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Light Rail Transit system

103K views 169 replies 58 participants last post by  hkskyline 
#1 ·
The Macau government plans to launch another feasibility study this year on the construction of a light-rail system.

Macau's Secretary for Public Works and Transport, Ao Man-long, told the Legislative Assembly the study would coincide with a public consultation exercise to gauge people's views on the development of Macau's public transport system.

The feasibility study and public consultation were expected to be completed early next year.
 
#95 ·
I think monorail would be ideal here.

are you talking about macau, or for some reason, goes to UK and USA.

How do you plan to fit monorail and its stations above all these super narrow macau roads, with bridge, footbridge etc in the way.
 
#97 ·
Got to be real deep as there are all these carpark, tunnels, sewer to dodge. And then to access these deep tunnels.

Does Underground Monorail ever existed?
 
#98 ·
Hi everybody,

I had been to the 16th International Macau Trade & Investment Fair hold at the Venetian in October this year and talked to the government representative about the LRT Macau project. As per her information construction in civils will most likely start from April 2012 onwards. It seems that the Consultant is already in place and discussing the next steps with Mitsubishi.

Cheers
Max
 
#101 ·
LRT could reach Seac Pai Van
14/02/2012 09:39:00 Vítor Quintã
Macau Daily Times

The second phase of the Light Rapid Transit (LRT) system could reach Seac Pai Van, in Coloane, two Transportation Infrastructure Office (GIT) officials confirmed yesterday. Meanwhile the construction works for the downtown Taipa route will start soon, they promised.

The first phase of the LRT will include 21 stations in the Macau peninsula, Taipa and Cotai, stretching from the Border Gate to the Pac On ferry terminal. The system should be up and running by 2015, said GIT technical consultant Michael Lam Soi Hoi.

But authorities are already planning for the second phase, which could include a station in Seac Pai Van, he added. “Whether or not to launch a specific route, that will be up to the development of the area,” said Lam during a conference.

“We are still thinking about that issue and studying that possibility,” GIT deputy coordinator, Ho Cheong Kei, told journalists on the sidelines. “It’s an area that has the pandas and a public housing complex,” he recalled.
This Coloane area, which already hosts the Panda Habitat theme park, will include Macau’s biggest public housing complex with about 6,800 units and the luxury residential development One Oasis with 714 apartments.

The second phase will also include a link between the Border Gate and the Barra district that would close the LRT circuit, as well as two stations in the reclaimed plot A and the island that will host the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge border crossing, both rising to the peninsula’s northeast.

In addition the government is also planning for a possible extension of the LRT system to Hengqin Island, in connection with the future Guangzhou-Zhuhai Intercity Mass Rapid Transit, said Michael Lam.

Productivity boost

Meanwhile the construction works for the first LRT route in downtown Taipa will start soon, Ho Cheong Kei said. This project will include five stations: Ocean Gardens, Macau Jockey Club, Macau Stadium and one between the old Taipa village and the Galaxy Macau resort.

“We have already launched the public tender. Right now we are overseeing preparatory works and planning for the necessary traffic reorganisation,” the GIT official explained. The office received 16 bids for the first route, ranging between MOP 489 million and MOP 2.99 billion.
The construction works were set to start in the first quarter of 2012. Asked if this schedule will be kept, Ho replied: “We will do everything in our reach to launch the works as soon as possible”.

Yesterday’s conference focused on discussing the models for railway operation and financial management implemented in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and Portugal.

“This is one of our biggest challenges,” Michael Lam stressed. Ho Cheong Kei agreed: “We are looking to learn from the experiences from other jurisdictions. I hope that within this year we will have an idea on what our management model will be.”

A China Academy of Urban Planning and Design (CAUPD) expert believes the Guangzhou model, where the government takes care of the planning and offers financial assistance, would be a good example for Macau.

“I think it’s the most efficient model to run a new railway system,” said Li Xiaojiang, director of the CAUPD Subway and Light Rail Research Centre, during the conference. But, he added, “there are no good or bad models. It all depends on the specific needs of each city”.

Even before choosing a model, GIT is confident the LRT system will boost Macau’s economy and help society earn a further MOP 15.8 to 16.4 billion just in the first 10 years of operation.

