The Metro Express line between Quatre Bornes and Rose Hill, will be launched this Sunday, 20 June 2021, by the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, and the commercial service will be operational as from 11 00 hrs. Metro Express passenger service will then be operational every day from 06 00 hrs to 19 00 hrs.
The Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration, and International Trade, Mr Alan Ganoo, made this announcement, today, during a press conference held at the headquarters of Metro Express Limited (MEL), in Ebène. The Chief Executive Officer of MEL, Dr Das Mootanah, was also present.
Metro Express has vehiculated 3.7 million of passengers. Phase 2A, he stated, is ready to welcome passengers at Quatre Bornes Central Station and Belle Rose Station, which are well-equipped and modern stations. The Quatre Bornes Central Station is integrated with other modes of transport as parking spaces for taxis, buses and bicycles are also available.
The new phase of the project is expected that some additional 5,000 to 7,000 passengers avail the Metro Express. According to him, a shuttle service will be implemented on five different routes in phases, to connect other regions such as Residence Kennedy, Ollier, Palma, Berthaud Ave, Bassin and Sodnac, to the Metro Express.
Minister Ganoo also indicated that MEL carried out a survey with some 300 participants last May, showing that nearly 100% of Metro Express users are satisfied with the proposed service, while more that 95% of respondents opt to travel on bord the Metro Express as the Light Rail Vehicles are clean, spacious and offer quality travelling experiences.
For his part, Dr Mootanah underlined that trial runs from Quatre Bornes to Rose Hill have been carried out for the past two months to ensure safety of passengers. He added that five minutes will be required to complete the trip along Phase 2A, which has 3 intersections at Boundary, Ollier Ave and Belle Rose, controlled by Traffic Signal Priority System. Embellishments works have also been carried out along this route. The Metro Express, stressed Dr Mootanah, is a long-term visionary sustainable project, also comprising the construction of several urban terminals.
