BRAZIL: Alstom delivered the first Series 8900 trainset to São Paulo commuter rail concessionaire ViaMobilidade on February 28. The trains will be used on lines 8 (Diamante) and 9 (Esmeralda).
Under a July 2021 contract, Alstom is manufacturing 36 eight-car trainsets at its Taubaté plant in São Paulo. The supplier has doubled the factory’s capacity as a result of the order.
Forming part of Alstom’s Metropolis range, the 1 600 mm gauge 3 kV DC EMUs can carry up to 2 600 passengers, have wide doors and corridors, large windows and dedicated spaces for people with reduced mobility. They are equipped with a passenger counting system, dynamic route maps, passenger information screens and video surveillance, as well as fire detectors and extinguishers.
The trainsets are made from stainless steel, with bodyshells designed to last more than 40 years. These are lighter than carbon steel designs, meaning the trains will consume less energy than the legacy designs used on São Paulo commuter services.
‘We have been investing heavily in improvements to lines 8 and 9 since we took over the concession in January 2022. The arrival of the first train, out of a total of 36 new trains that we acquired from Alstom, is a fundamental chapter in the path of transformation that we are implementing, while always focusing on providing better services to passengers’, said Marcio Hannas, President of CCR Mobilidade, the majority shareholder in ViaMobilidade.
‘Proud to be part of the modernisation of urban mobility in São Paulo, Alstom delivers the first train for lines 8 and 9. This advanced train, with Alstom automatic train control technology, will allow for more fluid and comfortable circulation for the local population, and marks the beginning of a journey towards the continuous improvement of people’s quality of life through the rail network’, said Pierre Bercaire, Managing Director of Alstom Brazil.
The operation of lines 8 and 9 was handed over by state-owned operator Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos to the ViaMobilidade consortium of 83% by CCR (83%) and RuasInvest (17%) in January 2022. However, since the handover, there have been multiple reports in local and social media of operational failures and disruption.
The concession contract lasts 30 years, and ViaMobilidade has committed to invest around R$3∙8bn in modernisation and improvement works on the two lines, including renewal of the rolling stock.
