Places in Africa and the Middle East « The Transport Politic

Lagos Light Rail Delayed by Cash Shortage

June 23rd, 2009 |

Two corridor project would attempt to restore traffic sanity to Nigeria’s largest city.

Lagos is a huge metropolis — projections put its population at somewhere between 10 and 20 million people — but it lacks an urban rail network. Rather, its citizens mostly rely on small private buses called Danfo or Molue to move about its heavily congested streets and highways. Last year, the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority opened the city’s first bus rapid transit line, which runs 22 km along mostly separated lanes. The project was constructed for $1.7 million per mile, carries approximately 200,000 passengers a day, and saves

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Could Jerusalem Light Rail be a Train to Peace?

May 12th, 2009 |

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Arabs, already benefiting from rising land values around line under construction, clamor for more — including an extension into Palestine

Jerusalem’s almost-completed first phase of its new light rail system has generated considerable controversy — so much so that Mayor Nir Barkat has threatened replacing future extensions with bus rapid transit. The first 14-km project, which is expected to be completed next year, will extend through much of the metropolis, directly next to the Old City, and north past the 1949 Armistice Agreement “Green” Line towards Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. These areas are on the Israeli side of the

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Jerusalem Likely to Abandon Plans for More Light Rail Lines

March 31st, 2009 |

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Mayor Nir Barkat sees their cost as the primary problem and envisions BRT

The Jerusalem Post reports that new Mayor Nir Barkat will cancel the light rail program envisioned for Israel’s capital after the completion of the two initial lines currently under construction. Building the line has caused major headaches in the city core, and Mr. Barkat’s election win last year was in part due to his opposition to the continuation of the project, which would include five more lines. The two lines being built today, however, have been sped up since Mr. Barkat took office and will be completed by 2010

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Algiers Light Rail Vehicles Arrive

March 25th, 2009 |

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23 km streetcar project to complement continent’s second metro line currently under construction

Last week, Algiers accepted the delivery of the city’s first trams from Alstom, which manufactured the vehicles at its facility in France. The Citadis light rail vehicles are as modern as any currently in operation in Europe, and they will be the first trams in operation in Algeria in fifty years. The system, which will traverse the principal sections of the 4 million-person metropolis, is expected to transport 185,000 riders a day, though the first stage will only be 16 km long and likely not carry as many passengers.

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