Fifth-generation Peak Tram retires

Peak Tram will suspend operation for six months starting from tomorrow as it undergoes renovations.

Enthusiasts rushed to take one last ride before its closure. The current fifth-generation Peak Tram, with a burgundy exterior and varnished wood interiors, has operated for 32 years.

The Peak Tramways Company is investing over HK$700 million to upgrade the system, the tram cars, and renovate both upper and lower terminuses.

A long queue was seen today from the lower terminus station at Garden Road in Central to the Hong Kong Park Sports Centre.

Many people waited for about an hour just to take one last ride.

“I’ve taken the green one before, from the first generation, now the Peak Tram is in its fifth generation and it’s the last day. I’m here to take pictures for memory,” Kwan said, who was lining up today.

Another in the queue is Mr.Wong who has brought his children along today, he said “[the children] are quite happy so far. It’s worth it, they are looking forward to it.”

Due to the high amount of visitors, the queue at the lower terminus was stopped at 8 pm.

The Peak Tramways Company general manager May Tsang Ying-mei told local media that the Peak Tram takes on the role of promoting Hong Kong’s culture and has witnessed Hong Kong’s change of time as well as the heyday of tourism.

Tsang said it is hard to predict the situation of the pandemic and the number of peak tram visitors when its service resumes.

The fare will be adjusted according to the market conditions at the time.

She hopes that more tourists will take the peak tram when cross-border travel resumes.

To bid farewell, Hong Kong-themed artwork by local artists was featured on two burgundy tramcars this month to celebrate Hong Kong’s culture, nature, iconic landmarks, and movies.

The Peak Tramways Company has commenced the upgrade project in mid-2019 which Peak Tram services were suspended for three months.

The second suspension begins today (June 28) which involves construction work including replacement of all haulage, control and signaling systems, ropes, track rails, and the refurbishment of upper and lower terminus to facilitate the new larger capacity tram cars.

The longer tramcars is expected to boost capacity from 120 passengers to 210.

Waiting time is expected to reduce from 90 to 17 minutes on the weekdays in peak hours.

At 9 am today, two foreign female passengers queuing up for the last ride at the lower Garden Road terminus were injured by a collapsed tree.

The collapsed tree, measuring five meters by 30 centimeters, landed on the display boards of the terminus’s platform.

The two were sent to the Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam conscious.

One of them,44, suffered from a headache and another, 54, sustained injuries to her hands, shoulders, and back.

Police cordoned off the area at one point but the terminus’s operation was not affected.