The government announced yesterday that it will start gathering public opinion on Friday next week concerning its plan to expand the city’s Light Rapid Transit (LRT) network in the long term.
The Public Works Bureau (DSOP), the public entity tasked with organising and overseeing public construction projects, made the announcement in a statement yesterday.
The upcoming opinion collection period will run until February 28, during which, the statement said, the government will hold various sessions for members of the general public as well as those for representatives from different segments and sectors of civil society.
According to the statement, details of the LRT long-term expansion plan, officially known as Strategic Study for the Development of the Macau Light Rapid Transit, will be uploaded onto a dedicated website on Friday next week when the public opinion collection process starts.
The dedicated website can be accessed at: https://www.dsop.gov.mo/public/event/lrt2026/ where the plan’s details will be available in Chinese and Portuguese.
According to the statement, residents can submit their opinions and suggestions by filling in the opinion form on the dedicated website. Alternatively, the statement said, they can also choose to provide their opinions and suggestions by mail, fax, email or phone, details of which will be released next Friday.
The statement said that enquiries about the plan can be made by calling the bureau during office hours on 2871 3726 after the commencement of the opinion collection period.
Basic details of the government’s Strategic Study for the Development of the Macau Light Rapid Transit were revealed by Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man during a Q&A session about his portfolio’s 2026 policy guidelines in the Legislative Assembly’s (AL) hemicycle early last month.
Proposed LRT South Line
According to the basic details revealed by Tam last month, the LRT long-term expansion plan proposes to build an LRT South Line, running from the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge’s (HZMB) Macau checkpoint to the future ES5 station in the Zone A land reclamation area (a station of the ongoing LRT East Line project), from where it would run to the peninsula’s Nam Van Lake and Sai Van districts via Nape before finally arriving in Barra.
According to Tam, the South Line would travel near Plot A9 in Nam Van Lake district, i.e., the still undeveloped plot on the waterfront between AIA Tower and the Nam Van Peninsula residential building.
The LRT East Line is scheduled to open in 2029.
The plan, according to Tam, proposes to build an LRT West Line, connecting the Qingmao pedestrian border checkpoint in Ilha Verde with Fai Chi Kei, from where it would run along the Inner Harbour to Barra at the peninsula’s south-western tip.
Proposed Taipa North Line
Tam said last month that the plan also proposes building a Taipa North Line, running from the future ES6 station in the Zone E1 land reclamation area (a station of the ongoing LRT East Line project) to the future Zone D land reclamation area (reclamation scheduled to be completed in November 2029), to the current Zone C land reclamation area (reclaimed but not yet developed), and to the current Ocean Station located near the Ocean Gardens residential estate.
Proposed line to Coloane Village
According to Tam, the plan also proposes building a spur line of the current Seac Pai Van Line, connecting Coloane’s sprawling Seac Pai Van public housing estate and Coloane Village.
Tam also said last month that the proposed Seac Pai Van Spur Line could be expected to get off the ground earlier than all other proposed lines as it is the least difficult one.
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 Seac Pai Van Line connects the Taipa Line’s Cotai section with the Seac Pai Van public housing estate, 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 pedestrian border 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.
Yesterday’s DSOP statement also said that in addition to the Taipa Line and its extended section to Barra, the Seac Pai Van Line, and the Hengqin Line currently in operation, as well as the East Line currently under construction, the government is committed to exploring the expansion of the LRT services to areas not yet covered, such as the western area of the Macau peninsula, the central and southern area of the peninsula, the northern area of Taipa island, and some areas of Coloane island.
Consequently, the statement said, the government has drafted its LRT long-term expansion plan for the public to provide opinions, which the government will assess and reference in order to refine its plan.
This file photo taken last year shows an LRT train leaving Jockey Club Station in Taipa. – Photo: Tony Wong
Passengers get off an LRT train at Lotus Station in Cotai last month. Lotus Station is a station of both the Taipa Line and the Hengqin Line, serving as an interchange enabling passengers to transfer between the two lines.
