The Singapore Cable Car provides an aerial link from Mount Faber on the main island of Singapore to the resort island of Sentosa across the Keppel Harbour. Opened on 15 February 1974, it was the first aerial ropeway system in the world to span a harbour.
However, it is not the first aerial ropeway system to span the sea. For instance, Awashima Kaijo Ropeway in Japan, built in 1964, goes over a short strait to an island. Although referred to by its operators as a cable car, the listed system is in fact a bi-cable gondola lift and not an aerial tramway. A round-trip ticket currently costs SGD 26.
The bi-cable, detachable-grip gondola lift system has three stations, namely The Jewel Box Station at Mount Faber, the HarbourFront Station at HarbourFront and the Sentosa Station at Sentosa. Two supporting towers are located between each pair of stations. This distance between The Jewel Box Station and the first tower is about 300 metres, from the first tower to the Harbourfront Station is 400 metres, from the Harbourfront Station to the second tower at 500 metres, and from the second tower to the Sentosa Station is 450 metres long.
The system currently consists of 81 cabins, suspended at least 60 metres above the sea, and about 61m between each cabin (or one cabin per 15 to 21 seconds). Each cabin can carry a maximum of 6 adult passengers, while the whole system can support 1400 passengers per hour either way. Travelling at a speed of 4 metres per second, it takes about 4 minutes to get from Mount Faber to Jardine Steps, and another 5.5 minutes to continue on to Sentosa. Including the short interval at Jardine Steps, however, it will take 12 minutes on a continuous ride from Mount Faber to Sentosa.
In addition, there are 27 red-coloured aircraft warning balls mounted on a telephone rope just above the cableway.