New tourist attraction in Hong Kong - the Tung Chung Cable Car - breaks ground

Construction works of the Tung Chung Cable Car Project in Hong Kong officially commenced today with a Ground Breaking Ceremony to signify a major milestone for the new tourist attraction.

Officiating at the Ground Breaking Ceremony, Mr CK Chow, Chief Executive Officer of MTR Corporation said "The Tung Chung Cable Car will be a brand new tourism experience for local and overseas visitors."

"It will add a new dimension to Hong Kong tourism industry and bring economic benefits to the people of Hong Kong and the region," said Mr. Chow.

In addressing the ceremony, the Hon Mrs Selina Chow, GBS, OBE, JP, Chairman of Hong Kong Tourism Board said "Building on the attractiveness of Lantau Island with a combination of heritage and natural landscape, the Tung Chung Cable Car is set to draw different categories of visitors from both short- and long-haul markets, as well as transit passengers at the airport. We look forward to the early completion of this world-class facility to sustain the growth and development of Hong Kong's tourism."

Also speaking at the ceremony, Ms Eva Cheng, JP, Commissioner for Tourism said, "The Tung Chung Cable Car will bring a new dimension to tourism development on Lantau. In about two years' time, tourists will have a brand new experience when they visit Lantau. We expect that, when the cable car system is completed, visitors to Lantau will increase significantly."

The MTR Corporation was selected for the 30-year build-operate-transfer franchise for the Tung Chung Cable Car Project after a competitive tendering process. The Project will bring a unique and novel tourism attraction providing local and overseas visitors the perfect enjoyment of the natural environment of North Lantau.

The Project comprises a 5.7-km cableway linking two terminals at Tung Chung and Ngong Ping and a Village next to the Ngong Ping plateau, featuring the world's largest, seated, outdoor bronze Buddha Statue.

The cable car journey will offer an attractive 17-minute aerial alternative to the current one-hour journey by road, allowing visitors to glide across Tung Chung Bay and up Lantau Island towards the cultural and environmental charms of Ngong Ping. During the 17-minute scenic journey, travellers will experience spectacular 360 degree panoramic views over the North Lantau Country Park, the South China Sea, Hong Kong international Airport, the Tung Chung valley and surrounding terrain and waterways, culminating in a spectacular view of "The Big Buddha" as they approach Ngong Ping.

On arrival at Ngong Ping Terminal, visitors will enter the Village, where they will be able to experience a unique combination of cultural interests, state-of-the-art education components, tourism, retailing and a variety of international cuisine. The centre piece of the Village will be highlighted by "The Tea House", showcasing the village ambience of both Northern and Southern China.

A high-tech Buddhist interpretive centre is planned in the Village at Ngong Ping enabling visitors to feel the peace and tranquillity of Buddhism before walking up the 268 steps to worship the Big Buddha.

Most of the Tung Chung Cable Car infrastructure will be located in the Northern Lantau Country Park. Every aspect of the environment has been carefully addressed in this project with a view to keeping any possible environmental impact to a minimum. The selection of the cable car system technology and the alignment is a direct result of this approach, minimising the number of tower structures and ensuring they will not damage the local ecology. The project will be delivered in a safe and environmentally acceptable manner to high quality standards.

The facilities are expected to be completed and welcoming their first visitors in early 2006.

The Project is being developed and financed by MTR Corporation. The contract for the civil engineering and building works has been awarded to Maeda Corporation. The cableway system is supplied by Leitner GmbH, a world leader in the cableway industry. Operational management will be undertaken by Skyrail-ITM, which was established from the success of Skyrail, owner and manager of Australia's best tourism attraction, a rainforest cable-way experience in Cairns, North Queensland, Australia.