BRAZIL: Local transport group Comporte Participações has won the bidding auction for the operation, maintenance, modernisation and extension of São Paulo suburban rail lines 11, 12 and 13 for 25 years.
The concession award was announced at the B3 Stock Exchange headquarters in São Paulo in late March, and the contract is due to be signed by the end of the first half of this year. The company had offered a 2·6% discount, with R$1bn to be returned to the state government over the years of the concession.
Comporte beat rival CCR in the auction; CCR had until April 10 to lodge an appeal but has not done so.
The contract requires a R$14·3bn investment programme to be completed by 2040. Works include the extension of the three lines by a total of 26·1 km.
Extensions on the cards
Line 11-Coral will be extended east from Estudantes to César de Sousa over existing freight trackage by 4 km, adding four new stations, and from Luz to Palmeiras-Barra Funda over a section of line that was renewed in 2023 and is currently used by Line 7.
No less than 17 stations are to be renovated, and all level crossings are to be eliminated. Intervals between Palmeiras-Barra Funda and Suzano are to be reduced to 3 min from the current 3·5 min. These interventions are to be completed by the end of 2031.
Line 12-Safira is to be extended by 2·7 km from Calmon Viana to Suzano, sharing tracks with Line 11. Two new stations are to be built and 13 more refurbished. Peak intervals between Brás and Itaquaquecetuba are to be reduced from 5 min to 3 min 15 sec. Work is due to be completed by 2028.
Line 13-Jade is to be extended by 15·6 km in total, from Aeroporto-Guarulhos to Bonsucesso in the east, on a newly built alignment, and from Engenheiro Goulart to Gabriela Mistral at the city end of the route, sharing tracks with Line 12. A total of six new stations are to be built and the existing three rebuilt.
Rush-hour headways on Line 13 are to be reduced to 10 min from the current 15 min, and the Airport Express service is to operate at 30-60 min between Aeroporto-Guarulhos and Palmeiras-Barra Funda. The Line 13 investment package is to be delivered by the end of 2032.
Resilience assessment
The concessionaire is due to complete a detailed study of climate risks and extreme weather events, identifying vulnerabilities both for the operation of the routes and for neighbouring areas, in order to be able to intervene as necessary. It will be required to keep monitoring climate risks on an ongoing basis.
A drainage study is also to be carried out to minimise the effects of potential flooding and landslides, and updated environmental management and fire safety plans are also to be adopted.
Two-year transition period
The concessionaire will have a two-year operational transition period during which it will work with incumbent state-owned operator CPTM. This period will cover staff training, and CPTM will provide Comporte with operational assistance and technical support. The concessionaire is scheduled to take full control in the 25th month and run the routes until the end of the concession.
The concession award marks another significant contract win for Comporte Group in the rail sector. In March last year, it won the concession for the São Paulo – Campinas inter-city train project, working in a consortium with the CRRC’s Hong Kong subsidiary. This also included taking over operation of suburban Line 7 from CPTM.
