Raimundo do Rosário, the transport secretary, has told media that he does not expect Light Rail Transit (LRT) passenger numbers to fully recover “for some time”.
The network – which currently only operates the 9.3-kilometre-long Taipa-Cotai section – recorded an average of 4,750 passengers on midweek days in February, rising up to 7,000 a day on weekends, according to figures cited in Macau Post Daily.
This compares to 16,000 daily passengers in January 2020, just before the outbreak of the pandemic. However, at that time rides on the line were free, boosting passenger numbers.
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With the Taipa-Barra section coming into service at the end of this year – and two more sections, Seac Pai Van and Cotai-Hengqin, scheduled for next year – passenger volume can be expected to increase, Rosário said.
The transport official also expressed the hope that the operation of the new sections, as well as advertising revenue from stations, would help defray some of the losses currently being made by the LRT operator, Macau Light Rapid Transit Corporation Limited.
Trains are now conducting test runs on the Taipa to Barra section, following last month’s completion of construction at Barra station.
