The history
The Peak Tram from 1888 to 2022
How a railway for the Peak’s residents became a visitor line: Findlay Smith, the 1888 opening, electric power and the 2022 rebuild.
See Peak Tram tickets on Klook ↗Quick answer
The Peak Tram opened in May 1888 as a railway up Victoria Peak, and Wikipedia calls it the first funicular railway in Asia. It began with a petition by Alexander Findlay Smith in 1881, switched from steam to an electric motor in 1926, was rebuilt in 1989 and reopened on 27 August 2022 with larger tramcars that carry 210 passengers.
Before the tram
The Peak’s history page says Governor Sir Richard MacDonnell built a summer home on the hill around 1868, for the cooler but humid climate, and that other wealthy residents followed. Many travelled the steep paths by sedan chair, carried by uniformed bearers. Wikipedia says early residents were carried up the slope this way until the tram opened. From 1904 the Peak was designated a residential area reserved for expatriates, a practice the Peak says ended in 1947.
Findlay Smith’s railway
Alexander Findlay Smith, who had worked for Scotland’s Highland Railway, petitioned the Governor in 1881 to run tram routes, one of them to Victoria Gap on the Peak. The Peak’s history page says he hoped to bring visitors to the Peak Hotel, which opened in 1873 on land he owned. Wikipedia says construction began in September 1885 and that the line opened in 1888; the line’s operator, Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, gives May 1888.
Steam, electricity and war
Wikipedia says an electric motor replaced the steam engine in 1926, and that the engine room was damaged in the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941. Service resumed on 25 December 1945. The Peak Hotel, according to the Peak’s history page, was destroyed in a fire in 1938. Wikipedia says the line was rebuilt in 1989 by the Swiss company Von Roll. The 2022 upgrade then replaced the tramcars and the haulage system again.
The 2022 rebuild
Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels announced the upgrade in 2019. Its release said the work would replace tramcars of 120 passengers with cars of 210, replace the haulage and control systems, lay new rails, extend the passing loop and move the lower terminus uphill. Wikipedia credits the Swiss firm CWA Constructions with the new trains and says the line reopened on 27 August 2022. The Peak puts each car at 167 seats and 43 standing places.
The line today
Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels wrote in 2019 that the Peak Tram has transformed from an essential mode of transport into one of Hong Kong’s most popular tourist attractions, serving more than six million passengers a year. The Peak’s history page says the hill itself draws about seven million visitors a year. That demand is why the 2022 cars are larger, and why the queue remains a planning question on busy days.
The tower at the top
The tram ends below the Peak Tower. Wikipedia says the first tower opened on 29 August 1972, was demolished in 1993 and was replaced by the current tower by the British architect Terry Farrell, which opened in May 1997. Its wok-shaped top was altered in 2005 and 2006, and the viewing terrace moved to the top. Sky Terrace 428 sits on top of the tower, according to the Peak, at 428 metres above sea level.
Who this isn’t for
If you only want the view, the history will not change your day, and a bus or taxi reaches the same Peak. If you like old machinery, a photograph of the Central Terminus after its 2022 renovation shows old winding machinery on display, so look for it in the waiting area. Klook tickets for the Peak Tram cannot be cancelled once booked, so choose your date carefully whichever reason brings you.
Frequently asked questions
When did the Peak Tram open?
In May 1888, according to its operator, Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels. Wikipedia gives two dates in the same article, 28 and 30 May.
Who built the Peak Tram?
Alexander Findlay Smith petitioned the Governor for tram routes in 1881, according to the Peak. Wikipedia says construction began in September 1885.
When was the Peak Tram rebuilt?
It was rebuilt in 1989 by Von Roll, and again in an upgrade that reopened on 27 August 2022 with larger tramcars.
How many people does a tramcar carry?
The Peak says each tramcar carries 210 passengers, with 167 seats and 43 standing places, up from 120 before the rebuild.
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