The Government plans to move forward with an Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) system in the Maputo Metropolitan Area, through a partnership with the private sector. The project includes, among other infrastructure, a roughly 30-kilometre line connecting the cities of Maputo, Matola, and Boane, according to Lusa.
The initiative is included in a tender published by the Ministry of Transport and Logistics and the Maputo Metropolitan Transport Agency, aimed at selecting a technical assistance company to support the contracting of the entity that will design, implement, and operate the ART system.
According to the document, the future responsible entity will be required to develop the detailed project, supply rolling stock and technological systems, build the necessary infrastructure, and ensure the initial operation of the system. Afterwards, management will be gradually transferred to the Government.
The ART system is described as a hybrid urban public transport solution, similar to a surface metro, combining characteristics of light rail and articulated buses. The public tender sets a deadline of 3 June for the submission of expressions of interest.
The tender also specifies Line 2 of the future network, which will connect Maputo and Matola — the country’s two largest cities — extending to Boane over an approximately 30-kilometre route.
On 15 May, President Daniel Chapo acknowledged the existence of “major challenges” in Maputo’s urban mobility, despite the recent delivery of around 190 buses powered by natural gas.
The head of state added that the Government is working “at full speed” to launch the construction of the surface metro, part of a broader programme that also includes complementary Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) solutions.
“We are aware that the ‘machimbombos’ (buses), Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems, and the surface metro, working in an integrated way, can help solve urban mobility problems in the city of Maputo,” he stated.
Source: Diário Económico
