BRAZIL: Hyundai Rotem has begun shipping 14 six-car driverless metro trains ordered in 2007 for use on São Paulo's Line 4, which is expected to open next year.

Since entering the Brazilian rail market in 2003, the South Korean firm has also won orders to supply 24 metro cars to Salvador and 80 commuter EMU cars to Rio de Janeiro.

The 12·4 km Line 4 from Luz to Vila Sônia is being built by MetroQuatro under a 30-year PPP concession agreement with Companhia do Metropolitano de São Paulo. Siemens is providing its Trainguard MT communications-based train control.

The first phase between Luz and Butantã is due to open in March 2010, with the second phase expected to follow around three years later.

• Hyundai Rotem is proposing its KTX-II trainset for the high-speed line to link Rio de Janeiro with São Paulo and Campinas.