Subway and Light-Rail for metropolitan African cities

[BUTEMBO21]

Most african cities cities suffer from public transportation.

Subways, Lightrail, and Mass Bus transit are something that's needed to help stimulate the econoies that are growing very fast.

Lagos, Luanda, Nairobi ,Kinshasa, Accra, Maputo, Dar-es-Saalam,Kampala, Dakar, Kharthoum etc...

North africans such as Algiers, Tunis are alsready having this out there.


I think that mass public transportation is very crusial for development in these super crowded cities.



What do you think?

[Xusein]

Would be nice if more African cities got rid of the minibuses and made their bus systems public first, as well as fix their infrastructure in general. Walk before you run. Having a subway or light rail system is still a long way off in most African cities due to cost as well.

[SAHARA-1]

rail travel is the future for Africa. cars are overcrowding most streets in the bigger cities already, adding more buses or taxis only makes the problems worse. Building more roads is good too, but.....

Building more roads means maintaining more roads, fixing potholes, resurfacing every year etc.

rail (light or heavy) is better in my opinion

[BUTEMBO21]

Originally Posted by Xusein

Would be nice if more African cities got rid of the minibuses and made their bus systems public first, as well as fix their infrastructure in general. Walk before you run. Having a subway or light rail system is still a long way off in most African cities due to cost as well.

Mini buses must go. i despise those things you have no idea.

Fixing the infrastructure is a must, other than that the growth they are witnessing will be short lived.

[JoHaN 15]

Goodbye



Hello

[BUTEMBO21]

Originally Posted by SAHARA-1

rail travel is the future for Africa. cars are overcrowding most streets in the bigger cities already, adding more buses or taxis only makes the problems worse. Building more roads is good too, but.....

I don't want african cities to end up like Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston where they just have these Megga-Freeways/Highways everywhere. it's very expensive to maintain these superhighway and more expensive than Subways and lightrail.

Building more roads means maintaining more roads, fixing potholes, resurfacing every year etc.

It's very expensive to maintain highways than rail.

light or heavy) is better in my opinion

That's right. we are on the same page.

[BUTEMBO21]

Originally Posted by JoHaN 15

Goodbye

These things kill more people than crime on boulevards, igamine them on Freeways/Highways

Hello

That's the future.

[greenandgold]

Originally Posted by JoHaN 15

Goodbye



Hello

Our mini bus drivers popular known as taxi drivers are extreme capitalist who often eliminate those who propose alternetive mass transits. They recent killed one of their own kingpin who agreed to make a deal with a new BRT in Johannesburg and they threatened the public by randomly shooting the buses. They have succeeded in cities like Port Elizabeth in distracting the BRT project by threatening the city council and the general constructors and now they will smile to the bank because these projects wont finish in time even for the world cup.
So some people will not allow progress they will rather see you dead than developing.

[egypt69]

I think the Africa countries which have adopted rail systems the best are Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria. Their inter-city rail services are amazing, nice sleek modern trains.

Correct me if im wrong, but I beleive Cairo currently has Africa's only full fledged metro system.

There are currently 2 lines in operation have greatly eased the stress on Cairo's roads, carrying millions of passengers a day, a ticket costs only L.E 1 (about USD$ 0.18)

There are 4 more lines in plan, to make a total of 6 lines. Line 3 should be completed by october 2012, it will expand the metro's current capacity of 2.5 million daily, to 4.5 million daily. It will connect Cairo Airport in the east of the city, to the west of the city, passing places like Cairo Fairgrounds and Cairo International Stadium. The line will have interchanges with other lines, that connect to Cairo's major areas. Cairo University, The Pyramids, The Egyptian Museum, The Opera House, and the areas full of hotels...

These lines are extremely important, because Cairo Traffic is notorious, and one of the worst in Africa, if not the world. Its impossible to expand the road infrastructure in the centre of the city, which was built for 5 million people, but now has to handle 18 million!!
The 2 lines have done good work, and the 3rd line is expected to decrease the number of people on the road alot.

[greenandgold]

there is also an operating metro system for Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg

[BUTEMBO21]

Originally Posted by egypt69

I think the Africa countries which have adopted rail systems the best are Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria. Their inter-city rail services are amazing, nice sleek modern trains.

Correct me if im wrong, but I beleive Cairo currently has Africa's only full fledged metro system.

There are currently 2 lines in operation have greatly eased the stress on Cairo's roads, carrying millions of passengers a day, a ticket costs only L.E 1 (about USD$ 0.18)

There are 4 more lines in plan, to make a total of 6 lines. Line 3 should be completed by october 2012, it will expand the metro's current capacity of 2.5 million daily, to 4.5 million daily. It will connect Cairo Airport in the east of the city, to the west of the city, passing places like Cairo Fairgrounds and Cairo International Stadium. The line will have interchanges with other lines, that connect to Cairo's major areas. Cairo University, The Pyramids, The Egyptian Museum, The Opera House, and the areas full of hotels...

