When one month’s rainfall hit Penang on Nov 4-5, its train service, access roads and dirt tracks were cut off by landslips, uprooted trees and fallen boulders.
It left a devastating 194 landslides on many parts of the hill, cutting off the 833m iconic summit from most people.
Power and water were cut, too, as the utility pipes are laid parallel to the train tracks, which were hit by the boulders and landslips.
Those who desperately wanted to reach the summit were forced to hike up for at least two hours, with authorities warning hikers they did so at their own risk.
The hilltop summit is a big hit with locals and tourists wishing to escape the humid weather below. They could also explore nature and the colonial-era bungalows there.
In announcing the good news at Komtar today, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said while most of the paths have been cleared, more work needs to be done to prevent further landslips.
He said from train tracks to jeep paths, all hands would be on deck to ensure all safety standards were met before the train service and other paths were opened to the public this Saturday.
Lim said those tirelessly working on restoring Penang Hill to normalcy had a literal uphill battle, with debris cleaning done manually.
The hill railway’s managers, Penang Hill Corporation (PHC), said some of the hiking trails were still inaccessible to most avid hikers as they had been marked as “red” or dangerous.
PHC general manager Cheok Lay Leng said there had been a delay in getting parts to repair the funicular train.
“The work was further hit by the year-end festive and holiday break, coupled with an airfreight services strike at the Frankfurt Airport, Germany, where the parts were obtained from.
“The parts arrived on Dec 16 and we did a trial run on Dec 25. We will open the train service for business from Dec 27-29 to allow them to do preparatory work.”
The funicular train service will resume its services at 6.30am on Dec 30.