Luanda Metro Project Making Slow but Steady Progress

First announced in 2019, the Luanda metro project is now entering the ‘development stage.’ So far, two MOUs have been signed between the Angolan Ministry of Transport and Siemens Mobility.

Overall, the Luanda metro is a surface light rail network consisting of 149 km of tracks. The estimated cost is USD 3.5 billion. The project shall be implemented under a Public-Private Partnership (#PPP) as per MoU signed in 2020.

The first phase consists of the Yellow Line which has 24 stations and is 39-km long. It will link the seaport of Luanda to the new city of Kilamba, built by China. Rolling stock depots are also planned at each end of the Yellow Line.

In March 2023, the Presidential office published an update on the Luanda metro project. The implementation of the Yellow Line is estimated to cost around EUR 1.3 billion.

The announcement also indicated that a simplified contracting procedure with Siemens Mobility will be employed to speed things up. As part of the deal, Siemens will also supply 68 four-car Light Rail Vehicles (LRV).

Today, Luanda is experiencing acute traffic jams. The situation is expected to get from bad to worse as the population is forecasted to balloon from the current 8 to 12 million by 2030.