The Taipa Line of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) has experienced repeated failures since its commissioning in 2019, with two breakdowns in recent months, and the LRT operator said yesterday that it has convened an emergency meeting with its train and systems supplier, requiring the company to identify and clarify the causes of the malfunctions so as to avoid a recurrence of similar incidents.
Free rides on the LRT were offered for three consecutive days between September 29 and October 1 in celebration of National Day, but the service was suspended for about an hour on its first free-ride day due to a malfunction. In response to the breakdown, Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosário insisted that the LRT failure was not a result of its inability to cope with the huge passenger flow, instead, he said, the malfunctions happened “may be due to technical problems such as poor signal reception, which affected the operation of the LRT”.
The operation of the LRT returned to normal until last Friday night when, according to a notice by the operator at about 8 p.m. on that day, the frequency of the LRT service between Union Hospital Station and Lotus Station had to be adjusted due to another breakdown.
Macao Light Rapid Transit Corporation, Limited (MLM) released a statement on its website yesterday, saying that it “understands the importance of the two failures of the Taipa Line that occurred in September and October 2024”, adding that it “has required the train and systems supplier to identify and clarify the causes of the malfunction that happened, and to propose improvement measures to avoid similar issues”.
In the statement, the company underlined that it values the safety and well-being of its passengers with utmost priority: “MLM sincerely appreciates passengers for their patience and tolerance. Their cooperation with the on-site service team allowed our staff to divert the flow of people immediately, handle the malfunctioned trains, conduct emergency inspections, and restore services as quickly as possible after ensuring system safety.”
This file photo taken last week shows an LRT carriage. – Photo: Rui Pastorin
