BRAZIL: Belo Horizonte metro operating concessionaire Metrô BH announced the purchase of 24 four-car metro trainsets from CRRC on June 10.
The vehicles are to feature Automatic Train Operation equipment, passenger information screens and large windows. The final fit-out of the trains is still being undertaken by CRRC and is yet to get final approval from Metrô BH.
According to the concessionaire, CRRC has already started production of the trainsets. The first is expected to arrive in Brazil in early 2026 and the trains are to enter service starting from the first half of that year.
The new vehicles are to replace some of the 25 Series 900 trainsets on Line 1, which were manufactured in the 1980s and lack air-conditioning. They are also to operate on the future Line 2, which would run 10∙5 km from Nova Suíça on Line 1 to Barreiro in the southwest of the city, serving seven stations. Revenue services are expected to start in 2028.
The concession to operate, manage and extend the Belo Horizonte metro was awarded to Comporte Participações in December 2022.
In October last year, Metrô BH awarded Alstom a contract to automate the existing Line 1 and the future Line 2. Alstom is to supply new signalling to enable automatic train operation as well as onboard equipment for the existing fleet plus the 24 newly purchased trains.
