LRT transports 25,300 per day in January, 9.5% up month-over-month

The Macao Light Rapid Transit system (LRT) carried an average of 25,300 passengers daily in January this year, the LRT Company announced. This figure shows a month-over-month increase of 9.52% compared to December of last year.

The number of passengers also rose by 80.71% compared to the same month last year, as only the Taipa Line was operational in January 2024.

The LRT currently operates the Taipa Line, along with extension lines to Seac Pai Van and Hengqin, which began operations late last year. This has resulted in a substantial increase in passenger numbers between November and December last year, with a month-over-month rise of 36.69%.

In 2024, the LRT transported an average of 14,675 passengers daily—a figure considered relatively low, given the system’s investment and stated capacity.

The LRT’s January results surpassed December 2024, making it the second-best month since the system was inaugurated in December 2019. At that time, an average of 33,000 passengers per day was recorded, although this result was achieved through free trial trips.

The local government has been actively promoting the LRT as a convenient option for cross-border transportation, aiming to reduce congestion at the Border Gate checkpoint, which continues to be the primary route for both visitors and locals traveling between Macau and the neighboring city of Zhuhai.

When the Hengqin Line opened, officials announced it could carry about 8,000 passengers per hour in both directions.

In response to questions regarding the mass transit system’s inefficiency, the government previously stated that only with the completion of the East Line—connecting the Pac On area in Taipa (the current terminus of the Taipa Line) to the Border Gate and passing through Zone A of the new urban landfills—will the system improve efficiency and increase the number of passengers it carries.

Authorities have announced that the new line is currently under construction and will be completed in 2028. Once finished, it will offer passengers a 15-minute journey between the Border Gate and the Cotai area, significantly reducing travel time by up to an hour.

The same authorities noted that their studies show approximately 23,000 people make that commute each day.