Light Rail Transit system

[SeeMacau]

The second phase will cover most of the residential area

[hkth]

Originally Posted by AsIaBoYz

The second phase will cover most of the residential area

It is really time consuming for those airport passengers to go to Macau Peninsula even after phase II were complete.

[hkskyline]

Better transport facilities needed as Macau grows
31 October 2007
South China Morning Post

Recent moves to diversify Macau's economy with the development of integrated resorts such as the Venetian Macao and MGM Grand are luring eager visitors and spurring growth.

But while the cash and chips flow fast and furious on Macau's gambling tables, the story is different on the road. Traffic congestion, hour-long taxi queues, and huge crowds at border gates - all that is getting worse as the city lights glow brighter.

Macau's infrastructure has been hit hard as arrivals reached 22 million last year, only slightly behind Hong Kong's 25 million and representing a compound annual growth rate of 17 per cent between 2003 and 2006 and a year-on-year growth of 21 per cent in the first half.

Without rapid connectivity improvements, the mounting jams could tarnish the city's image and reduce economic and property market potential.

Dissatisfaction, meanwhile, is intensifying along with the traffic. During the last golden week, mainland visitor flow forced a temporary shutdown of the Gongbei border gate. Current capacity, insufficient at 300,000 travellers per day, has meant disgruntled travellers in long immigration queues.

Hailing a taxi is no easy feat. Only half of the visitors polled in surveys are satisfied with the transportation system, according to government statistics. Sentiment is likely to worsen, given the aggregate demand-supply ratio for taxis is already high at 712:1 compared to 395:1 in Hong Kong.

Last year, 16 per cent of visitors agreed that public transportation needs improvement compared to 6 per cent in 2004.

Thankfully, the government has felt the sting and several major infrastructure projects are now in the pipeline. However, these must be pursued much faster to keep pace with the economy.

By far the best long-term solution for internal connectivity will be the launch of the proposed light rail transit system. The first phase of the system, carrying 8,000 passengers per hour, will be completed in 2011 serving ultimately 12 stops in the peninsula and 11 on the Cotai Strip. A public consultation was completed in August and construction will commence next year.

Externally, the focus should fall on improving border capacity as over 60 per cent of visitors arrive in Macau by land, typically from the Pearl River Delta. Expansion plans for Gongbei to handle 500,000 arrivals per day by 2009, in addition to the capacity of 80,000 at the Lotus Bridge checkpoint, will help alleviate some immigration traffic, but not enough and not soon enough.

For mainland visitors outside the Pearl River Delta, existing travel options are unattractive. Only 13 cities in the mainland have direct flights into Macau International Airport. The alternative is to fly to Guangzhou and then take a three-hour coach ride to Macau.

Several infrastructure projects aim to facilitate visitor flow from the mainland. The Guangzhou-Zhuhai intercity Rapid Link system, which will cut travel time to 40 minutes from three hours by 2009, is one.

The Guangzhou-Zhuhai West Expressway also will enhance connectivity in three years to put Macau within a 30-minute drive from Hong Kong along the 35km Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.

However, problems remain in the air for serious business travellers, particularly as Macau's integrated resorts try to tap markets within a five-hour flight, including Tokyo, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. As MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) facilities have expanded by more than 540 per cent with the opening of the Venetian Macao, more than one million business travellers are expected to attend exhibitions and trade shows each year.

Macau's planned airport expansion to handle eight million flights per year by 2011 (from six million last year) will bring some relief.

Improved connectivity will shape the world's best performing gaming city into a more livable one to offer stronger support for retail and residential property prices.

Expatriates are expected to absorb all the new supply of luxury residential units of around 17,500 between now and 2010. Rising demand for high-end properties could easily drive up rents and capital values by 10 per cent per year over the next two to three years.

And while initial yields may be low, investors can look forward to increases. If connectivity and border situations improve, investment demand is likely to rise with more mainlanders buying second homes in Macau.

Still in its infancy, Macau's retail market will see an addition of close to nine million sqft of retail space in the next two to three years. The Venetian Macao alone injected one million sqft of retail space in August. Retail business opportunities are plenty but with ample supply and keen competition for tenants, rental growth potential will be mild.

If transport systems are smooth, retail facilities will benefit from shoppers dallying longer in the city.

To reach its full economic potential, much will depend on whether Macau successfully transforms the typical profile of a visitor from one who enters, gambles and exits, to one who spends inside the city.

The roll-out of integrated resorts should lengthen visitors' stays to at least two days from the average of 1.1 compared to 3.5 days in Hong Kong and Las Vegas.

