By Jay Forte, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – With the official 2017 Carnival dates in the past, the city of Rio will still have one more major weekend of events, the parade of champions in the Marquês de Sapucaí, and another forty blocos (street parties). To help with public transportation, MetrôRio announced a special schedule for the subway system.
Officials announced the metro system will run without interruption during the weekend, starting at 5AM on Saturday (March 4th) and ending at 11PM on Sunday (March 5th). From the start of the operation, on Saturday, Line 2 trains will take the direct route between Pavuna and General Osório, without transfer between the two lines.
Same as during the official Carnival schedule, the organization recommends that users purchase return cards in advance to avoid queuing. Prepaid cards from MetrôRio, Bilhete Único (Single Ticket), Vale Transporte or RioCard card will also be accepted.
City officials say MetrôRio is the best option for those who will enjoy the champions parade at Sapucaí in the Sambódromo. Those who will attend the parade in the odd-side seating sectors should choose to disembark at the Central station. The Praça Onze station is the closest one for passengers who have bought tickets for the even-numbered sectors.
On Saturday and on Sunday, there will be blocos throughout the city, but Centro will host the Bloco das Poderosas (expecting 200,000) and the Monobloco (expecting 400,000), respectively. The Carioca and Uruguaiana stations are the indicated options for boarding and disembarking.
At the Carioca Station, the service of the external box office will be maintained, to expedite the service to the passengers. It is located in Rio Branco access.
In Cinelândia, only Passeio access will be open from 6AM to 8PM on Saturdays and Sundays for arriving and exclusive boarding of users with pre-purchased cards (RioCard, Bilhete Único or Vale-Transporte).
Swedish expatriate living in Rio and owner of Fine Wines, Tony Kemenesi explains, “we live in Barra and do not feel any disruption in traffic there, if I would go to Zona Sul [South Zone] though, I for sure would go by Uber or taxi.”
Carnival this year was officially on Friday, February 24th to Tuesday, February 28th, but many businesses remain closed on the following Wednesday, and every year the following weekend is a last chance to celebrate for revelers.