BRAZIL: Federal development bank BNDES has agreed to fund studies for a 22·8 km light rail line linking Centro Cívico in Curitiba with Afonso Pena International Airport in neighbouring São José dos Pinhais.
A contract for BNDES to provide R$12·5m to fund the technical-operational, economic, legal, and environmental feasibility studies was signed by the acting Mayor of Curitiba Eduardo Pimentel, the Mayor of São José dos Pinhais, Nina Singer, and the CEO of Paraná metropolitan authority AMEP Gilson dos Santos. The feasibility studies are scheduled to begin in March and to be completed by May 2025.
Curitiba’s first light rail is expected to have 27 stops in total, including three serving the established bus terminals at Hauer, Carmo and Boqueirão in Curitiba, as well as Terminal Central in São José dos Pinhais. The line would have a capacity to carry up to 160 000 passengers per day.
The plans envisage the awarding of a concession to implement the line over two years from July 2025 at a projected cost of R$2·5bn, with the public sector contribution to be covered from the federal government’s Growth Acceleration Programme (PAC). The concessionaire would also be expected to cover the cost of the studies being undertaken with BNDES funding.
‘The analysis will show us the costs, the idea of the tariff and investment necessary for the light rail project’, Pimentel explained.
BRT line to be replaced
A 10·6 km section of the light rail line would run along Avenida Marechal Floriano Peixoto, between Praça Carlos Gomes and Terminal Boqueirão. It would take over the segregated alignment of the existing bus rapid transit line which will be discontinued.
Most of the alignment is expected to run at ground level, although the 3·2 km section between Central Terminal and Afonso Pena Airport may be elevated, and a section near Civic Centre could be built underground.
The civic leaders envisage that the urban realm along the route would also be redeveloped, with renewed public spaces and pedestrian walkways as well as new bicycle infrastructure. The four bus terminals would also be renovated.
