Rio buys four more trains from China

This Wednesday, the State Secretariat for Transport of Rio de Janeiro announced the purchase of four more Chinese trains, in addition to the 30 that were purchased last year. The units start to arrive in 2011.

In this deal, the State Government managed to negotiate the new trains for the same price as those ordered in 2009, with no monetary readjustment. The official announcement was made by the State Secretary for Transport, Júlio Lopes, at the Central Station, during the opening of the exhibition of a scale model reproducing the layout of the new trains.

The railway system in the metropolitan region, operated by SuperVia, is ready for an overhaul. Apart from the purchase in itself, these trains, bought with funding from the World Bank, are another victory for the population. The State Government has managed to acquire these four new trains for the same price as those ordered in 2009, without any monetary readjustment. In addition, all 89 stations on the system shall be refurbished, the Secretary said.

The maintenance of the equipment is also ensured. The Secretariat for Transport has negotiated, together with the Chinese consortium, the extension of the technical guarantee for the 34 units, as from the date of delivery.

The trains shall be air conditioned and also have a passenger information system, as well as a closed-circuit television system and  background music, not to mention the integration between the carriages. Each train cost US$ 5.5 million, which is exactly the same price as paid in 2009 when the contract was signed with the Chinese. These acquisitions are part of the second phase of the State Transport Program (PET-2) and were financed by the Banco Mundial (BIRD).

Fonte: Terra News Agency