Macau, China, 9 Oct – The Macau government Wednesday granted two local companies a contract to study the underground infrastructures in the first stage of the Macau’s light railway, also called Light Rapid Transit (LRT) system, the construction of which is expected to start in 2009.
The 4-million pataca (US$ 500,000) contract was granted to Nam Shui – Centro de Tecnologia e Engenharia, Limitada and CAA, Planeamento e Engenharia, Consultores Limitada, and the study should conclude in six months.
According to the Transportation Infrastructure Office, the study will verify what underground infrastructures exist along the route of the LRT, namely pipelines, electricity and telecommunication cables and water and sewage pipes.
The government found it needed to carry out the study after it discovered a large number of infrastructures that exist along the LRT route will probably need to be relocated.
The first stage of the LRT, to conclude in 2011, is expected to cost around 4.2 billion patacas (US$525 million).
The first stage of the LRT will be built on a 20-kilometre elevated platform and have 23 stations linking the Portas do Cerco area, the border with mainland China, and the Pac On area on Taipa island, near the Macau International Airport, passing through the city centre.
The light railway will be driven automatically (no driver), will be able to have trains at stations every three minutes, and will have the capacity to transport a maximum of 152,000 passengers per day.
The Transportation Infrastructure Office is analysing proposals from France’s EGIS Rail and the consortium made up of Portugal’s Consulgal and Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation, which is offering advisory services for the LRT.
The chosen company will analyse and optimise the preliminary implementation study for the LRT, as well as the management and business model, how it will attract passengers and project costs.
The company will also be responsible for preparing the tender documents for granting a supply contract for the system, such as rolling stock, along with the design/construction of the LRT.
The Transportation Infrastructure Office is also analysing proposals from three international consultants that proposed to carry out feasibility studies for a new route for the LRT.
The second stage of the LRT in the northeast of Macau will link the Portas do Cerco area (the border with mainland China) to the Barra area, via Porto Interior.
The three companies that presented bids for the feasibility study for the second stage of LRT are the United Kingdom’s Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong, the United States’ Parsons Brinckerhoff (Asia) and Hong Kong’s Maunsell Consultants Asia.
(MacauNews)
