelThe Peninsula Hong Kong is one of the most internationally recognizable hotels in Hong Kong. Opened in 1928, it is Hong Kong's most historical hotel. It is located at the junction of Nathan Road and Salisbury Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong...
along with many other properties. The line, along with HSH's
Peak TowerThe Peak Tower is a leisure and shopping complex located at Victoria Gap, near the summit of Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It also houses the upper terminal of the Peak Tram. Both the Peak Tower and the Peak Tram are owned by the Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels group, the owner of...
leisure complex at the line's summit, is promoted using the brand
The Peak.
Route
The
Peak Tramway ({{zh|t=山頂纜車}}) is a funicular railway in
Hong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, which carries both tourists and residents to the upper levels of
Hong Kong IslandHong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
. Running from
Central districtCentral is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...
to
Victoria PeakVictoria Peak is a mountain in Hong Kong. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. The mountain is located in the western half of Hong Kong Island...
via the
Mid-LevelsMid-levels is an expensive residential area on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is located halfway up Victoria Peak, directly above Central...
, it provides the most direct route and offers good views over the harbour and skyscrapers of Hong Kong.
The Peak Tram is owned and operated by the Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels Group (HSH), the owner of Hong Kong's famous
Peninsula HotelThe Peninsula Hong Kong is one of the most internationally recognizable hotels in Hong Kong. Opened in 1928, it is Hong Kong's most historical hotel. It is located at the junction of Nathan Road and Salisbury Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong...
along with many other properties. The line, along with HSH's
Peak TowerThe Peak Tower is a leisure and shopping complex located at Victoria Gap, near the summit of Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It also houses the upper terminal of the Peak Tram. Both the Peak Tower and the Peak Tram are owned by the Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels group, the owner of...
leisure complex at the line's summit, is promoted using the brand
The Peak.
Route
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Garden Road Garden Road is the lower terminus of the Peak Tram line. It is located on the bottom floor of the St. John's Building on Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong, 28m above sea level....
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Cotton Tree Drive}}
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Kennedy Road Kennedy Road is an intermediate station on the Peak Tram. It is located on Kennedy Road, in Central, Hong Kong, 56 metres above sea level.The station comprises a single platform on the western side of the single track. The platform is longer than the trams currently used on the line, with a disused...
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Kennedy Road}}
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MacDonnell Road}}
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MacDonnell Road MacDonnell Road is an intermediate station on the Peak Tram. It is located on MacDonnell Road, in Mid-levels, Hong Kong, 95 metres above sea level.The station comprises a single platform on the western side of the single track...
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Magazine Gap Road}}
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May Road}}
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May Road May Road is an intermediate station of the Peak Tram funicular railway line. It is located on May Road at Mid-levels, Central and Western District, Hong Kong, 180 m above sea level....
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Passing loopA passing loop is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at a station, where trains or trams in opposing directions can pass each other. Trains/trams in the same direction can also overtake, providing that the signalling arrangement allows it...
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The Peak Tramway ({{zh|t=山頂纜車}}) is a funicular railway in Hong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, which carries both tourists and residents to the upper levels of Hong Kong IslandHong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
. Running from Central districtCentral is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...
to Victoria PeakVictoria Peak is a mountain in Hong Kong. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. The mountain is located in the western half of Hong Kong Island...
via the Mid-LevelsMid-levels is an expensive residential area on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is located halfway up Victoria Peak, directly above Central...
, it provides the most direct route and offers good views over the harbour and skyscrapers of Hong Kong.
The Peak Tram is owned and operated by the Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels Group (HSH), the owner of Hong Kong's famous Peninsula HotelThe Peninsula Hong Kong is one of the most internationally recognizable hotels in Hong Kong. Opened in 1928, it is Hong Kong's most historical hotel. It is located at the junction of Nathan Road and Salisbury Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong...
along with many other properties. The line, along with HSH's Peak TowerThe Peak Tower is a leisure and shopping complex located at Victoria Gap, near the summit of Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It also houses the upper terminal of the Peak Tram. Both the Peak Tower and the Peak Tram are owned by the Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels group, the owner of...
leisure complex at the line's summit, is promoted using the brand The Peak.
