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The Langkawi Cable Car, also known as Langkawi SkyCab, is a gondola lift and one of the major attractions in
The Langkawi cable car project was first mooted in 1999 by the then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad when he flew over Gunung Machinchang in a helicopter during his visit to Langkawi. The project was a joint venture by Doppelmayr of Austria and a local company.
After a survey of the mountain conducted in May 2000, the construction of Langkawi Cable Car began in April 2001. The gondola cable car system was selected as it permitted a long span of over . There are three stations for the cable car; the Top Station is located at the peak of Gunung Machinchang which is the second-highest peak of Langkawi. In the middle is an "angle station" where the gondolas make a 45-degree turn to reach the Top Station. As there is no road to the top due to the steepness of Gunung Machinchang, all the structural components needed to be lifted to top with helicopters in combination with an auxiliary working cable and then assembled on site.
The gradient or the slope between the Base Station and the Middle Station is said to be the one of the steepest in the world at 42° It has the longest free span for a mono-cable car at . When there are strong winds, the cable car operation would be put on hold. There are 35 normal gondolas, each of these can carry six persons with total weight up to , with a total maximum capacity of 700 to 800 passengers per hour. There are also 4 bottom glass gondolas which sit 6 passengers and 2 VIP gondolas each with 3 leather seats. The gondolas travel at a distance of some above the canopy of forest of the Machinchang Range.
The Langkawi cable car was completed in August 2002 at a cost of RM 46 million. The
An intermediate Cable Car station on the eastern ridges provides access to the eastern cliffs with its 3 vertical chimneys and the 360-degree views. The gondolas make a 45-degree turn at this "angle station" to reach the top.
The journey from the Base Station to Middle Station covers in length. The Middle Station is at an elevation of above sea level, visitors can alight at the station and walk up to the viewing platform, or continue to travel on the gondolas for another up to the Top Station.
The ride affords a view of the surrounding forest, the Telaga Tujuh (Seven Wells) waterfall, as well as the sea. From the top station, there is an inclinator called SkyGlide and a mountain route that allow access to the Langkawi Sky Bridge. There are two viewing platforms at the top of Machincang mountain, and other amenities.
There is a walking trail, the SkyTrail, through the forest from the top station that goes down to the middle station, and then the Seven Wells (Telaga Tujuh) waterfall, although walking unguided through the trail is not advisable as the trail is not well-maintained and there is a risk of getting lost. Pre-arrangement with a naturalist guide is necessary. There are some safety issues raised by some of the tourists.
Langkawi Cable Car @ Panorama Langkawi websiteTourism Malaysia - Langkawi Cable CarPhotos at panoramio.comLangkawi Cable Car
2002 establishments in Malaysia Gondola lifts in Malaysia Langkawi Transport in Kedah Buildings and structures in Kedah Tourist attractions in Kedah
Langkawi Island
Langkawi, officially known by its sobriquet Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah ( ms, Langkawi Permata Kedah ), is a duty-free island and an archipelago of 99 islands (plus five small islands visible only at low tide in the Strait of Malacca) locat ...
, Kedah
Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman and historically as Queda, is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km2, and it consists of the mainland ...
, Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
. 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 , with a journey time from the base to the top of around 15 minutes. It was officially opened in 2003.
Langkawi Cable Car is located just north of Telaga Harbour, Pantai Kok, with the entrance within 'Oriental Village' at the foothill of the Mat Chincang mountain range. It is located to the north-west of the Langkawi International Airport, on the west coast of the main island of Langkawi. It is approximate 30 minutes drive from Kuah
Kuah, Kuah Town or Bandar Kuah is a resort town, mukim and district capital of Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia. It is the entry point for those coming by ferry from either the mainland or Penang Island. The town is centered on its jetty, which is ...
town and 15 minutes drive from Langkawi International Airport.
Construction and design
The Langkawi cable car project was first mooted in 1999 by the then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad when he flew over Gunung Machinchang in a helicopter during his visit to Langkawi. The project was a joint venture by Doppelmayr of Austria and a local company.
After a survey of the mountain conducted in May 2000, the construction of Langkawi Cable Car began in April 2001. The gondola cable car system was selected as it permitted a long span of over . There are three stations for the cable car; the Top Station is located at the peak of Gunung Machinchang which is the second-highest peak of Langkawi. In the middle is an "angle station" where the gondolas make a 45-degree turn to reach the Top Station. As there is no road to the top due to the steepness of Gunung Machinchang, all the structural components needed to be lifted to top with helicopters in combination with an auxiliary working cable and then assembled on site.
