The government’s top public works official made no comment yesterday when asked to give a timetable for when the construction of the peninsula section of the city’s first light rail transit (LRT) will finally begin
However, Secretary for Transport and Public Works Lau Si Io said he expected the LRT section in Taipa and Cotai to start operating in 2016, adding that the government would brief the public on alternative routes on the peninsula “as soon as possible”.
Lau made the remarks during a plenary session yesterday to answer lawmakers’ questions about his portfolio’s 2014 policy guidelines. The session ends today.
Lau’s portfolio includes supervision of public transport, telecommunications, housing, energy and environmental protection.
Lau acknowledged that the LRT construction in Taipa and Coloane has fallen “a little” behind schedule.
However, Lau was quick to add that the government will make sure that the contractors will complete the project’s Taipa and Cotai segment in line with their respective contracts.
“We’ll do our best to ensure that the sections in Taipa and Cotai are up and running in 2016,” Lau vowed.
The first phase of the government-funded LRT project includes 21 stations – 11 in Taipa and Cotai and 10 on the peninsula. The section in Taipa and Cotai is currently under construction.
The government had earlier said it expected the Taipa and Cotai segment of the LRT project to be operational in 2015.
Responding to lawmakers’ questions about the progress of the project on the peninsula, Lau neither gave the time when it finally will start construction nor when it would be completed.
The LRT’s first phase has a price tag of 11 billion patacas. The project is fully funded by the government, which proposed the construction of the LRT a decade ago. However, site investigation work began only in 2008. (macaunews)
