Mozambique: Government to financially support municipalities affected by floods
In file CoM
The first phase of the Metrobus metropolitan region integrated transport system project in Maputo will start operations in January 2018, as soon as all technical conditions for its effective operation are met.
The guarantee was given on Thursday 21 December in Maputo by Fleetrail PCA Amade Camal after an experimental trip on the Maputo-Machava-Matola Gare route attended by the governor of Maputo province Raimundo Diomba and a representative of the governor of Maputo City.
Camal said the test runs would provide technical information that would be the subject of careful analysis so as to draw conclusions for the better operation of the project.
“Today’s rehearsal showed that the public received this new public transport initiative with enthusiasm,” Camal said, adding that: “Everywhere we went, we were gratified to note the joy of those using the facility, which makes us believe that we are on the right track.”
Although the project is still in preparation, the Fleetrail PCA promised that the first phase would operate in full in January, as part of the reforms that the government had been implementing with the purpose of improving urban public transport.
The permanent secretary of the Maputo municipal government, Manuel Guimarães, said he found Metrobus “a great gift for the population and for the government of the city of Maputo, if one takes into account that the lack of transportation was already a glaring problem”.
“The government and the private sector are working together to find solutions, so we want to thank Fleetrail for bringing us this pioneering integrated transportation system,” he said.
Guimarães said that that the government was eager to cooperate in the realisation of this initiative. “We want to ensure that the project finds a helping hand on the government side, and help in identifying and resolving any difficulties or situations that could harm its normal operation,” he said.
He said he hoped that the Metrobus would contribute to the disappearance of the precarious conditions endured by those used to travelling in “My Love” open-top vans.
“The appearance of “My Loves ” in Maputo was due to a conjuncture now relieved by this new means of intermodal transport. I believe that they will now have to redirect their operations, leaving the urban environment for the rural and carrying different cargo,” Guimarães concluded.
The Metrobus project results from the partnership between Fleetrail, which financed the acquisition of the equipment and the operating costs, CFM (Mozambiqe Porst and Railways), which is leasing the railway infrastructure, and the municipalities of Maputo, Matola and Boane, and governments of the districts of Marracuene and Machava.
Leave a Reply
Be the First to Comment!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.