A new light rail transit (LRT) system being constructed in Macau is underway. The city’s government announced yesterday that the section connecting Taipa with Cotai is on track and is expected to be operational sometime during the second half of this year, giving locals and visitors to the gambling mecca an alternative to being stuck in traffic in their personal vehicles.

According to Macau’s Transportation Infrastructure Office (TIO), the Taipa-Cotai section is currently being tested for operational integrity. This section will include several stops along its route to serve casinos in Cotai and will span a stretch of 5.8 miles. It will include 11 stations, including stops for the Macau International Airport and the Taipa Ferry Terminal, which is located close to the airport.

The TIO further divulged that the Barra station, located on the Macau peninsula, should be complete by 2024. This will be the first stop that connects the peninsular section of the LRT to the Taipa-Cotai span and will make use of the Sai Van Bridge. The schedule for the remainder of the LRT in the peninsula has not yet been released.

An upcoming section, the Seac Pai Van section, will be completed via a public tender that is scheduled for the first quarter of 2019. Seac Pai Van is located between Coloane and Cotai.