BRAZIL: A groundbreaking ceremony was held last month for a 13 km suburban rail line in Arapiraca, the second-largest city in the fast-growing state of Alagoas.
The ceremony was attended by Brazil’s Minister of Transport Renan Filho. Works are expected to begin later this month.
The north-south line is to link the Federal University of Alagoas with João Paulo II. A 9 km section of the line will use part of a former 1 000 mm gauge cross-city railway line which is owned by Ferrovia Transnordestina Logística.
The R$200m investment will cover rehabilitation of the existing railway and the construction of 4 km of new alignment. Revenue services are planned to start in the second half of next year.
The project is being carried out jointly by the federal Ministry of Transport, FTL, the state government and the municipality of Arapiraca. The line is expected to be operated using three two-car diesel-powered railcars. Each trainset would have a capacity of 400 passengers.
