The government announced yesterday that it has hired the MTR Corporation Limited from Hong Kong to operate the Taipa section of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) for five years as well as to provide assistance for the preparations in the run-up to its operation next year.
The Transport Infrastructure Office (GIT) said in a statement yesterday that the government has granted the MTR an 80-month agreement for assisting in the operation of the LRT Taipa section and its maintenance. The services provided by the MTR will include pre-opening testing, forming the operation team and staff training, the statement said.
According to the statement, under the 5.88 billion pataca agreement, the MTR will operate the LRT Taipa segment for five years, as well as carry out repairs and maintenance for the trains, signal system and all the other facilities.
The government has said that the LRT Taipa section is scheduled to be operational next year. The Taipa section, which includes Cotai, is 9.3 kilometres long and will have 11 stations.
The total construction project for the LRT Taipa section is expected to amount to around 10 billion patacas, according to the government. The LRT was first proposed by the government in 2003. However, the main construction only started in 2012.
The statement also said that the government was preparing to set up a government-owned company responsible for the LRT operation in the future.
The statement said that the MTR’s extensive experience in operating rail systems would assist in operating the LRT Taipa section and provide residents and tourists with a high-quality passenger transportation service.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosario said that Macau currently did not have sufficient professionals for the LRT operation. He said that therefore the government had decided to grant the MTR the operation agreement first so that Macau could learn from the Hong Kong company’s experience.
Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway started operating in 1979.
Rosario made the remarks after attending a public event on the campus of the University of Macau (UM) on Hengqin Island.
When asked by the media whether the cost of the MTR agreement was too high, Rosario said that the LRT was not a “cheap” project, adding that its operation, repairs and maintenance and the training for professionals would need a large amount of capital investment.
Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosario talks to the media on the sidelines of a lecture series programme at the University of Macau’s Anthony Lau Building on the Hengqin campus yesterday. Photo: Edwin Yang
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