individual research report Sofie Tam GU-43-IJ

Our group presentation topic is: Who should be held accountable for the delays
in the light railway project in Macau?

This is the timeline of the Macau light rail project, as we can see The LRT was
first proposed in 2003 by the Macau SAR Government. After the original proposal
was rejected by the public, the decision to build the LRT was not made until October
2006. The LRT will improve transportation options between the Macau Peninsula,
Taipa and Cotai, and relieve traffic congestion on roads and bridges. It will be the first
rapid transit system in Macau.
Site investigation work started in 2008, main construction work began on 21
February 2012 in Taipa, with the Taipa section to be operating by 2019 or
2020[1][needs update] and Macau Peninsula section to be operating sometime by
the early 2020s. Despite the official schedule, analysts did project the initial phase to
not be in operation until 2017.
The LRT will be a driverless rubber-tyred system, similar to the Singapore LRT. The
Phase I line will run along elevated guideways separate from road traffic. The LRT will
consist of at least two phases:
Phase I Line (Macau-Taipa Line)
Connecting major entry-exit points at the Macau Peninsula and the Taipa Island
with residential and tourist areas. It will use reserved space in the lower deck of
the Ponte de Sai Van (Sai Van Bridge) to connect to Taipa island.
Phase II Line (Loop Line)
Connecting the Barrier gate to A-Ma Temple via the inner harbour area, eventually
forming a loop on the Macau peninsula.
The estimated construction cost for Phase 1 (with 21 stations) was revised in
June 2011 from MOP 7.5 billion (about US$933 million) to MOP 11 billion (about
US$1,370 million) including MOP 360 million for studies, MOP 4.9 billion for rolling
stock and MOP 5.74 billion for construction. The project will be financed by the
Government of Macau and is scheduled to take about 48 months to complete.
Construction of the Taipa section of Phase 1 started in late February 2012. Six design
packages have been awarded and the open tenders were expected to be published
by October 2011, starting by the Taipa packages C250 and C260. January 19, 2015,
the Third Special Audit Report on the First Phase of the Light Rail Transit System was
published by the Commission of Audit, stating that the construction of the Macau
Light Rail Transit is delayed by 883 days.
The conflict between the government and the citizens:
-Government vs Residents (without communication)
-Locations (the government change a lot the location point of the light rail)
-Stakeholders (does not need to grant money through the Legislative Council)
-Lack of local talent ability (without experience)
What will happen if the Macau government does not need to grant money through
the Legislative Council?
-The project stopped without a deadline (the study plan start at 2002)

-Waste time （original plan: the light railway operation at 2014）

-Waste money (budget overruns)

-Inferior results (the relationship between government and the citizens)
-Contractor corruption (government budget transparency)
-All contracts of light rail project are direct grant
-Lack of supervision
-Resulting in engineering problems continue
-Government didn’t solve residents oppose
2011-"Driving material and system" and to estimate the "subject construction" at
least 8.688 billion. 2012-CCAC found the first phase of the light rail system of cost
estimation has more than 11 billion. 2013-2018-The Transport Infrastructure Office
was found to have awarded light-haul documentary contracts to the same company
three time (total of nearly nine million ).
When people complain and complain again, How the government remedy those
issues? For the recent news, we know that: Finally… Macau light rail contract goes to
MTR(HK), Worth about HK$5.71 billion. The contract covers an 80-month. The 9.3-
kilometer line will serve 11 stations, connecting the airport, the Cotai Frontier Port
and the Taipa Ferry Terminal. The light rail is expected to start service next year.