International Solutions for More Sustainable Transport

Technical support worth 11 million Mauritian rupees (US$244,000) has been granted to Mauritius by Crossrail International Ltd (CIL), a public body of the UK Department for Transport.

This support is part of the “Green Cities, Infrastructure and Energy” program, designed to help partner countries develop sustainable projects. A working meeting was held in Port Louis between the Minister of Land Transport, Osman Mahomed, and a CIL delegation. Present on the island from January 19 to 23, 2026, this team is providing its expertise to improve the operation of the Metro Express Ltd (MEL) and support other infrastructure projects.

The delegation is composed of three experts: Simon Bennett, a stakeholder engagement specialist; David Anderson, a transport operations expert; and Mike de Silva, a sustainable development consultant. Their mission is to collaborate with the Public Sector Governance Office to assess the management, maintenance, and profitability of the Metro Express.

Minister Osman Mahomed noted that the MEL was established with the assistance of the Indian government. He emphasized that the government’s goal is to reduce operating costs and enhance the project’s economic and environmental benefits, in line with the “Mauritius Sustainable Island” initiative. Between June 2024 and July 2025, these costs have already decreased by 76.2 million rupees.

However, the Minister also mentioned several challenges: fare evasion, high maintenance costs, free public transport for certain categories of users, overcrowding during peak hours, and the low usage of some stations, such as Saint-Louis, which sees only about 200 passengers per day despite an investment of 300 million rupees.