monster3 said:
Great info from misshanako, thanks a lot.
How can i get there from Yau Ma Tei area? i'm quite poor in my mandarin. Please help.
Any idea the Ngong Ping 360 still under maintenance?
Whats the best way to get to The Peak?
Thanks...
You would like to go to the peak from where? from your hotel in Yamatei or what?
yeah , its still under MAINTENANCE. I know i shouldnt tell you about this but I am an honest person..pls read the following link..
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=46616&sid=14019242&con_type=3
Ngong Ping 360 shut after plunge
Diana Lee, Una So and Mimi Lau
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
A two-tonne cable car plunged more than 50 meters from the troubled Ngong Ping 360 line on Lantau Island Monday night.
The popular tourist attraction was closed for the night and there were no injuries.
The incident has sparked fears over the safety of the system that began operation last September and services have been suspended.
Officials from the government, emergency services, MTR Corp and operators were still investigating early today.
A source said an emergency drill was being conducted at around 8pm when the mishap occurred.
"Cable cars were being moved at about seven meters per second to perform emergency brakes. But one of the cars broke loose from a height of about 13 to 14 stories. The alarm system revealed there was a problem at Tower 2B," the source said.
The cable car landed on a slope beneath a support tower close to the Chek Lap Kok South Road turnaround area near the Tung Chung bus terminal.
Members of the rescue services later carried out a three-hour search of the site, which is popular with joggers and fishermen.
Ambulances and fire engines stood by in case there were casualties.
Legislative Council transport panel chairman Andrew Cheng Kar-foo called for the management team at operator Skyrail-ITM to be replaced.
Since opening, Ngong Ping 360 has experienced technical problems that have left passengers stranded.
"But this is the most serious incident because it involves a fallen cable car. This incident will shatter public
confidence," Cheng said.
Travel Industry Council executive director Joseph Tung Yiu-chung said: "This is a very serious matter. The government must find out what went wrong and take steps to ensure passenger safety."
He added that refunds should be made to those who already have tickets.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Mechanical Engineering Department engineer Lo Kwok-keung doubted whether the incident was caused by the recent bad weather.
He said the horizontal beam on the cable car may be too thin, and unable to handle passenger weight and wind velocity. "The plunge could have been caused by the snapping of the beam."
Skyrail-ITM managing director Bill Calderwood said: "Obviously, we are very concerned about what happened tonight."
He added that the incident happened during a series of tests, which were part of the annual ropeway survey.
"A cabin or a cable way system was dislodged and fell to the ground near Tower 2B, but there were no people on the line at the time."
He said the operator is investigating the matter along with the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and MTR Corp.
But he said there were no adverse weather conditions at the time.
He apologized for the inconvenience caused and promised refunds will be made.
Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Stephen Ip Shu-kwan said Ngong Ping 360 has been ordered to suspend its services. He said the government expressed "serious concern" over the incident.
Since opening, Ngong Ping 360 has carried one million passengers and collected HK$64 million.
Fatal accidents involving cable car systems are rare.
The worst occurred March 9, 1976, at the ski resort of Cavalese in Italy.
A steel cable broke sending a gondola tumbling 200 meters down a mountain, killing 42 people, including 15 children.
In the same area in 1998, a low- flying US military aircraft severed a cable, killing all 20 passengers in one gondola.