Macau authorities suspend services on MTR Corp’s Taipa line for 180 days to replace faulty cables
- The line is part of the casino hub’s first mass transit system, and is run by the wholly owned subsidiary MTR Railway Operations (Macau) Company
- Electrical problems on the line were traced to overheating cables supplied by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which will undertake the replacement works
The Taipa line, operated by MTR Railway Operations (Macau) Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hong Kong’s MTR Corp, will suspend operations from October 20 for the replacement works, the Office for the Secretary for Transport and Public Works said.
Since it opened in December 2019, the Taipa line has seen several service interruptions due to electrical problems, with the latest one reported in August this year.
Macau authorities said they found the 22kV cables used in the system had been overheating, causing electrical failures.
Following an analysis, the authorities decided to replace all the high-voltage cables on the Taipa line, saying the cost would be borne by the system supplier, Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
The work will involve removing and reinstalling 124km worth of 22kV cables and their fixed components.