• Angola and Alstom signed a protocol agreement to study a coastal commuter rail line.
• The 50-kilometer Blue Line would link Cacuaco and Benfica to ease Luanda’s traffic.
• The project joins stalled and ongoing efforts to modernize the capital’s rail network.

Angola’s Ministry of Transport has signed a protocol agreement with the French rail manufacturer Alstom to study the development of the Blue Line, a suburban rail project meant to expand transport options in Luanda. The announcement came on the sidelines of the African Union–European Union summit held on November 24 and 25 in the Angolan capital.

The proposed line would stretch 50 kilometers from Cacuaco to Benfica, running along Luanda’s coastline and aiming to ease congestion on some of its busiest roads. With more than 10 million residents, according to World Population, Luanda ranks among Africa’s most densely populated cities. The partnership will examine the commercial, technical, and strategic feasibility of the new rail corridor. Full feasibility studies are expected and would guide whether the project moves forward.

The initiative adds to ongoing efforts by Angolan authorities to modernize the capital’s urban rail system. The public operator currently runs an express service linking the city center to outlying districts, though its performance is limited by technical constraints that reduce both speed and frequency.

Several other transport projects announced in recent years have struggled to take off for lack of financing. Among them is the proposed surface metro line intended to connect the new António Agostinho Neto International Airport to Luanda’s urban core.

Henoc Dossa