Africa-Press – Mauritius. The Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Mr Alan Ganoo, effected, today, a site visit in the area of Aapravasi Ghat, in the context of the construction of the Aapravasi Ghat (AG) Metro Station, as part of the Light Rail Strategic Planning of the Metro Express Limited (MEL).
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MEL, Dr Das Mootanah, representatives of several organisations such as the National Land Transport Authority, and the Traffic Management and Road Safety Unit (TMRSU), were present at the site visit.
In a statement after the visit, Minister Ganoo recalled that following the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) approval, the AG Metro Station will be constructed next to the Aapravasi Ghat UNESCO Heritage Site at Trou Fanfaron.
This location, he underscored, is strategic as it will be situated some 800 metres away from the Port Louis Victoria Metro Station and will capture the passengers coming from the North.
Moreover, he indicated that this station will equally serve the local precinct of Port Louis, namely Chinatown, Camp Yoloff, and Plaine Verte from one side, and on the other side, the Waterfront area including the AG historical site, representing a good catchment area that will encourage the public to use this sustainable mode of transport.
Elaborating on the Metro’s trajectory which will be from Place d’Armes, and will pass in front of the Port Louis Post Office, the Intercontinental Slavery Museum and Parc à Boulet, to end at Trou Fanfaron, Minister Ganoo highlighted that this plan is as per the UNESCO’s recommendation.
In addition, the Minister indicated that discussions are ongoing between the concerned Ministries and Departments to finalise the traffic diversions so as not to disrupt the traffic in that area.
As per UNESCO’s recommendation, the volume of traffic in that area given the overall heritage and cultural aspects of the area must be reduced, he noted.
Hence, Mr Ganoo underscored that a new traffic scheme has been worked out by the Ministry of Land Transport and Light Rail, TMRSU, and the Ministry of Arts and Cultural Heritage along with other concerned stakeholders to provide access to all facilities such as the offices and Police station in that area and ensure a smooth traffic flow within the area, through the conversion of some roads into one-way, and other roads into two-way configurations.
Speaking on future extension projected for the Metro Express, Mr Ganoo stressed that the Metro alignment up to Trou Fanfaron will cater for the extension of the alignment to the North, acting as a gateway to the Northern part of the country adding that discussions are already ongoing to extend the Curepipe Metro alignment to La Vigie soon.
As for Dr Mootanah, he indicated that the alignment and the Aapravasi Ghat station will be designed in a way to integrate with the surrounding historical, cultural, and aesthetic values such that the architectural design of the track, stations, and amenities, will accordingly incorporate these values showcasing Mauritian history, similar to the construction of the Mahatma Gandhi Metro Station in Réduit.
As regards the metro alignment alongside the Motorway M2, the CEO revealed that it will consist of one track only in front of the AG World Heritage Site while keeping the existing road configuration as it is, ensuring the seamless integration between the rail alignment and the Motorway.
Dr Mootanah pointed out, in the long run, the AG precinct will be pedestrianised and will be redesigned to integrate both vehicular and train movements and will be controlled by Traffic Signals.
He further observed that there is a need to encourage the inhabitants to use the Metro Express and increase its ridership once it is operational in the region.
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