HK's Tourism Project Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car Good to Go

Xinhua, April 4, 2012 

Hong Kong's tourism landmark, the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car system, has been given the green light for resumption after a two-month pause due to an accident on Jan. 25, according to the city's Electrical and Mechanical Services Department on Tuesday. 

It was reported the Cable Car Service will be reopened to the public on Thursday. 

Releasing its investigation report today into the system's Jan. 25 breakdown, the department said it is satisfied with the improvement measures implemented since the problem occurred. 

It said the incident was due to a mechanical problem that caused vibration in the haul rope which in turn triggered a sensor that stopped the cable car's operation. A large amount of water was found in a lubricant which caused a bull-wheel bearing to fail. 

The department advised the company to replace all bull-wheel bearings, enhance the vibration monitoring system of all bull-wheel bearings to capture data on an ongoing basis, and increase scrutinizing frequency to fortnightly. 

After on-site examinations, the department has confirmed the measures have been implemented satisfactorily and can prevent recurrence of similar incidents. It also said inspectors will closely monitor the operation and maintenance of the system. 

Ngong Ping Cable Car is a visually spectacular 5.7 kilometers bi-cable ropeway. As the first of its kind in Hong Kong, the cable car journey starts from Tung Chung, crossing Tung Chung Bay to reach the angle station on Airport Island and turning about 60 degrees in the air toward North Lantau.