The LRT will become “Macau’s main collective transportation system” and will reduce commuting time by 63 percent, Michael Lam predicted. He also expects the use of private vehicles to drop, cutting both greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption by 20 percent.

“With better air quality authorities and the population will save a lot on healthcare expenses,” Ho Cheong Kei added.
 
#102 ·
LRT Taipa works start tomorrow
20/02/2012 10:47:00
Macau Daily Times

The construction works for the first Light Rapid Transit route in downtown Taipa will start tomorrow but the Transportation Infrastructure Office (GIT) has pledged to minimise the impact on traffic.

The two-kilometre project, which will include five stations – Ocean Gardens, Macau Jockey Club, Macau Stadium and one between the old Taipa village and the Galaxy Macau resort –, will cost MOP 489 million, the office confirmed.

This was the lowest of the 16 bids received by GIT as part of the international public tender for the construction of the first route, with the highest at MOP 2.99 billion. The works should be ready around May 2015.
During the next three years traffic in Taipa will be affected by the project, the office admitted. From the end of March, traffic on Sai Van bridge’s Taipa exit will be reduced to two lanes on each way.

Later on, the road connecting the bridge to Cotai –’Rua dos Jogos da Ásia Oriental’– will also lose one lane each way. GIT has promised to introduce more road signs “considering the high speed currently found in these two lanes”.

Construction works on the road near the Jockey Club – ‘Estrada Governador Albano de Oliveira’ – will slice down the number of parking spaces available. But the office stressed that this segment will only be launched in April, after Taipa central park’s car park starts operating.

In 2009 the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau director Jaime Carion said the car park would have 1,300 parking spaces for cars and 1,300 for motorbikes, including spaces for people with disability.

Pollution reduction

“Unfortunately I should say that we are going to begin to have troubles in traffic, because with an infrastructure like this it’s unavoidable,” said GIT deputy director André Sales Ritchie, quoted by TDM News.

But the office stressed that the LRT flyover will be built with prefabricated parts and that the construction works will mostly occupy the central reservation. As a result “the construction area and schedule will be smaller than in conventional works,” GIT said.

“After the experience gained with the successfully concluded [sewer upgrade] works at Avenida Horta e Costa, authorities decided to adopt the phased construction model,” a statement adds.

Traffic aside, “there are other impacts that are unavoidable, namely construction noise and also dust particles,” Sales Ritchie admitted. Contractors will have to spray the air to reduce air pollution and measure noise, he added.

A mechanism introduced by the contractors but supervised by GIT will also be in charge of regularly keeping in touch with Taipa associations and responding to issues raised by local residents.

The open tender for the LRT route in the Macau peninsula will be launched during the first half of this year, Sales Ritchie said. The construction works will start before the end of 2012, he added.
 
#103 ·
LRT in Macau, Taipa and Cotai, good. But housing developments and LRT in Coloane could very well be the last of green and quiet that island will ever have.

Development in Coloane should be minimal as the island and it's two villages already have good roads and infrastructure plus green space with walking trails, in my opinion it should be kept that way.
 
#105 ·
Lao Si Io won’t rule out further increase in LRT spending
22/02/2012 10:14:00
Macau Daily Times



Construction works for the first Light Rapid Transit route in downtown Taipa started yesterday amid a festive groundbreaking ceremony and Lao Si Io, Secretary for Transport and Public Works did not rule out a possible further increase in the spending for the MOP 11 billion project.

As with other major construction projects, LRT budget issues have been a major concern. Lao was asked about the subject again after the ceremony.

“At this stage, the spending (of the Taipa section) is still within out budget that we previously announced,” Lao said, adding that “of course, if there is any changes in the way ahead, we’ll let the public know immediately.”

But he did not speculate on the possible figures of further growth in the budget, only adding that “there’ll be all kinds of difficulties ahead, but we’ll handle them in accordance with the principle that the public’s interests come first, and the concerns of all parties will be duly addressed.”

The authority has been under criticism over the ever-increasing LRT budget.

