Put in operation in 1888, the tram service catered to British businessmen and Chinese workers with the first two seats usually reserved for the governor. During its first year of operation, 150,000 passengers used the service what equalled to the 80% of Hong Kong’s population at the time.
Over the past decade, the tram habitually made about 6 million rides annually. Last year, 65.1 million passengers took a ride on the Peak Tram and this year the number will most likely reach 66.4 million tourists. Each tram car can carry up to 120 passengers but after the revamp carried out by a Swiss firm, the capacity will grow to 210 passengers thus enabling the tram to serve more than 600 extra passengers per hour during peak periods.
The revamped tram service is scheduled to reopen in 2021 before the Lunar New Year. In the following years the numbers of passengers are expected to climb at an average annual rate of 2%. The facelift will cost the government HK$684 million.
“We want to keep the classic characteristics of the trams and also give a better experience to tourists, so they can have a more comfortable ride,” said the general manager at the Peak Tramways Company.
Hong Kong's Peak Tram to Attract More Tourists
News in Asia
Hong Kong’s century-old Peak Tram is under a revamp that is expected to result in double-digit growth of passenger numbers during the first year of operation while meeting rising needs of the public for transportation without changing the classic style of its iconic carriages.