The government has reaffirmed that it is aiming to open the Light Rapid Transit (LRT) East Line in the second half of 2029 after its scheduled construction completion in the first quarter of 2028.
The Public Works Bureau (DSOP) made the remarks in a statement on Saturday, which came after the legislature’s Follow-up Committee for Public Finance Affairs earlier last week quoted a government report on the ongoing implementation of its latest public infrastructure investment budget as indicating that the government’s phased payments to the respective building contractors for the LRT East Line project would only be fully completed in 2031.
The ongoing LRT East Line project, which got off the ground in 2023, is a 7.7-kilometre-long section 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 planning a project to extend the LRT East Line to the Qingmao pedestrian border checkpoint in Ilha Verde from the Barrier Gate.
The government has said that the ongoing LRT East Line project, without the projected extension to the Qingmao checkpoint, is scheduled to be completed in 2028, which it is aiming to open in 2029.
Without the projected extension to the Qingmao checkpoint in Ilha Verde, the LRT East Line will have six stations, including three stations in Zone A. All six stations will be underground.
Saturday’s DSOP statement reaffirmed that the ongoing LRT East Line project, which got off the ground in third quarter of 2023, is scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2028. The statement noted that after the completion of the construction, the installation of the rail operating system as well as train operation tests will then be carried out, underlining that the government is now aiming to ensure that the LRT East Line can open in the second half of 2029.
Macau’s LRT system currently comprises the 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 statement pointed out that the Seac Pai Van Line and the Hengqin Line as well as the Taipa Line’s extended section to Barra respectively could only come into service a certain period of time after the completion of their respective constructions, because the installation of the rail operating systems as well as train operation tests were needed before they could start operating.
The statement also noted that the ongoing LRT East Line construction project has a total price tag of 9.28 billion patacas, which is being carried out through two separate tenders, namely the 2.9-kilometre-long northern section and the 4.8-kilometre-long southern section.
Saturday’s statement noted that several payments will still be made to the respective contractors after the LRT East Line comes into service, expected to be fully completed in 2031.
This handout photo downloaded from the Public Works Bureau’s (DSOP) website yesterday shows the ongoing LRT East Line project in Zone A earlier this year.
