THE Brazilian city of São Paulo plans to start construction of two light rail lines with a total length of almost 12km in 2024 at an estimated cost of Reais 3.7bn ($US 748.2m).
According to municipal secretary of government, Mr Edson Aparecido, the federal government should invest Reais 1.4bn in the project through the Growth Acceleration Programmee (PAC).
The Red and Blue LRT lines will each be 6km long and have 13 stations plus one shared station on São João Avenue where the two lines interconnect. The Red Line will form a figure of 8 while the Blue Line will be circular in shape.
Construction is expected to take up to three years, with the lines scheduled to open in 2027.
The two lines will be operated by five-section LRVs each with a capacity for almost 450 passengers. Demand is estimated at 134,000 passengers per day.
The LRVs will be powered by a ground power supply system rather than overhead catenary to reduce environmental impact.
The two LRT lines will connect with the metro, commuter rail and bus networks and will facilitate access to the Municipal Market, Historic Triangle, 25th of March Street, Municipal Theatre, Sala São Paulo and Mário de Andrade Municipal Library, as well as important parks and squares such as Vale do Anhangabaú, Luz Park, Largo do Paissandú, Largo do Arouche, Sé Square, Dr João Mendes Square, Republic Square, Dom Pedro II Park and Minhocão Park.
The Tram São Paulo project was so named in honour of the trams that dominated public transport in the city at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and remained in service until the end of the 1960s.
A multi-disciplinary working group has been set up to prepare an integrated system implementation plan within 180 days of its first meeting. The team will commission studies to determine project viability.
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