Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man said yesterday that after the government completes drafting a plan for its ongoing study on the feasibility of building a Light Rapid Transit (LRT) line connecting Barra and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge’s (HZMB) Macau checkpoint via the Outer Harbour district, it will consult members of the public about the plan.
The policy secretary also said that the planned LRT line construction project connecting Barra and the HZMB Macau checkpoint could be completed in a shorter time than the government’s planned LRT West Line construction project connecting Barra and the Qingmao pedestrian border checkpoint in Ilha Verde via the Inner Harbour as the former would be less difficult.
Tam made the remarks when replying to oral interpellations by lawmakers during yesterday’s plenary session in the legislature’s hemicycle.
Yesterday’s remarks by Tam came after he told the legislature earlier this year that the government is studying the feasibility of building an LRT West Line connecting the Qingmao checkpoint with Fai Chi Kei, from where it would run along the Inner Harbour to Barra at the peninsula’s south-western tip.
Tam also said at that time that the government is also studying the feasibility of building an LRT line connecting the HZMB Macau checkpoint and its adjacent Zone A land reclamation area from where it would run to the peninsula’s Nam Van and Sai Van districts via its Outer Harbour district before finally arriving at Barra.
Tam then also said that the two projected LRT lines would form a circle route serving the peninsula.
Macau’s LRT system currently comprises Taipa Line, Seac Pai Van Line, and Hengqin Line in operation. The Taipa Line serves Taipa and Cotai with its extended section connecting to the peninsula’s Barra through the lower enclosed deck of the Macau-Taipa Sai Van Bridge.
The Seac Pai Van Line connects the Taipa Line’s Cotai section with Coloane’s sprawling Seac Pai Van public housing neighbourhood, while the Hengqin Line connects the Taipa Line’s Cotai section with the Macau-side zone of the Hengqin joint checkpoint.
Currently, the only ongoing LRT project is the East Line project connecting the Barrier Gate checkpoint at the peninsula’s northern tip and the Taipa Ferry Terminal via the Zone A and Zone E1 land reclamation areas. The East Line will cross the sea between Zone A and Zone E1 through an undersea tunnel.
The government is currently preparing a project to extend the LRT East Line to the Qingmao checkpoint from the Barrier Gate.
The ongoing LRT East Line project, without the projected extension to the Qingmao checkpoint, is scheduled to be completed in 2028, which the government is aiming to open in 2029.
During yesterday’s plenary session, Tam underlined the government’s commitment to ensuring that the ongoing LRT East Line construction project will be completed in 2028 after which the line can come into service in 2029.
Tam also acknowledged the lack of cost-effectiveness of the LRT system considering its high construction cost but still limited public transport capacity to carry passengers, which, he said, is attributed to the still limited coverage of the LRT network.
Tam said that the LRT East Line will be an important line as its future operation will be able to directly carry a relatively large number of visitors entering Macau via the Barrier Gate checkpoint to Cotai in a relatively short time, in which case, he said, the traffic pressure in the peninsula could then be relieved.
Tam also underlined that the government is studying the feasibility of building the LRT line connecting Barra and the HZMB Macau checkpoint via the Outer Harbour district, adding that after the government comes up with a proposal of how the line would run, it will consult members of the public about the matter.
Moreover, Tam also said he expects many segments of the future LRT West Line project connecting Barra and the Qingmao checkpoint via the Inner Harbour to be built underground or under the sea.
Tam also said that due to their respective geographical locations, the LRT line construction project connecting Barra and the HZMB Macau checkpoint via the Outer Harbour district would be less difficult than the LRT West Line construction project connecting Barra and the Qingmao checkpoint via the Inner Harbour, because of which, he said, the former could be completed in a shorter time than the latter.
The policy secretary also said that the government will also study the feasibility of building the LRT West Line in tandem with future flood-prevention projects to be carried out in the Inner Harbour at around the same time.
Tam also said that if the government would decide to build other new lines to serve various other areas in the peninsula, many of these lines would need to be built underground.
Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man addresses yesterday’s plenary session in the Legislative Assembly’s (AL) hemicycle. – Photo: GCS
