Mauritius to launch Phase 4 of Metro Express project by the end of 2024

Port Louis, Mauritius (Metro Rail Today): Mauritius is on track to complete the US$550 million Indian Govt-funded Mauritius Metro Express project by the end of 2024. 

The project, launched in 2017, has been progressing at a record pace, with construction contracts awarded to Larsen and Toubro Ltd (L&T). Financial support for the metro comes from a mix of grant funding and a Line of Credit provided by the Government of India.

Back in January 2023, Phase 3 of the Mauritius Metro Express conencting Rose-Hill to Reduit was inaugurated by Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth. Phase 4 of the project, extending the line from Reduit to Cote d'Or, is slated to commence soon with completion targeted for late 2024. India will further contribute a US$25 million grant and a US$300 million Line of Credit.

According to India's High Commissioner to Mauritius, K. Nandini Singla, over US$14 million Mauritians have used the metro, with daily ridership exceeding 45,000. Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) has also been involved in the project, providing general engineering consultancy services.

The metro, India’s first such project in Africa, underscores New Delhi's commitment to bolstering economic development and connectivity in strategically positioned island nations like Mauritius, which forms part of the Indian Ocean strategy. 

India has conducted similar ‘railway diplomacy’ in Mozambique. During his recent visit to the country in April, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar rode in a train that was procured by Mozambique under an Indian-funded Line of Credit (LoC).

The development also comes on the back of increased naval and economic competition with China as New Delhi and Beijing vie for influence in the region. In 2019, China and Mauritius had signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which was billed by some as a major step forward for Beijing’s Indian Ocean strategy.