A cable car service will begin its operation at Mount Kyaiktiyo, in March, 2017, to create easier access to the Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, in Kyaikhto Town, Mon State.
The cable car project is currently under construction by Korean-owned Sky Asia, which was permitted by Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) to construct the project on 13.5 acres of land, on Mount Kyaiktiyo, according to U Aung Than, special adviser of Sky Asia’s Cable Car Project.
“We are implementing the project in order to finish it at it’s scheduled time. However, this may take longer because we are in a region that experiences heavy rain and this affects how fast we can transport cable car related materials,” said U Aung Than.
The cable car project’s construction costs amount to 20 million USD and employs 600 workers. Once the project is completed, the cable car will give easier access to the Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, better known as the Golden Rock, which is located on the top of a 1,100-metre high mountain.
“We are constructing this under the design instructions of specialists in Korea. The team from Korea came to test conditions at the site. We will create the foundations to their specifications. We are mainly responsible for the building’s construction,” said Daw Nu Nu Yi, cable car project director.
It was reported that the cable car journey will take only 10 minutes, running 3250 ft from Yate Mountain to the Kyaiktiyo Pagoda compound. The cable car service will run 43 cars and a reserved car, each car carrying up to 8 passengers.
Over 1,200,000 visitors, including over 70,000 foreign tourists, have already visited the Golden Rock or Kyaiktiyo Pagoda from January to August, this year, according to Hotel and Tourism Directorate Department (Mawlamyine Branch).