So while it may have surpassed Las Vegas in gaming revenues, Asia's rising star will need to speed up infrastructure development. The road to stardom involves more roads (and border gates) ahead.

Marcos Chan is a director of research at Jones Lang LaSalle

[HereAndThere]

Good news - another project getting underway.

The first phase of the Light Rail Transit system will employ around 100 local workers, the Transport and Infrastructure Office (GIT) director said yesterday.
According to Lei Chan Tong the new jobs will be created in several sectors including management. “One hundred jobs to create will include in the construction sector and also management as well as some technical areas. Future manpower will be needed because the light rail construction will have more than 10 working areas. These jobs are limited for now but they are just for the consulting phase. Of course when the construction works begin the need will be much higher,” he explained.
In addition, Lei said that GIT will strive to launch part of the civil engineering projects related to the light rail transit within this year. He admitted that the start of construction had been pushed back for a few months, and
he was aware it was caused by some “technical problems” in the open tender during the preliminary work period.
The press conference was held after the signing ceremony of the project management and technical support contract of the
first phase of Macau Light Rail Transit system. The project management and technical assistant consultation services for the Phase 1 LRT System has been awarded to the joint venture consortium of Fase (Portugal), EGIS Rail (France) and Setec its (France) after the tender evaluation. The contract sum for the service is 176 million patacas and the period of service will be 46 months.
The consortium will first carry out a comprehensive review and analysis of the Phase 1 LRT route previously announced to determine the final alignment and location of stations. The team will then assist GIT to prepare tender documents for the procurement of systems and rolling stock, and the civil works.
Some construction works may begin this year says Lei Chan Tong. Meanwhile the connections to the Zhuhai, Macau, Hong Kong bridge and Hengqi Island are still in study. “We might create some connections to Hingqi Island. At this moment we are still in negotiations with the three way bridge. We will try to negotiate in this direction,” he added.
During the second quarter of this year they also might launch the public tender regarding the rail systems and materials and construction.

http://www.macaudailytimesnews.com/i...tion%20650.pdf

[Manila-X]

Finally Macao will have light rail transit all the way. Hopefully they will connect the city well.

[Gwo Loo Waan]

Light rail costs soar

Estimated costs for the first phase of the light rail system have risen nearly 80 percent from MOP4.2 billion to MOP7.5 billion.
The director of the Transport Infrastructure Office (GIT), Lei Chan Tong has revealed.

Lei said the steep increase was due to the rising price of materials and alterations to the original plan, such as passenger capacities and the construction of an underwater tunnel and an underground station, as well as environmental protection measures.

However, the first phase of the light railway project is bound to cost more than the announced MOP7.5 billion because, the GIT director said, the figure does not include expenditure on building car parks, traffic interchanges and other related infrastructures.

The government-funded project is expected to get off the ground in June next year and to be operational by 2014.

First step back in the light rail construction. Hope this is the first and the last one. Macau needs this project so badly.

[StanleyJ]

I've been wanting to do some calculations on the ballooning of infrastructure costs in the HK forum for HK/pan-PRD projects... but this one is as good as any on a little theory some people have regarding purchasing power...

The 4.2billion MOP was 2006 prices, which is 4billion HKD, which in turn is 526million USD. The gold price in the start of 2006 was 580 USD. So the Macau light rail project could be considered to cost ~907,000 ounces of gold.

Now in 2009, gold is hovering about 1050 USD/oz. Said 907,000 oz. of gold would be worth 952million USD, or 7.4billion HKD, or 7.62billion MOP.

So in gold terms... it costs exactly the same back in 2006 as compared to 2009, despite wildly different (in USD/HKD/MOP terms) costs for raw materials such as oil, steel, sand, etc.

[Newdone]

Funny...

Originally Posted by StanleyJ

I've been wanting to do some calculations on the ballooning of infrastructure costs in the HK forum for HK/pan-PRD projects... but this one is as good as any on a little theory some people have regarding purchasing power...

The 4.2billion MOP was 2006 prices, which is 4billion HKD, which in turn is 526million USD. The gold price in the start of 2006 was 580 USD. So the Macau light rail project could be considered to cost ~907,000 ounces of gold.

Now in 2009, gold is hovering about 1050 USD/oz. Said 907,000 oz. of gold would be worth 952million USD, or 7.4billion HKD, or 7.62billion MOP.

So in gold terms... it costs exactly the same back in 2006 as compared to 2009, despite wildly different (in USD/HKD/MOP terms) costs for raw materials such as oil, steel, sand, etc.

[Gwo Loo Waan]

I think Mr Lei Chan Tong should read this forum! We would find the best excuse in the world and beyond...

