SINGAPORE - Two years after plans for a new rail system for Mount Faber were announced, no decision has been made on whether to proceed with its construction.
A funicular system - two cars attached to each other by a cable - at Mount Faber was among the highlights for the Greater Southern Waterfront included in the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) master plan in 2019.
The agency said then that One Faber Group - the corporate brand of attractions operator Mount Faber Leisure Group - was studying the new system to "bring visitors from the foothills to the hilltop and cable car station by 2023". "This provides easy access to Mount Faber and the rest of the 10km-long Southern Ridges," said URA.
A Mount Faber Leisure Group spokesman said it had submitted a planning permission application to URA on Dec 20, 2019. Prior to this, it had also completed three studies submitted to URA as part of the application: an environmental impact assessment, a traffic impact assessment, and a system feasibility study.
The Straits Times contacted URA and the National Parks Board (NParks) about the status of this application in April. Almost three months later, a spokesman for the URA replied: "Agencies are reviewing the proposal on the funicular system at Mount Faber."
Specific agencies were not named, although Mount Faber Leisure Group said NParks is involved in discussions as land manager of Mount Faber Park.
The group's managing director Buhdy Bok told ST in April it had been studying the possibility of building the funicular system to improve access to Mount Faber since 2012.
He said that given the difficulty in accessing the park, half of current cable car visitors do not enjoy the full ride from Mount Faber to Sentosa, choosing instead to board the cable car mid-way along the route, at HarbourFront Centre.
Accessing the park by foot or private transport is difficult, said Mr Bok. Getting to the peak on foot via the Marang Trail, which the proposed funicular system will run along, requires climbing many flights of stairs.
Vehicular access is also challenging as a uni-directional, single lane road leads to the top of the hill and it can get congested with tourist coaches, said Mr Bok. He estimated about 100 coaches used to ply the route per day, taking tourists to Faber Point - a popular photo spot.
Mount Faber Leisure Group's head of operations and asset development Favian Ooi said the group envisions the funicular system will be an affordable mode of transport. A two-way ride would cost between $2 and $3 per person. There may be an added benefit for families with young children or the elderly, as they could take their strollers or wheelchairs into the cabins. Leisure cyclists may also take their foldable bicycles along, Mr Ooi said.
Should approval be granted, construction would take about 2½ to three years. The group will ensure that disturbance to wildlife or stakeholders in the area would be kept to a minimum, Mr Bok added.
Asked if plans for the funicular system should be relooked given the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Michael Chiam, a senior tourism lecturer at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, said: "Any easy access to Mount Faber is always welcome. This will certainly encourage more people, both locals and tourists, to visit..."
Mr Bok added that regardless of the pandemic, the group's interest in the system remained intact.
"The issue of access needs to be addressed so that more can enjoy the hilltop experience," he said.
