The line
How the cable car works
A plain account of the Ngong Ping line: how long it is, how a bicable gondola works, where the angle stations are and when it opened.
Book the cable car ↗Quick answer
The Ngong Ping cable car is a bicable gondola 5.7 km long, from Tung Chung to Ngong Ping on Lantau Island. Wikipedia says it opened on 18 September 2006 and is owned by the MTR Corporation. It crosses Tung Chung Bay, turns at an angle station on Airport Island and climbs through Lantau North Country Park. The ride takes about 25 minutes.
What a bicable gondola is
Wikipedia describes the Ngong Ping cable car as a continuous circulating twin-cable aerial ropeway, a bicable gondola, and calls it the first of its type to be installed in Hong Kong. Cabins circulate continuously, which is why they leave the station one after another. The operator says the ride lasts about 25 minutes and the route is 5.7 km long. Wikipedia gives the operating speed as 6 metres per second.
Towers and angle stations
According to Wikipedia the line has eight towers, five of them in the country park, and two angle stations, at Airport Island and at Nei Lak Shan, with no passenger loading or unloading at either. The line starts at Tung Chung, crosses Tung Chung Bay to the Airport Island angle station and turns about 60 degrees. It then climbs through Lantau North Country Park to the Nei Lak Shan angle station and descends to the terminal at Ngong Ping.
A short history
Wikipedia says the system opened on 18 September 2006 and that the MTR Corporation took over its operation in 2007, after which the line reopened on 31 December 2007. It was first known as the Tung Chung Cable Car Project and took the Ngong Ping 360 brand in 2005. Leitner Group built the system. The Crystal Cabin service, with its glass-bottom floor, was introduced in April 2009, and the operator now also sells the Crystal+ Cabin.
The village at the top
The line has two parts, the cable car itself and Ngong Ping Village, a retail and entertainment centre beside the upper terminal. Wikipedia puts the village at about 15,000 square metres, in traditional Chinese architectural designs. The village remains open on scheduled servicing days when the cable car stops, the operator says. That arrangement explains why some visitors still reach the plateau on a day when no cabins run, by bus.
The cabins and the capacity
Wikipedia says each standard cabin seats 10 and has standing room for 7, and that the line can carry 3,500 people per hour in each direction. The operator gives the same split for the Standard Cabin, with up to 10 guests in a Crystal or Crystal+ cabin. All three types ride the same cable. Crystal cabins carry a glass floor, and Crystal+ cabins carry full-height laminated glass walls, with over 80% of the interior open to the view by the operator's count.
Lantau around the line
Lantau is the largest island in Hong Kong, and Wikipedia gives its area as 147.16 square kilometres. Lantau North Country Park, one of three country parks on the island, lies under the middle of the line. The airport stands on Chek Lap Kok, off the north coast, and Wikipedia says service there started in July 1998. Tung Chung, where the line starts, is a new town beside the airport on the island's north-western coast.
What this means for your visit
The facts above shape the day in three ways. A continuous line means cabins leave all day, but a 5.7 km route with two angle stations means a storm can stop all of it, as the operator warns. A crossing of about 25 minutes means the ride is short, so the queue and the village matter more to your plan than the cable car does. And a bicable system with glass cabins means the view is the product, so choose the date for the weather.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Ngong Ping cable car?
5.7 km between Tung Chung and Ngong Ping, by the operator's figures. The ride takes about 25 minutes.
When did the Ngong Ping cable car open?
Wikipedia gives 18 September 2006. The MTR Corporation owns it, and the Crystal Cabin service began in April 2009.
What is an angle station?
A station where the cable changes direction. Passengers do not get on or off there, Wikipedia says. This line has one on Airport Island and one at Nei Lak Shan.
Who built the Ngong Ping cable car?
Wikipedia says Leitner Group built the system, with Aedas as architect. The MTR Corporation owns and operates it.
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