| Preserving an engineering classic |
| Thursday, 23 July 2009 12:26 |
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By Himanshu Bhatt.
All the carriages and stations were to be dismantled, and the rails along the 2km incline changed. The hill slope was to be cut and the tracks realigned. New air-conditioned coaches would be bought, and the travel time hastened from 30 minutes to a mere 10. There would be no more stopping at the Middle Station, for new tracks would connect the base directly to the top of the hill. The redevelopment would take at least 10 months. As soon as the news leaked out, an outcry erupted from among the hill’s residents and NGOs. At the heart of the contention then was the short tender period of only three weeks. A coalition of NGOs calling itself “Friends of Penang Hill” promptly labelled the hasty tender period “a farce and a mockery”. The time frame, it said, would not produce the best results but would instead only raise suspicions “that all is not well.”The proper tender period, it stressed, should be at least 90 days. “It is safe to say that none of the very few Malaysian contractors have the necessary skills and experience to undertake this contract on their own,” the coalition said in a statement. No sooner had the PWD and the Tourism Ministry, through which the funds were allocated, recovered from the criticisms when a fresh round of counter opinion hit their table. The argument this time was that that RM40 million was an exorbitant sum. In fact, early last month, a group of residents together with the Penang Heritage Trust met relevant PWD and ministry officials in Kuala Lumpur to drive home the point that the overhaul of the old line was unnecessary. The group’s main spokesman was a veteran Australian tramway engineer, Ric Francis, who had done much research on tram systems in Asia, and co-authored a book on Penang Trams, Trolleybuses & Railways. Francis took ministry officials aback when he pitched that all the railway system required was for it to be refurbished. And it would take less than two months instead of 10. Most importantly, it would probably slash the cost by more than half. All that was essentially required, among other things, was for the viaducts and tunnel to be repaired, the rails and cable sheaves to be changed, and for the motors, gear boxes and electrical system to be replaced. The carriages only needed refurbishing instead of replacing. The present haulage system did not require changing at all. And the cables, which were bought only last year, would be wasted if they were changed now. There would be no damage to slopes and the trees, and minimal disruption to residents and farmers. Most significantly, the gentle idyllic journey up the incline surrounded by lush greenery and affording a splendid view of the island – a trademark of the hill’s railway system – would be sustained. But the entire scenario is significant not just for the quest to preserve the railway’s grand heritage; the episode is essentially a test case of the government’s sense of frugality and ingenuity in using public funds. The residents insist they are not against improving the railway. They are only of the opinion that it is possible to upgrade the system and achieve the same capacity in a manner which would not only be cheaper and faster, but also less disruptive to residents and traders. Of course, in its historical context, the Penang Hill funicular railway is said to be one of the country’s most valuable heritage assets. An engineering classic, it is the only one of its kind left in Asia. (The funicular system on Victoria Peak, Hongkong, was rebuilt from scratch with modern infrastructure in 1989). The construction, done way back in 1923, is still considered a major feat. Now, 86 years after it was opened, the railway line has become a centre of attention again, albeit in a different context. This time, the choice of how a renewed system is adopted, and how well public money is used, will become the decisive factor to determine whether the government of today can manage yet another great feat. ** Republished with permission. This article first appeared in the July 23, 2009 issue of theSun. Himanshu is newspaper’s Penang bureau chief. Related articles
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SOMETIME in April, the Public Works Department (JKR) caused a stir when it embarked on a project to replace Penang Hill’s iconic funicular railway with a modern line at a cost of RM40 million.
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