Route
{{UKrail-header2|Peak Tram}}
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| KBHFa |
Garden Road Garden Road is the lower terminus of the Peak Tram line. It is located on the bottom floor of the St. John's Building on Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong, 28m above sea level....
}}
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SBRÜCKE |
Cotton Tree Drive}}
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HST |
Kennedy Road Kennedy Road is an intermediate station on the Peak Tram. It is located on Kennedy Road, in Central, Hong Kong, 56 metres above sea level.The station comprises a single platform on the western side of the single track. The platform is longer than the trams currently used on the line, with a disused...
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Kennedy Road}}
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Disused tram depot}}
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MacDonnell Road}}
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MacDonnell Road MacDonnell Road is an intermediate station on the Peak Tram. It is located on MacDonnell Road, in Mid-levels, Hong Kong, 95 metres above sea level.The station comprises a single platform on the western side of the single track...
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Magazine Gap Road}}
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May Road}}
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May Road May Road is an intermediate station of the Peak Tram funicular railway line. It is located on May Road at Mid-levels, Central and Western District, Hong Kong, 180 m above sea level....
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Passing loopA passing loop is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at a station, where trains or trams in opposing directions can pass each other. Trains/trams in the same direction can also overtake, providing that the signalling arrangement allows it...
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Barker RoadBarker Road is an intermediate station of the Peak Tram funicular railway line. It is located on Barker Road at the Peak, Central and Western District, Hong Kong, 363m above sea level. The station was opened in 1888 along with the tramline...
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Barker Road}}
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The PeakThe Peak is the upper terminus of the Peak Tram funicular railway line. It is located inside the Peak Tower at Victoria Gap, the Peak, Central and Western District, Hong Kong, 398m above sea level. The station was opened in 1888 along with the tramline. It is known to be 35 degrees of a full...
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The Peak Tram's route from Central district to Victoria Peak covers a distance of about 1.4 kilometres and a height difference of just under 400 metres. The line has two pronounced curves, one to the left immediately after leaving the lower terminus, and the other to the right in the upper half of the ascent. The gradient also varies considerably throughout the ascent. It is a single track route and a passing loop, with two trams.
The lower terminus station,
Garden RoadGarden Road is the lower terminus of the Peak Tram line. It is located on the bottom floor of the St. John's Building on Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong, 28m above sea level....
, is located on
Garden RoadGarden Road is a major road on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, connecting the Central and Mid-levels areas.At its lower end, Garden Road forms a grade-separated intersection with Queensway. For most of its length, Garden Road carries traffic only in the downhill direction. Uphill traffic is carried...
near
St. John's CathedralSt. John's Cathedral , officially The Cathedral Church of St. John the Evangelist and located at 4 Garden Road, Central, is an Anglican cathedral in Hong Kong. It is the Diocesan cathedral of the...
. The original station was incorporated into
St. John's BuildingSt. John's Building is a skyscraper in Central on Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong. Owned and operated by Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, it is built on the slope beside Garden Road and Cotton Tree Drive. The ground floor serves as the Garden Road terminus of the Peak Tram.-History:In 1889 the Garden...
, an office tower, with the tram terminus at the ground level. The station comprises a single track, with platforms on both sides. One platform is used for boarding, the other for exiting the tram.
The upper terminus,
The PeakThe Peak is the upper terminus of the Peak Tram funicular railway line. It is located inside the Peak Tower at Victoria Gap, the Peak, Central and Western District, Hong Kong, 398m above sea level. The station was opened in 1888 along with the tramline. It is known to be 35 degrees of a full...
is located below the
Peak TowerThe Peak Tower is a leisure and shopping complex located at Victoria Gap, near the summit of Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It also houses the upper terminal of the Peak Tram. Both the Peak Tower and the Peak Tram are owned by the Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels group, the owner of...
shopping and leisure complex at
Victoria GapVictoria Gap is an area and a mountain pass located between the summits of Victoria Peak and Mount Gough, on Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its altitude is some 150 metres below the summit of Victoria Peak...
, some 150 metres below the summit of Victoria Peak. The station has the same arrangement of boarding and alighting platforms as the lower terminus. The haulage and control equipment for the funicular is located in a basement below the station.
