The Santos-São vicente LRV: Pioneering medium capacity rail transport in Brazil

Abstract

Two former experiences (Rio de Janeiro and Campinas) with light rail vehicle (LRV) operations in Brazil have failed, mainly due to lack of adequate planning and design. Following the example of Western European cities, many Brazilian cities are currently planning, designing and constructing LRV sytems. This is the case of Rio de Janeiro (Olympic Games 2016), Cuiabá (Soccer World Cup 2014), Maceió and Santos - São Vicente. The latter is an interesting study case, since it relates to two cities within a metropolitan area (the Baixada Santista Metropolitan Area). An extension of this project will connect a third city (Praia Grande). Its first section (Barreiros - Porto) is currently under construction and will be operational by mid-2014. This project, as all other medium capacity projects in Brazil, is designed to provide urban renewal and sustainability, improve connectivity between cities as well as the quality of public transport services. © 2014 WIT Press.