It was a rare honour for the Penang Hill Corporation (PHC) when the Commemorative Stamps and First Day Cover were launched in conjunction with the Penang Hill Railway Centenary Celebration.
On hand to launch the momentous occasion was Penang Chief Minister YAB Chow Kon Yeow along with Ms Fiona Liao, Group Chief Marketing, Communications & Sustainability Officer of Pos Malaysia Berhad, PHC general manager, Datuk Cheok Lay Lean among others.
These Commemorative Stamps and First Day Cover are available online and also at selected post offices throughout Malaysia at a price of RM64.20 for each complete set.
The launch of these commemorative stamps is one of the main projects slated for this year’s Penang Hill Railway Centenary Celebration. The Penang Hill Funicular which began operating on 21 October 1923 has brought more than 47 million visitors, including domestic and international tourists, residents as well as local communities to Penang Hill.
The Penang Hill Funicular is the only one of its kind in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.
The centenary celebration aims to foster renewed interest in the history of the Penang Hill Funicular and to reflect the transformation of Penang Hill over the past century. It is not only an iconic heritage of Penang but also a national heritage that needs to be preserved.
Reminiscing the history of a century ago, the First-Generation wooden funicular carried passengers from 1923 until 1977 while the Second-Generation red and white funicular operated from 1977 until 2010.
Both of these generations use the same track while the Third-Generation Funicular runs on an improved track and has a capacity of almost 100 passengers at a time by taking approximately 5 minutes to reach the top of Penang Hill.
The Third-Generation Funicular has been in operations since 2011.
PHC and Pos Malaysia worked hard in producing the design of the stamps to ensure that all the unique elements of the Penang Hill Funicular were incorporated in each design.
The stamps display the three (3) generations of the Penang Hill Funicular.
Among the items that can be obtained at selected post offices throughout Malaysia are as follows:
First-Generation Stamp Sheet : RM6.00 (RM0.30 x 20 stamps)
Second-Generation Stamp Sheet : RM12.00 (RM0.60 x 20 stamps)
Third-Generation Stamp Sheet : RM26.00 (RM1.30 x 20 stamps)
First Day Cover with Stamp : RM2.70
First Day Cover with Miniature Sheet : RM5.50
Miniature Sheet : RM5.00
Postcard : RM1.00
Folder : RM6.00
PHC would like to thank Pos Malaysia for the collaboration to make this project a reality. These stamps and first day covers are memorabilia and historical for future generations.
Already, the Penang Hill has the honour of being the Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO under the Man and Biosphere Programme since 2021.
For more information, please visit the official Penang Hill Corporation website at www.penanghill.gov.my or contact 04-828-8880.
