Penang Hill or Bukit Bendera is one of the oldest colonial hillside terminal established by the British during their time in Malaysia. Discovered in the late 18th century, an equine path was cut by the Waterfall Gardens (present day Penang Botanic Gardens) to the top of the undulating spinal column of Penang, permitting the British to leave from the chaos of George City to the cooler environment on the hillside.
Penang Hill consists of several hillsides featuring Strawberry Hill, Halliburton’s Hill, Flagstaff Hill, Government Hill, Tiger Hill, and Western Hill. The highest factor of this array goes to Western Hill, with an elevation of 833m (2,723 ft )above sea degree. The selection additionally acts as the largest water catchment area on the island, and a lot of tributaries to significant rivers in Penang.
The earliest method of transportation to the hill was via horses, or a system called ‘doolies’, where experts were carried up the hill on special car chairs. To additionally check out the potential of the hillside, systems of bridle courses were cut by Indian penal servitude detainees for the facility of more cottages on the hillside.
The Penang Hill Funicular Railway was the 2nd method of transport developed for accessibility to the summit. The first railway was built in 1901 and completed in 1905 however was made pointless, because of technical mistakes. A second train was commissioned in 1909, and helps the 2nd line started in 1914 with a budget plan of 1.5 million Straits Dollars. On 1st January 1924, the 2,007 m long funicular train was formally opened already Governor of Straits Settlement, Sir L.N. Guillemard. The last upgrade joined 1977, prior to a complete overhaul of the system in 2010.
