East line (Macau LRT) explained

Color:	ffc933
Type:	Rapid transit
System:	Macau Light Rapid Transit
Status:	Planned
Locale:	Macau, China
Start:	Border Gate
End:	Taipa Ferry Terminal
Stations:	7
Routes:	1
Owner:	Macau
Operator:	MTR (Macau)
Character:	Underground
Linelength:	7.82NaN2
Tracks:	2

The East line (pt|Linha Leste) is a line of the Macau Light Rapid Transit currently under construction. The East line is planned to run entirely underground, constructed with a tunnel-boring machine^[1],excluding the section between ES6 station (Zone E1 of New Area station) and Taipa Ferry Terminal station The line will provide a through service from the existing terminus of the Taipa line at Taipa Ferry Terminal, and traverse Zone E1 of the Macau New Urban Zone, stopping in the centre of the zone. It will then cross under the Praia Grande to the southern end of New Urban Zone A. The track will run under the central greenway of zone A, stopping at 3 stations there. Finally, it will run underwater, along the coast of the Macau peninsula, stopping at stations at Areia Preta and Portas do Cerco.^[2] The line will be 7.8 km long.^[3]

Construction started in 2023 by a joint venture led by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation^[4] and the line is expected to be complete by 2028.^[5]

Stations

StationNo.	Station name			Connections	Distance		Freguesia/Zone
ES1			Portas do Cerco				Freguesia de Nossa Senhora de Fátima
ES2			Perola Oriental
ES3			Norte do Zona A dos Novos Aterros
ES4			Central da Zona A dos Novos Aterros
ES5			Sul do Zona A dos Novos Aterros
ES6			Zona E1 dos Novos Aterros				Freguesia de Nossa Senhora do Carmo
23			Terminal Maritimo da Taipa

Proposed Extensions

A westward extension of the East Line, parallel to the West Line section of Macau LRT, is proposed to extend the Border Gate station to Ilha Verde station, planned to be located at the plaza nearby the Qingmao Port.^[6]

StationNo.	Station name			Connections	Distance		Freguesia/Zone
ES0			Ilha Verde				Freguesia de Nossa Senhora de Fátima
ES1			Portas do Cerco

Notes and References

1. Web site: Macau Daily Times 澳門每日時報 » LRT East Line to go underground with cost estimate of MOP2 billion . macaudailytimes.com.mo. 9 September 2021.
2. Web site: East LRT line connecting Gongbei Border to Taipa plans revealed. macaubusiness.com. 9 September 2021.
3. Web site: East Line. mlm.com.mo. 9 September 2021.
4. Web site: Work starts on northern section of Eastern Line in Macau . International Railway Journal . 26 November 2023.
5. Web site: Construction of East Line begins . Macau Business . 26 November 2023.
6. Web site: LRT to extend to Qingmao; airport to see longer runway . Macau Daily Times . 22 September 2022.