IDB supports metro train system in Brazil

Published: 11-Mar-2010

The Inter-American Development Bank has approved a $481 million loan to help Brazil's State of São Paulo expand and upgrade its Metro Line 5 (Purple Line).

The IDB’s loan will finance upgrading of eight existing six-car trains to bring them up to the same operating standards as the new fleet. It will also finance the design, implementation and supervision of several systems for the train operation, including telecommunications and power supply. The State of São Paulo will cover the cost of construction and supervision of tunnel works and track (12 km of tunnel and 11 new metro stations), the purchase of 26 new six-car trains and signaling system (CBTC- communication-based train control).

Metro line will become fully operational in 2013.

The purple line extension will connect the terminal station Largo Treze with Chácara Klabin on the Line 2 (Metro Green Line). This will reduce travel time to downtown for low-income users in southern neighborhoods by nearly 54 minutes. It will also provide access to eight major hospitals, making basic public services more accessible to a broader spectrum of society.

Additionally, the extension is expected to cause a major shift in traffic patterns, as users move from buses and private cars to the metro. The extension of Line 5 will entail significant environmental benefits by reducing fuel consumption, emissions of air pollutants and carbon dioxide.

Incorporation of digital signaling and track control systems will help cut waiting time between trains from five minutes to two minutes, and enabling more users to travel in greater comfort. Station platforms will have safety glass doors that will open only for loading and unloading, while stations and trains will be equipped with devices meeting the needs of persons with disabilities.

The new Bank loan is for a 25-year term, with a four and half year grace period and a LIBOR-based interest rate.

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