The government will open the Light Rapid Transit (LRT) station at the Islands Hospital on Sep. 1, the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo do Rosário, announced at the Legislative Assembly (AL) yesterday afternoon.
In response to an inquiry from lawmaker Ngan Iek Hang, Rosário noted current advancements that have been achieved to date and planned throughout the rest of this year. “From Sep. 1, we will open the Islands Hospital [LRT] Station,” he said, although noted that the Seac Pai Van Line would not begin operations yet.
The Secretary explained that only the station facility would be open to the public. This would allow pedestrians to transfer from the Lotus Station through a passageway to the Islands Hospital Station, facilitating direct access to the hospital without using other transportation or walking at the street level.
Rosário also reiterated the government’s intention to open the Seac Pai Van Line and the Hengqin Line, which connect to the Taipa Line of the LRT, until the end of this year as a compromise.
“Until the end of the year, we will open both the Seac Pai Van and Hengqin Lines and I believe that more people will use Taipa Line after this,” he said. He also expressed hopes that the East Line, linking Pac On area in Taipa to the Border Gate, will open in 2029.
Lack of mobile payment methods to continue
One of the questions raised by lawmaker Ngan was in relation to the ticketing and payment methods for the LRT. This has been raised on many occasions, however, the government has yet to find a solution.
“As our network expands and adds more stations and lines, we will need to evaluate the current ticketing system,” the secretary said. He explained that the government aims to spend the five years between 2024 and 2029 (being the date of the East Line’s opening) to modernize the ticketing and payment system. He suggested that the current aim by authorities is to change the current system prior to the East Line becoming operational.
The director of the Public Works Bureau (DSOP), Lam Wai Hou, noted that as the Hengqin Line reaches the final stages of construction, train testing will commence on the line by the end of this month or alternatively in September.
“We are at the last phase of the work. All construction, including of access points and links to other transportation, will be completed by November this year for the Hengqin Line,” Lam said. Regarding payment methods, Lam said, “To improve the gating system, we need to consider the compatibility of other stations and lines. Hardware and payment systems will need to be replaced. At present, the extension lines to be opened are currently linked to and dependent on the Taipa Line. We cannot change anything for the time being,” he said.
In response to intervening comments by lawmaker Ngan and other lawmakers, Rosário explained that in addition to the costs associated with changing the gates and payment methods, time pressure also poses challenges. He noted that to change existing systems would require significant time investment. Given that maintenance work for the LTR occurs between midnight and 6 a.m. the following day, “there is not enough time to proceed with such works without interfering with the LRT operations.”
In opposition to this statement, lawmaker Ron Lam said that given the LRT currently carries a relatively low number of passengers, “this would be the ideal opportunity to change to the QR Code reading system.” This would ensure that systems were already in place by the time the Taipa Line receives a surge of passengers due to the opening of the Seac Pai Van and Hengqin lines.
Interchange with buses also a problem
Ngan and other lawmakers also raised concerns about connectivity between the LRT and other public transportation such as buses.
Lawmakers warned government officials that an increase in LTR passengers could create chaos if the current system’s flaws were not addressed.
In response, the DSOP director said that the authorities “will adjust bus routes before opening new lines, as we did before the opening of Barra station.” However, Lam did not elaborate on the changes the government intends to make in that regard.
Gov’t admits closing again LRT stations for ‘crowd management’
In response to follow-up questions from several lawmakers including Ella Lei, Rosário admitted that the government would consider closing the LTR stations again for crowd management. This measure could be necessary to address service capacity issues, particularly for large-scale events at the new outdoor venue the government is setting up in Cotai.
Rosário said that the closure of the LRT Stations of Stadium and Jockey Club, which occurred in late January this year when the Korean band Seventeen performed at the Olympic Stadium in Taipa, might occur again in the future, should this be the decision of multidepartment groups responsible for evaluating the associated risks.
“The decision to close station access during the concert was a risk mitigation strategy to avoid potential stampedes. We closed the stations so that the crowd could be dispersed to several locations. There is also an LRT station near the new concert venue, so we need to continue to evaluate these risks,” he said. Further, he noted, “We have also tested this during this year’s ‘Walk for a Million’ event. In this case, we did not need to close Barra station. It all depends on the risk assessment made at the time.”
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