Genting Skyway
Encyclopedia
Gondola lift
A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,...
serving the Genting Highlands Resort on Genting Highlands
Genting Highlands
Genting Highlands otherwise known as Resorts World Genting is the flagship integrated resort developed by Genting Group. It is nestled on a mountain peak within the Titiwangsa Mountains on the border between the states of Pahang and Selangor of Malaysia...
. It is located at the Kuala Kubu Bharu
Kuala Kubu Bharu
Kuala Kubu Bharu , is a town in Hulu Selangor district, Selangor, Malaysia. It was built after the town of Kuala Kubu was destroyed in a flood in 1883. Kuala Kubu Bharu is located on top of a hill...
, Selangor
Selangor
Selangor also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity") is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west...
side of Genting Highlands
Genting Highlands
Genting Highlands otherwise known as Resorts World Genting is the flagship integrated resort developed by Genting Group. It is nestled on a mountain peak within the Titiwangsa Mountains on the border between the states of Pahang and Selangor of Malaysia...
. Its lower station located near Gohtong Jaya
Gohtong Jaya
Gohtong Jaya is a main township in Genting Highlands, Bentong, Pahang, Malaysia. It was erected and named after Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong, the chairman of Genting Group....
, about 51 kilometres North-East of Kuala Lumpur, comprises a 5-storey station building and a 10-storey carpark. The station allows hotel and luggage check-in procedures to be completed at the station itself. Its upper station is located at the Highlands Hotel
Highlands Hotel
Highlands Hotel is one of the five major hotels beside Genting Hotel, Theme Park Hotel, First World Hotel and Resort Hotel located at Genting Highlands, Malaysia...
of Genting Highlands Resort. Genting Skyway can carry more than 2,000 people per hour each way with 8 passengers per gondola. At the maximum speed of 6 metres per second (21.6 km/h), the 3.38 kilometres journey up the mountain peak takes some 11 minutes. The gondola lift usually runs from 7.30 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day and even longer on national holidays.
It was officially opened on 21 February 1997 by Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir bin Mohammad.
The system was designed and supplied by Leitner Ropeways
Leitner Group
Leitner Group is an Italian conglomerate, based in the province of South Tyrol, that owns and runs several industrial and equipment companies....
, the consulting engineers were Arup
Arup
Arup is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the...
.
Technically, it is a monocable detachable gondola lift meaning that the 100 cabins are detached from the rope inside the stations, moved onto hanging rails and slowed down to standstill in order to allow passengers to embark/disembark. Subsequently, the cabins are accelerated again and attached to the rope. There is a 54 mm diameter single rope spliced
Rope splicing
Rope splicing in ropework is the forming of a semi-permanent joint between two ropes or two parts of the same rope by partly untwisting and then interweaving their strands. Splices can be used to form a stopper at the end of a line, to form a loop or an eye in a rope, or for joining two ropes...
into an endless loop which is constantly driven around bullwheels in the stations. The rope both carries and hauls the cabins. Its drive motors are in the top station, whereas the tension system is in the bottom station. Both stations appear to be part of large buildings, but structurally, they are independent in order to isolate the dynamics of the cable car system from the rest of the buildings. The 22 aerial lift pylons are founded on four caissons
Caisson (engineering)
In geotechnical engineering, a caisson is a retaining, watertight structure used, for example, to work on the foundations of a bridge pier, for the construction of a concrete dam, or for the repair of ships. These are constructed such that the water can be pumped out, keeping the working...
measuring 1.2 metres in diameter which are socketed down to bedrock. The average depth of the caissons is about 40 m (135 feet). The pylon in front of the upper station is 45 m high (only the top portion is shown on the picture).
For safety reasons, Genting Skyway undergoes periodic maintenance checks (1 day monthly, 5 days quarterly) which as of 2007 were still being supervised by Leitner Ropeways. During the maintenance period, visitors to Genting Highlands Resort use Awana Skyway, the earlier built cable car at Genting Highlands.