Cable car ride up Mount Santubong

By SHARON LING

KUCHING: Visitors to the legendary Mount Santubong are set to get their first cable car ride in Sarawak. 

A company here is building the RM50mil system, which is expected to be completed within 24 months. 

It will be the third overhead cable car system in the country, after the ones in Genting Highlands and Langkawi. 

The state government has granted local company Santubong Cable Car Sdn Bhd (SCC) the sole rights to design, build, operate and manage the system for a period of 60 years from the date it starts operation. 

The company has a team that includes consultants involved in the Langkawi system and Doppelmayr Seilbahnen, a ropeway technology provider from Austria. 

Under a concession agreement signed between the government and SCC on Wednesday, the company will collect and retain all revenue from the operation of the cable car, including sales of ticket, merchandise and beverage. 

SCC executive chairman Abang Nawawi Abang Drahman said building plans for the cable car were almost complete and construction should start in three months. 

“We plan to minimise the environmental impact of construction activities using helicopters and a temporary cable car system to transport construction materials,” he said. 

“Upon completion of the project, all waste generated at the top station will be brought down to the base station by cable car,” Abang Nawawi added. 

State Urban Development and Tourism Minister Datuk Wong Soon Koh, who witnessed the signing, said the cable car was set to be the latest tourism draw in the Santubong peninsula. 

“It will offer visitors a spectacular view of the surrounding area, including the rainforest slopes of the mountain,” he said. 

With 28 gondolas carrying eight passengers each, the cable cars will be convenient for visitors intending to reach the top of Mount Santubong.