Crowds flock to Barra Station at opening of first peninsula connection

The Macao Light Rapid Transit (LRT) is now officially operating on the Macau Peninsula with the opening of the Barra Station.

The LRT commenced service to the Barra Station in the early hours of Friday, Dec. 8, with many residents eager to be among the first to try the new station that connects the Taipa line to Macau via the Sai Van Bridge.

During the Barra Station’s opening ceremony, the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Macao Light Rapid Transit Corporation, Limited (MLM), Ho Cheong Kei, highlighted that this is the first station located at the Peninsula and the first time the LRT has traveled between Taipa and Macau.

Ho said the expansion of the LRT operation will give the public more public transport options.

The MLM chairman also expressed hopes the LRT could attract more citizens and tourists to the old community neighborhoods.

The first LRT trip between Macau and Taipa left Barra Station at 6:30 a.m., with members of the MLM Board of Directors present to commemorate the occasion by distributing souvenirs to the initial passengers.

With the extension of the Taipa line into the Peninsula, the line now has 12 stations and a total length of around 12.5 kilometers. A full journey from the Taipa Ferry Terminal at Pac On to the Barra Station takes approximately 27 minutes.

Though commuters may not yet have incorporated the extension to the Macau side into their daily travel routines, many residents took the opportunity to try the new station and traverse between Barra and Taipa over the weekend.