[HereAndThere]

Buy gold ?!? vs property!
This project is beyond necessity.
Macau can not grow in a reasonable manner without the infrastructure to support the flow of people.
Hasn't the rail network been expanded to include additional stops in Cotai, Taipa and near border?? Every hotel/casino wants a stop in front of their door. This can also account for rising costs.

[Gwo Loo Waan]

The rail road wont have stops in every single casino's door.

[MacauVillager28]

Amount is nothing compare to infrastructure projects in HK....

HK building link with China national network....cost likely $60bn and rising.
Also Shenzhen/HK Airport link.... likely same...
And HK-Macau--Zhuhai, costing more....

Plus tons of other local projects.

And I think most of these projects offer limited use unlike Macau rail (bar HK-Macau bridge, tho biased).

I'm more concerned about HK's spending than Macau. $8bn doesn't even register in HK...

[one grantai]

sometimes it is odd how is possible that a transport system in a city would cost less than one resort (city of dream cost 13billion?), even just Wynn Concord (which is just one building) costing similar amount to rail?

[macau_now]

Originally Posted by one grantai

sometimes it is odd how is possible that a transport system in a city would cost less than one resort (city of dream cost 13billion?), even just Wynn Concord (which is just one building) costing similar amount to rail?

Well, if the city in question is 9 sq. Km and the Resort is huge and very high end...

[Gwo Loo Waan]

According to a friend the land per sq is more expensive and most of the money in the resorts construction is spend in luxury.

[hkskyline]

Timetable for Macau LRT
9 December 2009
The Standard

Macau will have a light rail system connecting the peninsula with Taipa Island and the Cotai Strip in four years, it was disclosed yesterday.

Construction will start soon on the light rapid transit system, which will eventually be extended to include Hengqin Island, an area destined to become a major education base for Macau and neighboring Zhuhai.

There is also a plan to eventually link the LRT system to the future Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.

Macau transport infrastructure office consultant Michael Lam Soi- hoi told a Pearl River Delta conference in Hong Kong that the 7.5 billion pataca (HK$7.28 billion) phase one of the railway will be completed in 2014. He said the Macau government may subsidize the project so the railway can start operating sooner and costs can be recouped more quickly.

While fare levels have yet to be decided, Lam said it is expected to be between four and six patacas, which will be sufficient to recover the cost within a relatively short period.

``The government is now looking into the feasibility of different fare levels. We expect it will stay in the red in the first few years, but we hope to be in the black by 2020,'' he said.

The Macau government currently subsidizes public bus fares.

The Macau Post Daily reported last week that the government had proposed two sets of fares for the first phase. It said travel within the Macau peninsula will cost four patacas, while trips between the peninsula and Taipa will cost two more patacas. An alternative proposal puts the fares at five and seven patacas.

Based on current cost estimates, the subsidy for early operations could range between 20 million and 110 million patacas a year.

Tenders are now being called for the supply of rolling stock and systems, with a March 12 deadline.

The project, first announced in 2007, will have 21 stations along a 21-kilometer track in the first phase and cost 7.5 billion patacas, almost 80 percent higher than its initial estimate.

Passenger capacity will reach 14,000 at peak hours in 2020.

[HK Bystander]

The future of Macau looks more & more clear. Many things are happening & picking up.....

[HereAndThere]

As per post #21 - anybody got an updated map of rail system?

Some of stats bit different in article below;
http://www.railjournal.com/newsflash...ro-tender.html
The initial Pataca 7.5 billion ($US 90 million) phase will run for 22km from Portas do Centro near the border with mainland China, to Lago da Barra and across the Sai Van bridge to the island of Taipa, where it will terminate at Macau International Airport.
A rubber-tyred system will be used with 30m-long trains accommodating around 200 passengers. The line will operate for 19 hours a day with a minimum headway of three minutes, giving a peak capacity of 4000 passengers per direction per hour.
The first 23-station phase of the network will open in 2014. Future extensions could include an east-west line across the Macao peninsula, and a Sai Van - Pac On Ferry Terminal line on Taipa island which would use part of Phase 1 to form a circle line.
Macau is the world's most densely-populated region, with 18,428 inhabitants per square-km.

[yunowu]

thanks for the update..my fellow sooner !!

[homunwai]

What technology will be LRT be using?
I supose it is non elevated?

I'm really skeptical.
Given Macau's density, it'll have to go on viaducts, say monorail.
In particular, i strongly urge considerations for the Urbanaut system.

I'm ruling out underground, because of high cost and tight turnings required.