Madagascar’s capital has introduced a new public transportation option. The inaugural cable car journeyed over Antananarivo’s neighborhoods, with President Andriy Rajoelina, city officials, and project contractors aboard.
These cable cars can transport up to 75,000 passengers daily, aiming to alleviate the severe traffic congestion in the city, which now has a population exceeding 3 million.
“Remove 75,000 passengers every day, at bus level, remove 2,000 cars at Tana road level, it’s already a lot in terms of carbon savings and especially mobility,” said Gérard Andriamanohisoa, Secretary of State for New Towns and Housing at the Presidency.
France provided a €152 million loan for the construction project. The cable cars will cover a distance of 12 kilometers. In June, safety tests were carried out to ensure the cars’ reliability.
“We have a lot of sensors in the stations and on the line, to detect any problems before they occur, so we can stop the lift and make sure there’s no risk to passengers. We also have generators to ensure that, in the event of a power cut, we can continue to run the train,” said Guillaume Rannaz, a technical Manager at Poma, the project contractors.
With tickets priced at nearly one Euro each, many Malagasy residents feel the cost is prohibitive, especially since it is six times higher than a bus fare.
Some capital residents are displeased, arguing that addressing power and water outages should have been prioritized over the cable car project.
“We don’t have water, we don’t have electricity, and when we do have water, it’s just mud coming out of the tap, even though we’re still paying the bills! Why not solve these social problems first?,” asked Henry Razafimanantsoa, a resident of Antananarivo.
President Rajoelina has staunchly defended the project, despite criticism that it deepens Madagascar’s debt to France, the country’s former colonial ruler.
“We have to dare to transform and develop our country. It’s always the people who criticized who couldn’t do anything. Whether we should have done this project or not, I say yes. You know, there was a lot of criticism of the construction of the Eiffel Tower. But what is it now that attracts tourists to France? Isn’t it the Eiffel Tower?,” Rajoelina said.
The government has announced plans for a subsidized fare for students and pensioners.
The cable cars will not be available to the general public until 2025.