The initial Light Rail Transit budget was less than MOP 4.2 billion in 2007 but then increased to MOP 7.5 billion in 2009. After the adjudication of the rolling stock and system contract to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and revision of construction work estimates, the forecast has risen to MOP 8.7 billion early last year, not including the MOP 263.2 million in work already adjudicated. The figure further swelled to MOP 11 billion last June prompting the Commission of Audit to release a report slamming the authority over the “ballooning” budget.

The ever-surging spending also prompted lawmakers Au Kam San and José Pereira Coutinho to ask the authority whether or not the newest MOP 11 billion budget for phase one of the LRT would really be the “ultimate figure”, suggesting that the costs would most likely far exceed this estimation.

The 1.9-kilometre project launched yesterday, which will include five stations – Ocean Gardens, Macau Jockey Club, Macau Stadium and one between the old Taipa village and the Galaxy Macau resort –, will cost MOP 489 million, according to statistics from the Transportation Infrastructure Office (GIT). This was the cheapest of the 16 bids in the international public tender for the construction, which is expected to finish around May 2015.
 
#106 ·
Proposals for the Cotai LRT segment submitted
27/02/2012 10:37:00
Macau Daily Times

Eighteen proposals for the Cotai segment of the LRT were received by last Friday’s deadline with prices ranging between MOP 789 million and MOP 1.3 billion. Fourteen proposals have been accepted, four only conditionally. Once introduced, the LRT in Cotai is expected to facilitate transportation in this area as well as provide an interface between the border crossing at Flor de Lótus and the intercity railway of Guangzhou.

The Cotai segment includes Rua do Pai Kok in Taipa and the eastern part of Cotai, which covers the road viaduct of the light railway between the Estrada da Baía de Nossa Senhora da Esperança, Avenida Cidade Nova, the Cotai roundabout, Estrada Flor de Lótus, the Flor de Lótus roundabout and the Avenida da Nave Desportiva in Taipa, with a total length of 3.37km.

Simultaneously, four LRT stations will be constructed, specifically in the western part of Cotai, at the border crossing of Flor de Lótus, at Macau Gymnasium for East Asian Games and the eastern part of Cotai.

The project will be a joint venture between local and foreign companies. The construction will provide 400 work places for local workers.
 
#109 ·
LRT link to Delta bridge good for Cotai casinos
14/03/2012 10:24:00
Macau Daily Times

The possible inclusion of a line between the Pearl River Delta bridge border crossing and Taipa in the second phase of the Light Rapid Transit (LRT) system would benefit the Cotai casinos, analysts said. The construction works for the LRT first route began last month but authorities are already planning for the second phase, which will include a link between the Border Gate and the Barra district that would close the circuit in the Macau peninsula. Also planned are two stations in the reclaimed plot A and the island that will host the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge border crossing, both rising to the peninsula’s northeast.

But the Transportation Infrastructure Office (GIT) is also considering whether or not to introduce a new line linking the island to Taipa, in connection with a fourth crossing point between the two sides, which could be a tunnel. “We believe the proposed add-on would connect the drop-off point of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge directly to Taipa/Cotai, bypassing the numerous station stops [in the first phase line] on the Macau peninsula,” Union Gaming Research analysts wrote in an industry research report released on Monday.

Without a new line, visitors coming from the bridge would have to pass through 11 stations, stretching from the peninsula to Taipa through the Sai Van bridge before reaching the first Cotai casino. “We would view this spur line as a positive for operators with significant Cotai exposure,” according to the report quoted by Macau Business newsletter. Sands China, Galaxy Entertainment and Melco Crown Entertainment are the three operators with a foothold in the area.

The other three companies – Wynn Macau, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau (SJM) and MGM China – have each applied for plots in Cotai and last month the Lands and Public Works Bureau (DSSOPT) director Jaime Carion said two of the three land grant applications could be approved by the end of 2012.

2016 launch

One year ago, Union Gaming Research stressed that most casino customers have “an (ingrained) preference for rail travel, as well as a tolerance for longer journeys (relative to air travel) in exchange for saving money on transportation costs”.

