The Macau Light Rapid Transit (LRT) system has faced criticism for its slow return to service after Typhoon Yagi, raising concerns about its capacity to meet residents’ transportation needs in severe weather events. Lawmaker Ma Io Fong criticized the LRT’s “relatively weak capacity” to resume operations compared to public buses, which undermines public confidence.
Typhoon Yagi brought strong winds and rain to Macau, triggering tropical storm signal No. 8. While authorities downgraded the warning to No. 3, allowing bridges and buses to reopen, the LRT did not resume service until two hours later. Many frustrated commuters waited at the Barra station for trains as buses became overcrowded.
“The Macau Government had proposed a Macau transit policy in which the LRT would play a leading role and buses would play a secondary role. However, after the passage of tropical cyclone Yagi, the recovery capacity of the LRT service was relatively low and it failed to represent the appropriate transport capacity,” said Ma.
According to Ma, the delay in resuming LRT service may be due to the time-consuming need to conduct a thorough inspection of all outdoor facilities before operations can resume.
With the opening of more LRT stations in the future, Ma expressed concern that post-typhoon inspections will take even longer, exacerbating the issue.
Ma urged the Macao Light Rapid Transit Corporation to adopt electronic or other intelligent means of conducting safety inspections, to reduce the time required to detect and remediate issues. Victoria Chan
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