ANGOLA: Siemens Mobility has confirmed to Metro Report International that it is working with the Ministry of Transport on a light rail scheme in Luanda.
The supplier said on November 30 that ‘the Presidential Dispatch 53/23, published on March 22 2023, is part of the procedure that will lead to the construction of a light rail system for the city of Luanda, led by the Angolan Ministry of Transport. This project has been discussed by the ministry with Siemens Mobility, having previously resulted in two memoranda of understanding, in December 2019 and February 2020, and is now in a stage of development.’
The planned 39 km double-track Yellow light rail line would serve 24 stops. It would link the port of Luanda with the city of Kilamba, a Chinese-backed development zone southeast of Luanda which has been under construction since 2008. The Yellow Line would be operated by 68 four-car light rail vehicles.
The presidential announcement in March set the budget for the project at €1·3bn. ‘The amount authorised by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, includes the opening of a simplified contracting procedure with the company Siemens Mobility’, the government statement said.
Luanda is facing increasing transport challenges as the population is rapidly growing; its inhabitants are expected to exceed 12 million by 2030.
