Riding the Peak Tram stop by stop

The six stations

Wikipedia lists the stations from bottom to top, and the Peak calls the two ends the Central Terminus and the Peak Terminus. The line starts on Garden Road in Central and ends below the Peak Tower. There are four stations in between, and passengers can board at an intermediate station, according to the Peak. Counting both terminals, that makes six stations. In order, they are:

• Central Terminus, on Garden Road beside St John’s Cathedral
• Kennedy Road
• MacDonnell Road
• May Road
• Barker Road
• The Peak Terminus, below the Peak Tower at Victoria Gap

What kind of railway it is

Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels describes the line as a double reversible funicular railway, its technical name, with a track about 1.4 kilometres long. In a funicular the cars are linked, so one goes up as the other comes down. Wikipedia calls the Peak Tram the first funicular railway in Asia, and the Peak describes it as one of the world’s oldest and most famous funicular railways.

How steep it is

The Peak says the tram rises to 396 metres above sea level on a gradient of between 4 and 25.7 degrees. Wikipedia gives the line as about 1.4 kilometres long and the steepest section as 48 per cent. The line is single track with a passing loop near May Road, where the two tram sets cross. The photograph above shows a car on the viaduct near Barker Road.

The Peak Tram illusion

The Peak cites a study by the University of Hong Kong, published in Psychological Science in 2013. When the tram climbs, the high-rises on the right side appear to fall toward the Peak. The study links the effect to the tilted view and to the reclined position of passengers inside the tram. It is an illusion, not a fault, and the Peak invites riders to look for it on the way up.

What is inside the tram

Each tramcar carries 210 passengers, according to the Peak, with 167 seats and 43 standing places. If all seats are taken, the Peak suggests waiting for the next tram. Strollers must be folded to 66 centimetres or narrower. Pets are not allowed except guide dogs, and the Peak does not allow tripods or lighting on the tram. After the upgrade, the Peak says, the line is more accessible to wheelchair users.

Access and accessibility

The Peak says it completed a significant upgrade that also made the line more accessible for wheelchair users, and points to a separate website for details of how wheelchair users reach the Central Terminus. If you travel with a wheelchair or a stroller, check those details before you go. The Peak notes that strollers must be folded before boarding, to 66 centimetres wide or narrower after folding.

Paying and boarding

Octopus cards cannot be used for direct entry at the terminus, but the on-site ticket counters accept them, and passengers who board at an intermediate station can pay on the tram with Octopus. If you hold an e-ticket from the Peak, you scan its QR code at the gate. Klook vouchers are redeemed as the Klook package page explains.

Who this isn’t for

If heights or tilted views make you uneasy, the gradient is part of the ride, and a bus up the Peak Road is calmer. If you are hoping for a long ride, Wikipedia’s five-minute average will disappoint. And Klook tickets for the Peak Tram cannot be cancelled once booked, so do not book a date you may need to change if the weather or your plans shift.