These lines are extremely important, because Cairo Traffic is notorious, and one of the worst in Africa, if not the world. Its impossible to expand the road infrastructure in the centre of the city, which was built for 5 million people, but now has to handle 18 million!!
The 2 lines have done good work, and the 3rd line is expected to decrease the number of people on the road alot.

That's great. reducing people of the roads is very good for the economy, people will spend less on cars and save more for other amanities and needs.

It brings cleaner air and reduces the coasts for road maintaince( less cars, less maintainance)


I like the facts that the University, Downtown area, Airport, and other very important/popular areas of the city have/would have excess to the rail. it willmake the city's mobity smooth.

[egypt69]

Greendandgold, Oh ok

I dunno its just everywhere I read, I hear the phrase "Cairo has Africa's only full-fledged metro system"

Whats the difference between a full-fledged system, and a not full-fledged system

[egypt69]

Originally Posted by BUTEMBO21

That's great. reducing people of the roads is very good for the economy, people will spend less on cars and save more for other amanities and needs.

It brings cleaner air and reduces the coasts for road maintaince( less cars, less maintainance)


I like the facts that the University, Downtown area, Airport, and other very important/popular areas of the city have/would have excess to the rail. it willmake the city's mobity smooth.

Indeed. And the ticket is rdiculously cheap USD$0.18!!! Despite this, I can tell you from personal experience that the service is a very good one, clean and efficient.

And yes, connecting the major points is definitely a plus, especially the downtown area, airport and stadium connections, gosh, if you've been there you'll know how helpful that is!!

But one of the best reasons is its more environemnetally firendly, since it will take cars off the road. Cairo suffers a major air pollution problem, but thank god, we are begining to see change. All the public buses and taxis now run on Compressed Natural Gas, and undergo regular emissions tests.

[greenandgold]

I have on idea of what fully fledged means in this case Im not a fan of metro trains they just tend to be crowded I rather use articulated buses which are a norm in my home town, oh its by far the largest collection of them in the continet.

[reda85]

Originally Posted by egypt69

I think the Africa countries which have adopted rail systems the best are Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria. Their inter-city rail services are amazing, nice sleek modern trains.

Correct me if im wrong, but I beleive Cairo currently has Africa's only full fledged metro system.

There are currently 2 lines in operation have greatly eased the stress on Cairo's roads, carrying millions of passengers a day, a ticket costs only L.E 1 (about USD$ 0.18)

There are 4 more lines in plan, to make a total of 6 lines. Line 3 should be completed by october 2012, it will expand the metro's current capacity of 2.5 million daily, to 4.5 million daily. It will connect Cairo Airport in the east of the city, to the west of the city, passing places like Cairo Fairgrounds and Cairo International Stadium. The line will have interchanges with other lines, that connect to Cairo's major areas. Cairo University, The Pyramids, The Egyptian Museum, The Opera House, and the areas full of hotels...

These lines are extremely important, because Cairo Traffic is notorious, and one of the worst in Africa, if not the world. Its impossible to expand the road infrastructure in the centre of the city, which was built for 5 million people, but now has to handle 18 million!!
The 2 lines have done good work, and the 3rd line is expected to decrease the number of people on the road alot.

I agree, the rail systems in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia have nothing to envy to those in developped countries, and i think that those countries, which have limited resources, are an example to follow by other african countries . A special mention though to moroccan railway stations, blending authenticity and modernity, to the subway system of algiers and to the lightrail system in tunis .

Morocco : Railway stations :

Tangier main Trainstation:






Fes Train Station :





Marrakech :

Originally Posted by Redalinho

Trains:

image hosted on flickr



interior :


image hosted on flickr


works for the Lightrails in Rabat:

[egypt69]

Amazing mashallah.

Ive said it before several times in this forum, Moroco, Tunisia, Algeria are examples for all countries who want to introduce a top-notch rail service.

I think it has something to do with these countries close ties with France

[JoHaN 15]

Originally Posted by egypt69

Amazing mashallah.

Ive said it before several times in this forum, Moroco, Tunisia, Algeria are examples for all countries who want to introduce a top-notch rail service.

I think it has something to do with these countries close ties with France

+1

Johannesburg has a shitty metro. Or so I've seen on my drives past Johannesburg. Ugly and old trains.

Can't wait for the Gautrain

[88keys]

My friend who studied in Natal, said these guys come out like an army with AK47s and all.

Originally Posted by greenandgold

Our mini bus drivers popular known as taxi drivers are extreme capitalist who often eliminate those who propose alternetive mass transits. They recent killed one of their own kingpin who agreed to make a deal with a new BRT in Johannesburg and they threatened the public by randomly shooting the buses. They have succeeded in cities like Port Elizabeth in distracting the BRT project by threatening the city council and the general constructors and now they will smile to the bank because these projects wont finish in time even for the world cup.
So some people will not allow progress they will rather see you dead than developing.

[greenandgold]

Mini bus drivers are the worst thing in public transport, their doggy stories are endless and you got to have balls of steel to answer back at them of which I do when ever Im found ridding those things they call taxis.

[88keys]

Originally Posted by JoHaN 15

Goodbye

Only in Africa!