Posts Tagged: Ngong Ping 360

08
Nov

2016

System Dossier: Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car (Hong Kong)

Image by Flickr user Alexander Savin

Over the last half century, Hong Kong has established itself as one of the world’s leading financial centers and is continually ranked as one of the best places to start a business. However, there is more to the city than just stocks and skyscrapers.

This dynamic and vibrant metropolis is a fusion of many cultures. Evidence of the city’s colonial roots is seen throughout – seamlessly mixed with Chinese tradition. From the exciting world-class shopping and cuisine to the scenic views of the city’s iconic skyline, it’s no surprise that Hong Kong is such a desired international destination.

Image by Flickr user Angiele Mae Opura

Adding to its appeal, the Ngong Ping 360 cable car was opened in 2006 and has been one of Hong Kong’s most popular excursions (attracts over 1.6 million riders annually). The Leitner-built Bicable Detachable Gondola (BDG), transports passengers from Tung Chung station to Ngong Ping Village located on Lantau Island.

Tourists and locals alike can easily access the cable car by taking the MTR’s Tung Chung Line – a rapid transit system – to Tung Chung. From the rail station, passengers can purchase a separate fare and board the cable car. For an additional cost, riders have the option of upgrading their experience by boarding one of the VIP “Crystal Cabins”, complete with glass floors.

screen-shot-2016-05-17-at-5-46-43-pm

Image by Bridgette Lo

The initial portion of the cable car’s journey is a short crossing of Tung Chung Bay to Airport Island Angle Station – where the gondola makes a 60-degree turn. The gondola then proceeds to ascend over Tung Chung Bay again to Lantau Island where the gondola reaches its terminus station, Ngong Ping.

During this 25-minute journey, riders can enjoy panoramic views of the North Lantau Country Park, the South China Sea, the Tung Chung Valley, the Tian Tan Buddha statue, Hong Kong International Airport, Nei Lak Shan, and surrounding terrain and waterways. At Ngong Ping Village, tourists can indulge in a variety of shopping and dining experiences. Of course, one must not forget to check out the international cable car gallery, which exhibits cable car replicas from all over the globe.
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Length (km) 5.7
Stations 4 (2 boarding & 2 angle)
Year Opened 2006
Line Capacity (pphpd) 3500
Speed (m/s) 6.0
One-way Fare (HKD) 130 (Standard)

 

 

 



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Ngong Ping 360 / System Dossier
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20
Feb

2014

Cable Car Photo of the Week: Ngong Ping 360

Ngong Ping 360. Image by Flickr user iriskh.

Photographer:

Photo by Flickr user iriskh.

About:

Every Thursday, the Gondola Project team will select stunning captures of CPT lines for our newest feature: Cable Car Photo of the Week. We hope this will continue to bring more attention to the technology and provide visually impactful examples of cable car systems worldwide.

If you’d like to submit or nominate a picture for our “Photo of the Week”, we’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email at gondola@creativeurbanprojects.com. 

 



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Photo of the Week
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28
Nov

2013

Google Transit View: Rail, Subway, Airports and… Cable Cars!

We briefly interrupt our scheduled Photo of the Week with an exciting new development from Google.

Starting today, the search engine will let users preview dozens of major global transit locations worldwide with their newest Street View function. This includes 16 airports, 50+ train stations and get this, even the Ngong Ping 360 and Peak Tram in Hong Kong!

Ngong Ping 360 Transit View: Click Here or Image

Ngong Ping 360 Preview

Ngong Ping 360 Preview. Screenshot from Google.

Peak Tram Transit View: Click Here or Image

Peak Tram Preview

Peak Tram Preview. Screenshot from Google.

Map of all the covered locations:


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Without having said, this option will surely help visitors navigate tourists hotspots before making their trip.

But more importantly (at least from a transit planning perspective), is that this function gives practitioners and the general public an entirely new tool to understand the integration, layout, and design of various transport facilities.

As you make your way through the system, you can literally see and experience almost anything or everything at the same time — right down the nitty-gritty details of how much snacks cost or how line queues can be designed.

The fact that two cable systems were included alongside other major transit locations is perhaps a sign of another trend — that is, urban cable systems are finally getting the recognition they deserve.

While not all urban CPT lines are fully integrated into their public transit network, they are undoubtedly vital pieces of transport infrastructure for both tourists and locals alike.

I’m not sure about you guys and maybe I’m dreaming a little, but I certainly can’t wait until the day Google maps out each and every cable car system.



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Education / Photo of the Week / Stations
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29
Apr

2013

Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car, Hong Kong: Extreme Engineering – Documentary

Ever wonder how the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car was built? Well luckily for you Extreme Engineering — a documentary television series on Discovery — took some time back in 2005 and followed the cable car team who built the system. It takes you on an epic journey and allows viewers take a closer look at the types of challenges faced by the construction crew — from torrential rains to high winds.

If you have some time, it’s well worth it to watch the entire 40 minute episode –but if not, I’ve highlighted some of the more interesting parts below. Enjoy!

Note: The uploader has incorrectly described the video as the Ocean Park Cable Car in the “About” section on Youtube (the video preview image below is also inaccurate). The Ocean Park Cable Car is a cable car system in a Hong Kong amusement park and is not the Ngong Ping 360 system that is being documented here. 

