Construction on the Luanda Light Rail is expected to begin in December, with the first line scheduled for completion by the end of 2026. The cost of building the first line of the Luanda Light Rail is projected at USD 3 billion, according to a statement made this week by the Minister of Transport, Ricardo Viegas D’Abreu. Speaking on the sidelines of the third International Cycle of Railway Technical Conferences Angola (RAIL 2025), he explained that “the costs of the first line, including track infrastructure, as well as technological and energy components, will amount to around USD 3 billion.”
According to the minister, the Program for the Improvement of Urban Mobility in Luanda (PRO-MMUL), which includes the Luanda Light Rail, has already been approved, and works are expected to start by the end of the year. “We are doing everything necessary in terms of technical and financial preconditions so we can lay the first stone and begin construction of the Luanda Light Rail by the end of 2025,” he assured.
The first section, which will connect the new airport (NAIL) to the Via Expresso through the Special Economic Zone (ZEE), is expected to be completed in 2026. The second phase will link the ZEE to the 11 de Novembro Stadium. The third phase covers the 11 de Novembro–Zona Verde section, and the final stage of the 60-kilometre rail will connect the ZEE to Sequele by 2030.
The light rail is considered the “crown jewel” of the Program for the Improvement of Urban Mobility in Luanda, a project that the government is now taking full responsibility for, after what appears to have been a failed attempt at a public-private partnership with Siemens.
In 2021, the Ministry of Transport signed a memorandum of understanding with German company Siemens Mobility for the construction of a 149-kilometre Luanda Light Rail, which was intended to cover the corridors from the Port of Luanda to Cacuaco, Via Expresso to Benfica, Port of Luanda to Largo da Independência, and Cidade do Kilamba to Largo da Independência — a project that did not move forward.
In addition to the light rail, the overall program — expected to cost at least USD 3.2 billion — also includes the construction of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lanes, fencing, and overpasses for the Luanda Railway.
Source: Expansão