“Mass market casino customers might ‘cheap out’ on transportation costs (…) but then hit the casino floors firing on all cylinders with per-hand wagers in excess of the cost of the trip,” the analysts wrote.

“Although not addressed, we would anticipate this spur line to open sometime after phase one opens in 2016,” Union Gaming Research wrote. The analysts are less optimistic that the government, which pledged to have the LRT first phase up and running by 2015.

The construction works for the initial LRT route in downtown Taipa should be ready around May 2015. The two-kilometer project, which will include five stations – Ocean Gardens, Macau Jockey Club, Macau Stadium and one between the old Taipa village and the Galaxy Macau resort –, will cost MOP 489 million. The open tender for the LRT route in the Macau peninsula will be launched during the first half of this year. The construction works will start before the end of 2012, authorities pledged.

In addition the government is also planning for a possible extension of the LRT system to Seac Pai Van, in Coloane, and to Hengqin Island, in connection with the future Guangzhou-Zhuhai Intercity Mass Rapid Transit. A study commissioned by GIT claims the LRT system will boost Macau’s economy and help society earn a further MOP 15.8 to 16.4 billion in the first 10 years of operation alone.

Authorities believe the LRT will become Macau’s main collective transportation system and reduce commuting time by 63 percent. The government also expects the use of private vehicles to drop, cutting both greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption by 20 percent.
 
#113 ·
I saw some miniature models at Galaxy Macau with the monorail station just outside this last week. (I will upload a photo of it when I have the time)

Looked quite neat, and it had the section 2 of the Galaxy resort miniaturized as well. I cannot wait to see Macau in 5 years with this new system, completed Galaxy, Studio City, new MGM and Wynn and rebuilt Fishermans Wharf. And I bet I am missing something, but this little city is just exploding!
 
#117 ·
GIT BLAMES TAIPA LRT DELAY ON CONTRACTOR’S ‘BEING INACTIVE’

The Transportation Infrastructure Office (GIT) has slammed the contractor responsible for building the depot superstructure of the Taipa section of the Light Rail Transit (LRT), blaming delays in the construction process on the contractor’s apparent inaction.
The Depot Superstructure is one of the five projects comprising the Taipa section of the LRT. It is situated east of the Cotai Strip and south of the airport, with the Avenida do Aeroporto on its west side. The project will cover an area of approximately 130,000 square meters, consisting of an operation control center, a factory and maintenance building, an area for trains to be parked and cleaned, as well as a 600-meter train-testing track.
GIT stressed that the Depot Superstructure is “the heart of the entire LRT system.” The office criticized the contractors on the grounds that “the construction progress of the Depot Superstructure is severely lagging behind, because the contractor didn’t actively fulfill its contractual obligations.”
GIT’s substitute coordinator, Ho Cheong Kei, stated in a response to a written inquiry made by lawmaker Si Ka Lon: “The LRT is Macau’s first ever railway transport system project; it is a new thing to Macau residents, the technical personnel and the government. During its planning and construction, we indeed face difficulties and challenges brought by various uncertainties.”
The lawmaker urged the authorities to provide concrete reasons for the delays in construction, as well as to outline all accountable personnel and to propose solutions. Following this, GIT stated that these recommendations had been made to the contractor in a variety of forms; the contractor was even allegedly penalized over MOP10 million. “However, the contractor so far still hasn’t actively improved, and this has become the key factor that’s affecting the entire construction progress of the Taipa route,” said Ho Cheong Kei.
Ho indicated that the government has been negotiating with the contractor to solve the problem as soon as possible. “The government has always risen to the challenges, made improvements and conducted follow-ups with real actions, such as strengthening communication with the project consultants, supervision companies and contractors, as well as requesting a full review and assessment of the present construction conditions from the technical team,” he stated.
As for the lawmaker’s suggestion that public housing projects be built above the future Depot Superstructure, Ho responded by saying that the project’s design and construction would have to be restarted, thus further postponing the completion of the project. “If the Depot Superstructure can’t be built, the trains can’t be delivered and tested, and Macau’s LRT won’t be able to operate,” he stressed.

http://macaudailytimes.com.mo/git-blames-taipa-lrt-delay-on-contractors-being-inactive.html
 
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