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  • 3:32; 16:20 – how bicable system works
  • 3:55 – route alignment
  • 5:16 – tower 3 aka monster tower: supports ~500 tons, made of 40,000 pieces
  • 17:10 – Fatzer plant – rope manufacturer, 120 ton track rope
  • 30:40 – installing cross bars
  • 32:35 – system design – 3 sections
  • 33:20 – pulling track cable


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Ngong Ping 360
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29
Aug

2012

Swearing on Public Transit Can Get You Fined

Riding public transit can be an overwhelmingly positive experience. You don’t have to drive in traffic, you get to read your favourite book, and you can save money. However, any regular transit rider knows that once in a while, something always happens which gives you that urge to just vent out a little (or a lot). The real nice thing is, the fashion in which you swear is entirely up to you, whether its in your own mind, muttered under your breathe or shouted verbally at your fellow passenger.

However, should you choose to voice your displeasure out loud, you may get fined depending on the district you live in. For example, in Milwaukee, a rider was hit with a $500 ticket from an undercover deputy for cursing on a bus.

Because we all know that anytime someone gives you a ticket, it'd provoke us to swear less. Image by Flickr user greenkozi.

Now while I thought that was a little ridiculous, it’s apparently not uncommon. In Hong Kong, they decided to take it a bit further. There’s supposedly a law which regulates swearing and the most bizarre (or hilarious) thing about this is that the amount you’re fined is directly dependent on where you decide to spew your profanity. For example, if somehow you’re caught cursing on the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car, you’ll get hit with a HK$5000 fine (USD $650)!

Just don't get caught swearing on a bus. You might be jailed for 6 months.

So my question is: who and how did one determine these figures? And why does it cost me 5x more to swear on a cable car than a funicular?

While we’ll probably never find these answers, we do know one thing for sure. If you’re feeling down and out in Hong Kong and wanted to vent some frustration in public, at only HKD$100 (USD$13) per swear word, the tram is definitely your most economical option.

 



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Just For Fun / Ngong Ping 360
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09
Apr

2012

Weekly Roundup: London, The Netherlands, Montreal and… Amazon.com?

Note: Due to the Easter Break, the Roundup was moved from last Friday to today. We will continue with Roundups on Fridays from here on. 

Emirates Air Line now has cables! Image via The Londonist.

A quick look at some of the highlights from around the world of Urban Gondolas, Gondola Transit, and Cable Propelled Transit:

  • Various news outlets (here, here and here for example) are reporting that 75 people were rescued by helicopter from a stalled Aerial Tram in St. Moritz Switzerland. No one was injured. We tend to report on cable accidents here on The Gondola Project because we believe (some might say counterintuitively) that, rather than ignore accidents and rescues, mentioning them highlights the incredible reliability and safety of the technology. If you’d like to learn more about cable’s safety record, see this post. As always (and as we’ve stated before here and here), the degree of media coverage a given technology’s failure causes is inversely related to the chance of that failure’s occurrence.
  • The Ngong Ping 360, a tourist system with a seemingly never-ending list of problems, was re-opened last week following a two-month suspension. Unfortunately, the relaunch was delayed due to a storm which seems a little bit odd to be honest. Nevertheless, Hong Kong’s Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) has released its investigative report and recommended a series of measures prior to allowing the system to re-open. That report can be downloaded here.
  • And lastly: I don’t know what this is, or what it means, but Michael van Baker from Seattle’s The Sun Break posted a vitriolic and profanity-laced diatribe aimed directly at Amazon.com’s founder Jeff Bezos. In the incredibly bizarre column Baker suggests Mr. Bezos explore bringing gondolas to Seattle because “the other ***holes aren’t doing it.” I’ll admit that I have no idea what Baker is talking about but from what I can surmise he: a) doesn’t like Jeff Bezos and; b) doesn’t like the idea of using “cable-f***ing-driven gondolas.” If anyone has any idea (like, really, any idea) what this whole kerfuffle is about, I’d love to know.


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Weekly Roundup
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09
Mar

2012

Weekly Roundup – Centennial Celebrations for Sugarloaf Cable Car in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Since its inception 100 years ago, the Sugarloaf Cable Car has transported over 37 million passengers. Image by Wikipedia.

A quick look at some of the highlights from around the world of Urban Gondolas, Gondola Transit, and Cable Propelled Transit:

  • Originally built in 1912, the Sugarloaf Cable Car is officially a centenarian. To this day, it continues to be one of top attractions for tourists in Rio de Janeiro.
  • Following the footsteps of other zoos (i.e. Kolmarden Wildlife Park in Sweden), the Oakland Zoo expansion plan includes a proposal for an aerial gondola. Concerns have been raised on whether a new gondola system is a fiscally responsible option at this time.
  • An aerial gondola line traversing Cheddar Gorge appears to be gaining traction in Somerset, UK. The cable lift is intended to reinvigorate interest and tourism within the surrounding site as visitor numbers have plummeted since the 90s.
  • Ngong Ping 360 cable is expected to reopen near Easter.


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Weekly Roundup
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