A spokesman for the Penang Fire and Rescue Department operations centre said it was alerted by Penang Hill Corporation (PHC) that about 150 people were stranded at the middle station after the train malfunctioned, and despatched a team of officers and men to the scene.

The operation was still continuing late into the night but several of the passengers had walked down the steps along the track to the lower station.

Among them were Mohammad Faizal Mohd Fauzi, 37, his wife and their two sons, aged 10 and eight.

“It was a bit dark but we managed to reach the lower station after more than half an hour with the help of the firemen,” Faizal said.

Other visitors were brought down in jeeps and four-wheel-drive vehicles.

PHC said in a statement the disruption was due to a systems error.

“PHC’s funicular operation team is working hard to rectify the situation. In the meantime, we are transporting visitors down the hill via jeep services. PHC is also coordinating more vehicles to transport visitors down the hill as soon as possible,” the statement added.