The Peak Tram, an old Hong Kong icon: taking millions of tourists a year to Victoria Peak, what can we expect from its sixth and latest upgrade since opening in 1888?
- Asia’s first funicular railway featured in 1950s Hollywood film Soldier of Fortune, starring Clark Gable, and also in 1970s television show The Love Boat
- The line, connecting Murray Barracks to Victoria Gap, was opened by Governor Sir George William des Voeux in 1888
One of Hong Kong’s most iconic landmarks, the Peak Tram, is set to undergo its sixth upgrade since opening in 1888, and will be temporarily closed to the public from this month.
Why the reputation?
One of the world’s oldest funicular railways, the Peak Tram is just as much a tourist destination as the spot it was built to service, Hong Kong’s Victoria Peak. Its must-ride reputation has built up over time thanks to the way the cars scale the steep gradient – up to 25.7 degrees – along the 1.4km route, giving sweeping views of Hong Kong’s skyscrapers and the harbour beyond, as the tram climbs 396 metres from Garden Road in Central to Victoria Peak.
Asia’s first funicular railway
Scottish-born designer Alexander Findlay Smith, who also lived on The Peak, began looking at the best means of transport for ascending steep hills. He travelled to Europe and North America and came back with a plan for what became the first cable funicular tramway in Asia.