There are also four intermediate stations, each of which consists of a single stepped platform and a shelter:
- Kennedy Road
Kennedy Road is an intermediate station on the Peak Tram. It is located on Kennedy Road, in Central, Hong Kong, 56 metres above sea level.The station comprises a single platform on the western side of the single track. The platform is longer than the trams currently used on the line, with a disused...
. Located on Kennedy RoadKennedy Road is a road in the Mid-levels on the Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Starting from Garden Road in the west, it goes past St. Joseph's College, Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre, Hong Kong Park and Hopewell Centre and ends at the junction with Queen's Road East near Morrison Hill in Wan Chai.At...
, named after Sir Arthur Edward KennedySir Arthur Edward Kennedy GCMG CB was a British colonial administrator who served as governor of a number of British colonies, namely Sierra Leone, Western Australia, Vancouver Island, Hong Kong and Queensland....
, a former Governor of Hong KongThe Governor of Hong Kong was the head of the government of Hong Kong during British rule from 1843 to 1997. The governor's roles were defined in the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Royal Instructions...
.
- MacDonnell Road
MacDonnell Road is an intermediate station on the Peak Tram. It is located on MacDonnell Road, in Mid-levels, Hong Kong, 95 metres above sea level.The station comprises a single platform on the western side of the single track...
. Located on MacDonnell RoadMacDonnell Road, is a road in the affluent and ultra-expensive Mid-Levels district on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. MacDonnell Road is named after former Hong Kong Governor Richard Graves MacDonnell. Starting from Garden Road, the road runs westward in the Mid-Levels and ends in Kennedy Road.The...
, named after Sir Richard MacDonnellSir Richard Graves MacDonnell KCMG CB was an Anglo-Irish lawyer, judge and colonial governor...
, a former Governor of Hong Kong; depot located here and storage of historic car
- May Road
May Road is an intermediate station of the Peak Tram funicular railway line. It is located on May Road at Mid-levels, Central and Western District, Hong Kong, 180 m above sea level....
. Located on May Road, named after Sir Francis Henry MaySir Francis Henry May, GCMG was a British colonial administrator who became Governor of Hong Kong.-Early life and education:...
, a former Governor of Hong Kong.
- Barker Road
Barker Road is an intermediate station of the Peak Tram funicular railway line. It is located on Barker Road at the Peak, Central and Western District, Hong Kong, 363m above sea level. The station was opened in 1888 along with the tramline...
. Located on Barker Road, named after General George Digby BarkerGeneral Sir George Digby Barker GCB was a British soldier and colonial administrator.-Military career:...
, a former military commander and acting administrator of Hong Kong.
History
In 1881 Alexander Findlay Smith first put the project of a Peak Railway into shape and presented a petition for a concession to the Governor of Hong Kong. The necessary legislation was passed two years later.
After its opening to 1926, the Peak Tram divided into three classes:
First Class: British colonial officials and residents of Victoria Peak;
Second Class: British military and the Hong Kong Police Force personnel;
Third Class: Other people and animals.
Round trip charges were HK $ 45 cents (First Class), 30 cents (Second Class) and 15 cents (Third Class).
In the 1908-1949 period, first row seats are reserved for the Governor of Hong Kong, behind displaying "This seat reservation to His Excellency the Governor" (Reserved for the Governor of Hong Kong) in bronze plaque.
Mr. Findlay Smith did not approach the project rashly. Travelling extensively in Europe and America, he made himself conversant with nearly every existing method of railway employed for mountain ascent - San Francisco, Scarborough, Rigi, Monterey, Lucerne, the Rhine, Mount Vesuvius - and returned to Hong Kong thoroughly convinced of the feasibility of his idea. The actual construction was begun in September 1885 and in May 1888 the line was officially opened.
Smith's business partner, N.J. Ede, owned and lived in the house next to the Upper Terminus, originally named Dunheved, which they converted into the
original Peak HotelThe Peak Hotel was a hotel at upper terminus of the Peak Tram in Hong Kong. It started as a bar and restaurant, and a hotel with twenty bedrooms for summer visitors opening about the same time as the Peak Tram, in 1888....
.
