Mauritius economy on track with historic rail network

Metro Express

Metro Express

SAVIOUS KWINIKA recently in Port Louis, Mauritius
PORT LOUIS, (CAJ News) THE multimillion-dollar Mauritius Metro Express light rail network, dubbed the country’s biggest infrastructure investment project, is set to result in a galore of business opportunities and vast employment opportunities when it takes off.

The newly-inaugurated MUR 18,9 billion ($525 million) rail system project, which covers 26km, seeks to decongest traffic jams by linking the capital Port Louis and the small towns of Curepipe and Rose Hill.

The railway consists of 19 number of rail stations with four interchanges.

Indian company Larsen and Toubro is constructing the project with a MUR 9,9 billion ($275 million) grant from the Indian government. Different financial creditors will invest the additional MUR 9 billion ($250 million).

Local company, Metro Express Ltd, manages and oversees the rail project construction, which is expected to make profit for the country by the year 2022.

It is a flagship project of the government under Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth to lure more tourists and investors into the Indian Ocean island country.

The administration is prioritizing on ease of travelling in Mauritius’ towns.

Besides boosting the tourism sector, the rail project is poised to improve the lives of an estimated 1,2 million people.

“This is the biggest project ever undertaken in our country,” Jugnauth said.

Tourism is the fourth contributor to the Mauritian economy, which is agro-based.

Apart from heavily relying on tourism as its chief source of income generation, Mauritius boasts cane sugar plantations that cover the island’s 36 percent of total arable land.

The island’s peaceful environment is increasingly attracting more investors, mainly from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

They are investing in diverse sectors.

India also enjoys the better share of the market in Mauritius, which is heading for general elections on November 7.

– CAJ News

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