Jinxed Hong Kong cable car is derailed by technical hitches

Tag : Outdoor Cable

The 125-million-US-dollar ride on Hong Kong's Lantau Island was dueto reopen Sunday after being forced to close for a fortnight bylandslides which damaged cables during torrential June rains.
However, the reopening was put off indefinitely when mechanicalproblems with a rescue cabin used in emergencies were discoveredshortly before the ride was due to resume.
Operators of the two-year-old ride, which takes thousands of peoplea day up to the world's tallest outdoor seated bronze Buddha, nowsay the cable car will stay closed until the fault is repaired.
The prolonged closure, leaving many visitors stranded Sunday, isthe latest in a series of glitches and problems to hit the cablecar ride since it opened in September 2006.
In June last year the ride was suspended for six months when one ofits cabins came off its cable and fell 50 metres to the groundduring a weekly test run.
No one was inside the cabin but after the incident, the Australiancompany running the cable car service was dismissed and replaced byMTR Corp, which runs Hong Kong's underground service.
The ride reopened over the New Year's holiday but in April wasclosed for one day when a problem left more than 100 peoplestranded mid-ride for 90 minutes.