The gradient or the slope between the Base Station and the Middle Station is said to be the one of the steepest in the world at 42° It has the longest free span for a mono-cable car at . When there are strong winds, the cable car operation would be put on hold. There are 35 normal gondolas, each of these can carry six persons with total weight up to , with a total maximum capacity of 700 to 800 passengers per hour. There are also 4 bottom glass gondolas which sit 6 passengers and 2 VIP gondolas each with 3 leather seats. The gondolas travel at a distance of some above the canopy of forest of the Machinchang Range.
The Langkawi cable car was completed in August 2002 at a cost of RM 46 million. The soft launch
A soft launch, also known as a soft opening, is a preview release of a product or service to a limited audience prior to the general public. Soft-launching a product is sometimes used to gather data or customer feedback, prior to making it widely ...
for the cable car was held for six days in October 2002 which was well-received, it then opened to the general public on 1 November 2002. It was officially opened in 2003.
Stations
Base Station
The Base Station is located at the Oriental Village, a theme shopping centre housing 30 individually designed buildings showcasing Malaysian and Oriental architecture. From this base, visitors can take the ride to the Machincang range via the Langkawi Cable Car on gondolas. The SkyDome, a 360-degree panorama screen dome theatre located at the Base Station, offers visitors free viewing while they are waiting for their ride on the Cable Car. The gondolas arrive at the station around every 30 seconds. The cable car may be closed 2 days a month in a predetermined maintenance schedule, and in bad weather condition.Middle Station
An intermediate Cable Car station on the eastern ridges provides access to the eastern cliffs with its 3 vertical chimneys and the 360-degree views. The gondolas make a 45-degree turn at this "angle station" to reach the top.
The journey from the Base Station to Middle Station covers in length. The Middle Station is at an elevation of above sea level, visitors can alight at the station and walk up to the viewing platform, or continue to travel on the gondolas for another up to the Top Station.
Top Station
There are two circular viewing platforms at the top of Gunung Machinchang, which are both a short walk up the stairs from thetop station
A top station or upper stationFor example, se''Chairlift Blausee (upper station)''at www.outdooractive.com. Retrieved 15 May 2019. is usually the highest station of an aerial lift, a funicular, a T-bar lift or a rack railway. The lowest station is ...
and offer 360° views. The top station is located above sea-level is about 5 °C cooler than the lowlands.
Features
The ride affords a view of the surrounding forest, the Telaga Tujuh (Seven Wells) waterfall, as well as the sea. From the top station, there is an inclinator called SkyGlide and a mountain route that allow access to the Langkawi Sky Bridge. There are two viewing platforms at the top of Machincang mountain, and other amenities.
There is a walking trail, the SkyTrail, through the forest from the top station that goes down to the middle station, and then the Seven Wells (Telaga Tujuh) waterfall, although walking unguided through the trail is not advisable as the trail is not well-maintained and there is a risk of getting lost. Pre-arrangement with a naturalist guide is necessary. There are some safety issues raised by some of the tourists.
Technical data
* Horizontal distance: 2079 m * Vertical rise: 680 m * Inclined distance: 2158 m * Haul rope diameter: 50 mm * Bull wheel diameter: 6.10 m * Passenger per gondola: 6 persons * Design speed: 5 m/s * Operating speed: 3 m/s * Turn around trip time: 28 minute * Hourly capacity: 700 passengers/hour * Number of stations: 3 * Number of in-line towers: 2 * Height of Tower 1: 38 m * Height of Tower 2: 70 m * Longest free span: 919.5 m (between Tower 2 & Middle station) * Steepest gradient: 42 degrees * Construction period: 16 months (April 2001 - August 2002) * Testing & Commissioning period: 3 months (August 2002 - October 2002)See also
*Awana Skyway
The Awana Skyway, also referred to as the new Awana Skyway (ca. 2016), 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 ...
- Aerial tramway
An aerial tramway, sky tram, cable car, ropeway, aerial tram, 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 ...
type
* Genting Skyway
Genting Skyway is a gondola lift connecting Gohtong Jaya and Resort Hotel in Genting Highlands, Selangor, Malaysia. Its lower station at Gohtong Jaya township, located approximately northeast of Kuala Lumpur, comprises a 5-storey station buildi ...
- Gondola lift
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 sup ...
type
* Penang Hill Railway - Funicular
A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite e ...
type
* Rail transport in Malaysia
Rail transport in Malaysia consists of heavy rail (including commuter rail), light rapid transit (LRT), mass rapid transit
(MRT), monorails, airport rail links and a funicular railway line. Heavy rail is mostly used for intercity passenger and ...
Key points
* Burau Bay Resort station * Gunung Machinchang station ( above sea level)References
External links
{{Commons category, Langkawi Cable CarLangkawi Cable Car @ Panorama Langkawi website
2002 establishments in Malaysia Gondola lifts in Malaysia Langkawi Transport in Kedah Buildings and structures in Kedah Tourist attractions in Kedah