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.