A railway system existed in Mauritius from the 1860s until 1964. In 1956 the decision was made to close the railway due to unprofitability. At this time, Mauritius Government Railways had 146 km (91 mi) of 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) (standard gauge) track and 47 locomotives.[1] Freight transport continued until 1964 when the railway was scrapped.
From 1964 to 2020, there were no operational long-distance railways in Mauritius. With increasing road traffic congestion, plans surfaced in 2009 for a metro system.[2] The first stage of Metro Express opened in 2020.
Light rail system
editInitial plans suggested a 24.9 km line which would relieve pressure on busy roads; it would be supported by a feeder network of buses.[3][4]
The first line would go from the capital at Port Louis to Curepipe, mostly following the trackbed of a former Government railway closed in the 1960s.[5]
On 2 August 2017 it was announced that Larsen & Toubro would be the contractor responsible for constructing the metro network.[6][7]
The first stage, Port Louis to Rose Hill Central, was opened on 10 January 2020. An extension by two stops to Quatre Bornes was opened on 20 June 2021. The second stage, to Curepipe, and the third stage, to Réduit, were completed in October 2022.
See also
edit
References
editNotes
edit- ^ Sampson H. (General editor), The Dumpy Book of Railways of the World, Sampson Low, London, 1956, p.168
- ^ "LIGHT RAIL FOR MAURITIUS". Railways Africa. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
- ^ "Singapore to support Mauritian Light Rapid Transit plan - Railway Gazette". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- ^ Mauritius Metro Rail Project
- ^ "Railpage". Archived from the original on December 31, 2014.
- ^ Pillay, Amritha (2 August 2017). "L&T bags Rs 3375-crore Mauritius metro order". Business Standard India.
- ^ "L&T to build Light Rail System (Metro Express) in Mauritius" (PDF) (Press release). Mumbai: Larsen & Toubro. 2 August 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2017.
Further reading
edit- Robinson, Neil (2009). World Rail Atlas and Historical Summary. Volume 7: North, East and Central Africa. Barnsley, UK: World Rail Atlas Ltd. ISBN 978-954-92184-3-5.
External links
editMedia related to Rail transport in Mauritius at Wikimedia Commons
