Great Malaysian Railway Journeys
PENANG HILL FUNICULAR RAILWAY
THEN & NOW

The Penang Hill funicular railway was not operating when the Federated Malay States Railway Pamphlet of Information for Travellers was published in 1914 so it is not mentioned in the pamphlet.

There had been an earlier attempt to build a funicular railway to the summit of Penang Hill with construction commencing in 1897 and completed in 1906. However the design was faulty and the project went bankrupt and was abandoned.

In 1914 the only way up the hill was by walking, or by pony, or, more commonly, by sedan chair.

This is what the pamphlet has to say about Penang Hill:

A drive of three miles will in twenty minutes take us through a beautiful succession of gardens and cultivation to the Waterfall Garden, where the natural beauty of the site, a green hollow nestling in the hill foot, with a leaping cascade at its far end, has been utilised to give Penang and all world-travellers a gem of scenery.

The beginning of the ascent to the Crag Hotel (one hour, carried in a chair) is at the Garden. The hill is 2066 feet high, and gives a magnificent view of the whole spreading prospect between Penang and the mainland. Coolies and chairs are always in waiting at the foot of the hill. The hotel belongs to the management of the Eastern and Oriental Hotel.

Moon Gate is where the early travellers to Penang Hill would hire a sedan chair. The fare was RM1.

how the Crag Hotel building looked in 2011

'Built as a bungalow in 1890 and converted into a hotel in 1895, the Crag Hotel gained fame as one of a chain of hotels, including the E & O in George Town, the Raffles in Singapore and the Strand in Rangoon, owned by the Armenian Sarkies Brothers. The Crag Hotel was very popular before the Second World War after which it remained empty for ten years. From 1955 the site housed Uplands School run by the Incorporated Society of Planters which leased the property from the State until 1977. Since then the site has been under the care of the State Public Works Department. It was used as a location for the 1992 Academy Award winning French film 'Indochine'.'

So says a sign on Penang Hill erected with the assistance of Penang Heritage Trust.

It was announced in 2011 that the Aman Resorts group is to restore and manage the Crag Hotel but it appears that renovation work has not yet commenced.

THE FUNICULAR RAILWAY IS COMPLETED

After WWI, interest in building a funicular railway was revived to service the growing number of residences being built there to escape the heat of the city below, with work beginning in 1920. The railway was opened in 1923.

The journey had two be completed in two independent sections to accommodate the changing gradient of the track. Passengers had to change trains half way up (and down).

The tram has gone through a number of refurbishments and changes of rolling stock in its long history. Since the latest modernisation in 2011 it is no longer necessary to change trains half way and the whole journey is completed in just 10 minutes.

The funicular railway departs from the Ayer Itam area of town.

It is still possible to walk up Penang Hill if you prefer. I hiked up the jeep track with my family and the walk took 2 1/2hours. You can read about it here. Obviously we are not as fit as those sedan chair porters of old who could do the trip in just one hour with a heavy load!

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AUTHOR BIO

David (the one on the left) is the writer behind Malaysia Traveller, sharing first-hand travel advice from over five decades of living and travelling across Asia and the Middle East. Based in Malaysia since 2009 and now in Kuching, he has published over 760 pages on this website, personally visited every place he covers, and uses only his own photos. Readers can learn more on his About Me page. He also shares updates on Facebook and YouTube. He loves uncovering overlooked places that even some Malaysians have never visited.