With the funicular railway built and functioning after 1923, it provided a less strenuous travel up the hill and eventually brought more people to the hill station. In the later 1900’s, mid level lands were acquired by wealthy local residents where they built holiday bungalows.

The Funicular Railway

old tram on display

The first attempt on building a railway up to the peak was made in 1890’s by 3 English engineers. However, the equipment they installed failed during its launch and the project was abandoned until 1923 when a Swiss technology was adopted to operate the funicular train system. 

The original wooden carriages were later replaced which inadvertantly lost its charm but presumably this upgrade meant that it could transport more passengers up and down the hill. The railway system is in 2 sections. At the half waypoint, passengers have to alight and board another carriage on the parallel track to the end destination. The entire ride takes 1/2hr.This trip can be a little uncomfortable as often, passengers are packed into the carriages like sardines in a tin and the discomfort on a hot day can rise with the temperature. Ventilation is limited to small air vents and a rotating mini fan. Open windows doesn’t help much either as the train travels at approximately 1.5m per second.

 

Trails to Penang Hill

During holiday seasons, the wait for this ride can take as long as 1hr

For the reasonably fit, the alternative is to hike up. There are a number of trail leading to different peaks as follows:

the trams running now

Moon Gate at Waterfall Road ~ 3hrs approx.

About five minutes away from the Botanic Garden entrance. This 5.5km trail takes you to Bukit Bendana and 84. The moon gate was once the main gate into the grounds of a colonial mansion aptly named "Yu Yi Yuan" (Yu Yi Garden). The mansion is now in ruins and lies just 15minutes walk from the gates, but its history is significant in the chronicles of the migrant Chinese in Penang. As wealth poured in during the late 19th century, holiday mansions were well in demand and many rich Chinese towkays or mandarins commissioned building of weekend homes in the outskirts especially in the hills or in the countryside. These mansions came with large gardens and lawns, some replicating European landscaping. To retain a little of the Chinese culture and arts, several homes incorporated Chinese structures to their seemingly ostentatious European influenced architecture.

Jeep track just by Botanic Gardens entrance  ~ 45min approx.
Trekkers will pass the '48' (a playground) and '84' (a rest stop). The rest stop at 84 serves free cups of hot coffee and Chinese tea and biscuits and is open from late afternoon until 7pm. After a cup of coffee, don’t forget to drop some change into the box to help maintain the coffee and biscuit services for others.

Hye Keat Estate , Air Itam
This path takes trekkers through a connection of fruit and vegetable farms and forks off to 84 whilst the other veers off to the Middle Station. From the Middle Station, trekkers can opt to trek all the way up to the top of Penang Hill or hop onto to the funicular train all the way up or down.

The Tiger Hill trail  ~ 5hrs approx
 This 8km uphill climb starts from Air Itam , not far from the Kek Lok Si Temple. The trail heads up to the Air Itam Dam and then to Tiger Hill, ending at Summit Road. From the exit point at Summit Road, it’s another 30min to Strawberry Hill. According to trekkers, this trail is worth the hard work trudging into valleys, passing by a farm, streams, jungle shrubbery and trees. Not much left of this on the island…it certainly is a must do before it completely disappears…
Other Activities
Bicyles for hire : there are bikes for hire at the tea kiosk area . just check on the brakes before taking it out on the steep roads.
Canopy walk – according to recent reports, the canopy walk is undergoing repairs as areas have been affected by termites.
Stroll around – there are many viewpoints scattered around Penang Hill. It’s nice to sit a bit , just to take time off worries and strain and the best viewpoint gazebos are ones further away from the hill centre. The viewing gallery on the way to the canopy is a good spot. There are some beautifully maintained bungalows on Penang Hill and several have residents living there so be a little considerate and refrain from poking around in their gardens etc. these are private homes.