$78m travel option between attractions for Sentosa visitor

$78m travel option between attractions for Sentosa visitor

A new intra-island cable car service now plies Sentosa, giving the growing number of visitors another option for getting around.

The 890m-long link - half the length of the current cableway linking Sentosa to Mount Faber - transports visitors on the island between three main attraction clusters at Merlion Plaza, Imbiah Lookout and Siloso Point.

Costing more than $78 million, the Sentosa Line has 51 eight-seat cabins and is able to move about 2,200 people per hour in each direction. It is part of island manager Sentosa Development Corporation's (SDC) $250 million transport plan, which included the Sentosa Boardwalk that opened in early 2011.

The new line now carries about 1,000 passengers a day, a third of the 3,000 transported by the 1.65km Sentosa-Mount Faber Line daily.

The lines are not connected, so visitors will have to walk three to five minutes from the Sentosa Station to the Imbiah Lookout Station on the new line. A round trip on the new system will cost Singaporean and resident adults $9 and children $5.50. Foreigners pay $13 (adults) and $8 (children).

Passengers can also buy a Cable Car Sky Pass and ride both lines for $29 - the current price for just the Mount Faber Line.

Second Minister for Trade and Industry S. Iswaran, who officially launched the Sentosa Line yesterday, said it would improve accessibility on the island, complementing existing transportation services such as the Sentosa Express, buses and trams. He said: "Visitors can now easily make their way to the western end of Sentosa and have better access to hotels such as Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort and Spa, as well as other attractions located in the area."

He said the "good growth" being enjoyed by Sentosa was encouraging amid an increasingly competitive tourism landscape in which efforts to refresh and rejuvenate tourism offerings in line with market needs and demands was important.

The number of visitors to Sentosa jumped from 6.2 million in 2009 to 19.4 million last year on the back of the opening of Resorts World Sentosa and the Universal Studios theme park. The SDC said at least half of those visitors frequent the island's other attractions besides RWS.

Mr Iswaran also announced the opening of a new attraction, the Fort Siloso Skywalk. The free attraction which leads to Fort Siloso will be open to the public from today.

It features a 181m-long, 11-storey- high aerial walking trail that will take visitors above a canopy of treetops, allowing them to chance upon animals such as the plantain squirrel and white-bellied fishing eagle.

Fort Siloso, which used to charge $10 for admission, has permanently opened its grounds for all to enjoy for free.

There are, however, guided tours available to visitors for a fee.

Sentosa is gunning for visitor growth of 2 to 3 per cent over the next few years, with the opening of attractions like KidZania - Singapore's first theme park for children - by the end of the year.

Also this year, a road tunnel that connects outbound traffic from Sentosa to Kampong Bahru and Keppel roads is expected to be ready.

"The children loved it," said Mrs Poo Lai Fong, 37, an event manager and mother of four who took the Sentosa Line with her family yesterday and said they would do it again.

Said Indian tourist Keerthi Saratchandra, 25, who also took a ride on the Sentosa Line yesterday: "We can see the whole island from this cable car. It's an enjoyable view and you get a good feel of what is on Sentosa."

She suggested having in-cabin station announcements upon arrival at each station. "It will be less confusing that way," she said.

limjess@sph.com.sg


This article was first published on July 15, 2015.
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