More than 100 Hongkongers queue for hours to ride revamped Peak Tram despite hefty fare rise
- Railway enthusiast Choi Kai-yeung first person in line to ride new sixth-generation trams, after arriving at terminus at 7.30am on Saturday
- But tram fares for adults undergo 70 per cent price rise, now costing HK$88 for return ticket compared with old fee of HK$52
More than 100 people queued for several hours outside the expanded terminus of Hong Kong’s iconic Peak Tram ahead of its reopening on Saturday, despite a sharp rise in fares.
Braving the hot weather, well-prepared visitors brought along mini-fans and portable chairs in the hopes of being among the first wave of passengers to ride the sixth generation of the 134-year-old Peak Tram at 11am.
Railway fan Choi Kai-yeung, 25, was the first person in the queue after arriving at the terminus at 7.30am, saying he wanted to catch a glimpse of the tram’s newly installed skylight ceilings.
“I wanted to be the first one to get in the tramcar and take a look at the new generation of the Peak Tram,” he said.
A signature destination in Hong Kong, the tram runs along a 1.4km track and offers a prime view of the city’s famed skyline as it rises to 396 metres above sea level using a funicular system.
Following a six-month revamp and a delay of another eight due to the pandemic, the new deep-green tramcar can carry up to 210 passengers per ride, a 75 per cent increase from the previous burgundy model introduced in 1990.
Richard Harper, a steel construction manager who came from London to work in Hong Kong last October, said it was his first time taking the tram to The Peak.