The Macao SAR Government today announced the optimized plan for the new brand collective transportation – the Macao Light Rail Transit System (LRT) – which could be running by the end of 2011. The Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Lau Si Io, introduced the plan to the media at a press conference this afternoon, soon after he and his team presented the proposal to the Legislative Assembly in the morning. According to a statement from the Infrastructure Development Office, the government would embark on the project after a public consultation period of 45 days starting today. Work on the first phase of Macao LRT system is expected to start in the middle of next year. With 20km of tracks and at a cost of MOP4.2 billion, the suggested route would cover the main boundary checkpoints and then on to Taipa, with 23 stations and operating 19 hours a day. Compared with other systems, the advantages for LRT system includes simpler construction, a shorter period of construction, lower costs for construction and operation and less disruption to traffic and public life. The LRT system is to meet the increasingly demand for public transportation due to Macao’s rapid development, in addition to promoting the sustainable development of Macao, advancing the visitors carrying capacity, and facilitating the integration of the Pearl River Delta. The LRT system, which will be the backbone of the entire transportation network, might facilitate personal transportation as auxiliary tools, to increase the total passenger carrying capacity. The Government will continue to study the possibility of developing a new route in the inner part of the Macao peninsular and Taipa in its second phase. The Government first proposed the study plan for a light rail system in 2003. The plan was amended three times following public consultation.
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