By Xiu Ying
SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – A metropolitan train to carry passengers between Santos and São Paulo was tested for the first time this Tuesday, June 18th.
It departed from the Luz metrô station, in São Paulo and made its way downhill towards the cruise ship passenger terminal in Santos. The trial was successfully completed and, according to state deputy Kenny Mendes, the project may come into operation later this year.
The concept, which emerged in June of last year, is for the train to ascend and descend the hills smoothly, carrying passengers from São Vicente, Santos, and Guarujá to São Paulo and back again. A stop in Cubatão is also planned, before beginning the climb, as well as a connection with the Light Rail Tram(VLT).
“The engine is from CPTM [the state train system], but EMTU [the metropolitan bus system] would operate the service. We performed the first trial, and everything went well, it was a success. The implementation of the service will depend on the next trials, but the plan is that it will enter into operation later this year,” he explains.
According to him, the project arose during the election campaign of current São Paulo governor João Doria, in July 2018. For Kenny Mendes, the region’s highways are saturated.
Other stations are under consideration for inclusion in the route, according to the state deputy. The proposed fee is also being discussed. A ticket is expected to vary between R$15 and R$20 (US$5).
G1 contacted EMTU, which did not want to comment on the matter. In a note, the CPTM informed that “a technical trip was performed to assess the tracks for studies being currently conducted”.
Source: G1