The Taikoo Cable Car Was the First Cable Car in the World Built Exclusively for Carriage of Individuals

In the late nineteenth century, Hong Kong experimented with several innovative means of transportation. In 1888, the Peak Tram, a cable funicular railway that still operates between Central and Victoria Gap, was completed. That same year, the Star Ferry began operations under the name Kowloon Ferry Company.

Three years later, in 1891, a 2.3-kilometer (1.43-mile) long cable car was completed between Quarry Bay and the Taikoo Sanitarium, near Quarry Pass, about 300 meters (approximately 1,000 feet) above sea level. It served as an escape for expatriates seeking relief from Hong Kong’s summer heat and humidity.

When it was completed, the Taikoo Cable Car, often called Mount Parker Cable, became the first cable car in the world built exclusively for carrying individuals. However, in the 1920s, the Taikoo Sanitarium fell into disuse. As a result, both the sanitarium and the cable car were demolished in 1932.

As of 2026, only two cable car systems remain in Hong Kong: a 1.5-kilometer (0.93-mile) cable car in Ocean Park, connecting the two main areas of the park since 1977; and the 5.7-kilometer (3.5-mile) Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car, running between Tung Chung and the Ngong Ping area, which is best known for the Tian Tan Buddha, or Big Buddha, since 2006.