The new “Hengqin Line” for Macau’s light rapid transit (LRT) system starts operations this afternoon (Monday, December 2). It will provide “citizens and tourists with a comfortable and quick travel option” between Macau and Hengqin, stated the LRT operator in a press release issued on Saturday.
The addition to the light rail network links Macau’s casino-resort district Cotai to Hengqin island, a piece of mainland China territory next door, that in the past few years has seen the creation of much tourism-related infrastructure including hotels.
The new line is 2.2 kilometres (1.4 miles) long, including an underwater-tunnel section, and has two stations, with the ride taking about two minutes, according to official information.
One station serves an elevated section near to the Lotus Bridge road crossing between Cotai and Hengqin. The other station is below street level, at the Hengqin Port boundary checkpoint, on the Hengqin side.
The Hengqin side’s LRT station will provide an interchange to the Hengqin Port station of the mainland’s Guangzhou-Zhuhai Intercity railway, a regional high-speed link in Guangdong province.
The Hengqin Line station on the Cotai side will link to the rest of Macau’s LRT system via the Lotus station of the Taipa Line. The latter immediately serves Cotai, the Taipa Ferry Terminal, and Macau International Airport.
The Lotus station’s concourse is curently linked to the Studio City casino resort of Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd via an elevated walkway.
On Friday it was announced that China’s State Council had approved new measures that further ease Macau-bound travel rules for residents of Zhuhai and Hengqin.
Zhuhai, in Guangdong province, is already a key overland gateway for people from all over the mainland that are heading to Macau as tourists.
Starting from January 1, 2025, mainland China residents with their household registration in Zhuhai city will be able to apply for a new “one-trip-per-week” visa to come to Macau, and stay in Macau for no more than seven days each time.
From the same date, mainland China residents possessing household registration and a residence permit for Hengqin can apply for a multiple-entry visa to travel to Macau. No limit is placed on the number of trips, but the maximum period of stay each trip, will be seven days.
Since May 6 this year, there has been a number of other visa-policy easing measures in effect for mainland China residents wishing to travel to Macau. They include the possibility of multiple entries between Macau and Hengqin for mainlanders joining a “Macau-Hengqin tour group” containing at least two people and up to 40 people.