It took three years to build the Peak Tram, as much of the heavy equipment and rails had to be hauled uphill by the workers, who had no mechanical support. The Peak Tram was a revolutionary new form of transport to Asia at the time, and when the tramway was finally completed it was considered a marvel in engineering. A wooden structure was built for the terminal. According to photographs, the Garden Road terminus was originally an unadorned building, a large clock face was added to the edifice probably between the 1910s and 1920s.
The Peak Tram was opened for public service on 28 May 1888 by the then Governor
Sir George William des VoeuxSir George William Des Vœux, GCMG was a British colonial governor who served as Governor of Fiji , Newfoundland , and Hong Kong .-Early life:...
. As built, the line used a static
steam engineA steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
to power the haulage cable. It was at first used only for residents of
Victoria PeakVictoria Peak is a mountain in Hong Kong. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. The mountain is located in the western half of Hong Kong Island...
, although despite this it carried 800 passengers on its first day of operation, and about 150,000 in its first year. These passengers were carried in the line's wooden bodied cars. Its existence accelerated the residential development of Victoria Peak and the Mid Levels.
In the course of its history, the tram has been victim of two natural disasters, caused by floods from heavy rainfall, which washed away steep sections of the track between
Bowen RoadBowen Road is a road from the Mid-levels to Wong Nai Chung Gap of Hong Kong Island, on the slope above Central, Wan Chai and Happy Valley in Hong Kong...
and
Kennedy RoadKennedy Road is a road in the Mid-levels on the Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Starting from Garden Road in the west, it goes past St. Joseph's College, Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre, Hong Kong Park and Hopewell Centre and ends at the junction with Queen's Road East near Morrison Hill in Wan Chai.At...
. The first was in 1899, and the second occurred on 12 June 1966.
In 1926, the steam engine was replaced by an
electric motorAn electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...
. On 11 December 1941, during the
Battle of Hong KongThe Battle of Hong Kong took place during the Pacific campaign of World War II. It began on 8 December 1941 and ended on 25 December 1941 with Hong Kong, then a Crown colony, surrendering to the Empire of Japan.-Background:...
, the engine room was damaged in an attack. Service was not resumed until 25 December 1945, after the end of the
Japanese occupation of Hong KongThe Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began after the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young, surrendered the territory of Hong Kong to Japan on 25 December 1941 after 18 days of fierce fighting by British and Canadian defenders against overwhelming Japanese Imperial forces. The occupation lasted...
.
In 1956, the Peak Tram was equipped with a new generation of lightweight metal bodied cars, each of which seated 62-seat passengers. Unusually for a funicular line, three such cars were provided, only two of which were in use at any one time. The third spare car was kept in a car shed near Kennedy Road station.
The system was comprehensively rebuilt in 1989 by the
SwissSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
company, Von Roll, with new track, a computerized control system and two new two-car trams with a capacity of 120 passengers per tram. By the time of the
handover in 1997The transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, referred to as ‘the Return’ or ‘the Reunification’ by the Chinese and ‘the Handover’ by others, took place on 1 July 1997...
, it carried some 2 million passengers annually. Today, more than 4 million people ride the Peak Tram annually, or an average of over 11,000 every day.
Technology
The Peak Tram is a funicular railway, with the following technical parameters:
- Length: 1364 metres
- Height: 368 metres
- Maximum Steepness: 48%
- Track Gradient: 4 ~ 27 degrees
- Cars: 2 2-car train sets
- Capacity: 120 passengers per train set
- Configuration: Single track with passing loop
- Journey time: 4.9 minutes
- Maximum speed: 6 metres per second
- Track gauge: 4'11.85" foot (1520 mm)
- Traction: Electricity
See also
- Transport in Hong Kong
Hong Kong has a highly developed and sophisticated transport network, encompassing both public and private transport. Over 90% of the daily journeys are on public transport, making it the highest rate in the world....
- Tourism in Hong Kong
The tourism industry has been an important part of the economy of Hong Kong since it shifted to a service sector model in the late 1980s and early 90s...
- List of buildings and structures in Hong Kong
- Peak Reservation Ordinance
The , commonly known as Peak reservation Ordinance, was a racially-based zoning law passed by the Hong Kong Government that reserved the Victoria Peak as a place of residence to non-Chinese people except with the consent of the Governor...
External links
{{Commonscat}}
{{Transport in Hong Kong}}
{{Pearl River Delta transit}}