Hotels and students boosting LRT operations

The hospitality industry and students from several institutions in Taipa are contributing to the boosting of operations of the Light Rapid Transit (LRT) system, particularly with the recent opening of the Barra station.

An investigation by the Times on the Taipa Line of the LRT found that many of the people filling the train cars since last Friday are tourists. Some tourists had been advised by local hotels to use the LRT for commuting and visiting various local landmarks.

Interviewed by the Times inside the train, a group of six visitors in their 20s from Shanghai said they were using the LRT to travel from the Macau International Airport to a recently opened hotel in Cotai, explaining that they were told by the hotel that “this was the easiest and fastest method.”

On the same train, a couple from Singapore also told the Times they intended to visit A-Ma Temple and were advised by another hotel unit also located in Cotai to take the LRT to Barra terminal station

“We wanted to visit this famous temple and we asked the concierge what kind of transportation we could use to get there and they advised us to take the train [LRT], which is similar to the MRT and LRT system we have in Singapore.”

The same couple said they found the fare relatively cheap (they said they paid MOP10/each for a single-journey) and the service very convenient.

“In Singapore, for a similar distance, we also pay about SGD1.68, which is about the same price.”

Added convenience for students

Another group clearly taking a good number of trips is the students. During the investigation, students from three institutions in particular, Macao Sam Yuk Middle School – Kindergarten section, The International School of Macao (TIS) and Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) were observed using the LRT.

Interviewed by the times, two students from MUST traveling from Barra station to MUST station said that they use the LRT often, and “particularly on rainy days,” adding that it is much more convenient than using the buses as “you [are] always inside [the stations of the train].”

They said that they were already using it, transferring to the bus at the Jockey Club, “but now [it] is much easier as we can go to [the] Macau side with LRT.”

Accompanied by parents or guardians several students from TIS also said they use LRT as “it is very close to school” although in most cases the opening of the Barra station makes no difference as they use it mostly between MUST station and Pai Kok, Stadium or Jockey Club.

The Times observed that the busier stations and those where more passengers get on and off from the LRT were Barra, MUST, Cotai East, Lotus and Pai Kok.

Barra opening ‘doubled’the passenger numbers

According to a staff member from the LRT company, assisting and giving direction to travelers inside the train car, since the opening of the Barra Station (December 8) the number of passengers using the system “ha[s] increased significantly and maybe doubled.” She also noted that there is a very large number of passengers at the moment trying out the system for the first time and doing round-trips between Barra and Taipa Ferry Terminal “as an entertainment.”

“We see many senior citizens particularly, some in the company of young children [who appear to be their grandchildren]. They are using the LRT as a city tour. Which is OK. It’s a form of bonding also between generations.”

Some stations more convenient than others

With several mega projects still under construction in the Cotai area that are taking into account the presence of the LRT, it is likely that the transport system will progressively gain more enthusiasts.

Paths and pedestrian flyovers are already in place for the linking of LRT stations to the Islands Medical Complex as well as for the new mall and commercial building being constructed at the side of the Studio City development in the plot of land that was formerly part of the former Lotus Flower Border post.

Interviewed by the Times, a crew member from an airliner traveling to the airport admitted that she uses the LRT as it the fastest and cheapest solution to travel between her home in the area of Taipa Central Park and the Airport.

“It’s more practical than us[ing] a bus that is usually very full, and I need to carry my luggage and, at the same time, [it is] much cheaper than taxis, which are also not easy to get at some times of the day,” the crew member of Japanese nationality said. She added, “I believe for the Airport and [Taipa] Ferry Terminal as well as some of the hotels, the LRT is very convenient, for others, not so much,” she said giving the example of the integrated resorts that are located in the so-called Cotai Strip, which are “not [in] walking distance [of] any of the stations.”

All hopes on East Line

At least two local residents also traveling on the LRT yesterday noted that although the opening of the Barra station is a “step forward” or an “advancement,” maximum use of the LRT will only occur when the East Line comes into operation.

The plan so far unveiled for this line includes six stations over a total length of 7.7 km. The north part of the East Line is set to run from the neighboring area of Border Gate passing through the coastline in front of the Avenida Norte do Hipódromo and the Avenida da Ponte da Amizade to the New Urban Landfills of Zone A. Extending south along the central greenway of Zone A, the East Line then crosses the sea in an underwater tunnel to connect the New Urban Landfills of Zone E on the Taipa side, connecting to the existing tip of the Taipa Line after the Taipa Ferry Terminal.

Such a project would link the Border Gate to the Macau Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, as well as the new residential and commercial areas of Zone A to Taipa, linking also two land borders, one maritime border and one air border.

The conclusion of the East Line is expected to be in 2028.