Brazil: On 2 July, the city inaugurated the first section of Line 6-Orange, spanning 5.2 km and having six stations equipped with platform doors.
The rolling stock is initially operated in manual mode, and its speed is limited to 30 km/h. Following the launch of the entire 15 km line scheduled for 2027, the trains are expected to start running fully automatically at a speed of 80 km/h.
Platform screen doors at a station on Line 6 of the São Paulo metro. Photo: Divulgação/Governo de SP
By now, Alstom has delivered 12 six-car Metropolis trains, produced at its plant in Taubaté, Brazil. As reported, each trainset with a capacity of 2,044 people features passenger counting, video surveillance, smoke detection and fire extinguishing. The manufacturer indicates that the stainless steel trains have a durability of over 40 years and are lighter than the previous models made with carbon steel. The trains were designed using simulations from Alstom Lab 4.0, a virtual reality laboratory.
Control panel of a driverless Alstom Metropolis metro train for São Paulo. Photo: Revista Ferroviária
Alstom was awarded a contract for a fleet of 22 six-car metro trains in 2020. Line 6-Orange is being constructed under a public-private partnership between the São Paulo state government and the LinhaUni Concessionaire (Brazil), which will operate the line for 19 years. The project has a total investment of BRL 17 bln ($3.2 bln) and is financed by a consortium of 11 banks.
