The Government is preparing to launch an Autonomous Rapid Transit system in the Maputo Metropolitan Area, in a project that aims to ease the pressure on urban mobility and link the cities of Maputo, Matola and Boane by a new line of around 30 kilometres.
The initiative, according to Lusa, appears in a tender notice published by the Ministry of Transport and Logistics and the Maputo Metropolitan Transport Agency. The document paves the way for the selection of a technical assistance firm, which will support the process of contracting the entity responsible for designing, implementing and operating the system.
The future operator will have the task of drawing up the detailed project, supplying the rolling stock and technology systems, building the necessary infrastructure and ensuring the initial phase of operation. Only then will management be transferred, gradually, to the Government.
Described as a hybrid urban public transport solution, the ART is close to a surface metro, combining features of a light rail train and an articulated bus.
The public tender provides for expressions of interest to be submitted by 3 June. The notice also identifies line 2 of the future network, which is to link Maputo to Matola, the country's two largest cities, before extending to Boane.
