São Paulo awards $US 1.44 billion monorail contract

Tuesday, September 28, 2010 - IRJ Journal

SÃO PAULO Metro (CMSP) has awarded the Eastern Express Monorail Consortium a $US 1.44 billion contract for a monorail line that will serve as a 24km extension to Metro Line 2. The new line, known as Expresso Tirandentes, will have a capacity to transport 40,000 passengers per hour and reach 500,000 passengers per day. The line will have 17 stations and will run from Vila Prudente to Cidade Tiradentes. Journey times will be reduced to approximately 50 minutes from two hours at present by road with the first phase of the system set to open in time for the football World Cup which Brazil is hosting in 2014.   The consortium is being led by Brazilian civil contractor Quieroz Galvão and includes construction firm Constructora and Bombardier as the electrical and mechanical supplier. Bombardier's share of the contract is worth $US 816 million and encompasses design, supply and installation of its Innovia Monorail 300 system. The contract also involves delivery of 54 seven-car trains and Bombardier Cityflo 650 automatic train control technology for driverless operation. "The introduction of our Innovia Monorail 300 system to this great city will increase mobility for citizens, reduce congestion and benefit the local economy as well as the environment," says Mr André Navarri, president and CEO of Bombardier Transportation. "Our investment in local manufacturing is a key element in our project delivery plan and essential for Bombardier's long-term participation in Brazil's fast-growing railway market." Engineering, design and testing of the monorail vehicles will be conducted at Bombardier's site in Kingston, Canada, and the initial vehicles will be manufactured at the company's plant in Pittsburgh, United States. Subsequent cars will be built at its Brazilian plant in Hortolândia. http://www.railjournal.com/newsflash/s-o-paulo-awards-us-1.44-billion-monorail-contract.html