HST’s Economic Class will cost up to US$ 173

The bid of the bullet train linking Rio to Sao Paulo should provide the maximum rate of US$ 0.34 per km in the economic class.

Considering the distance of 510 kilometers between Rio and Campinas, this means that the company which wins the bidding may charge up to US$ 173 for the trip. In the first class, the maximum rate may be higher than that charged in the economic class, which means a ticket with a maximum price of US$ 304.

These values are higher than the predicted in a study done by the British consulting firm Halcrow requested by the Brazilian government. According to the consultant’s report, the price of high speed train is estimated at US$ 113 for economy class and US$ 198 for the first class.

“The fare of US$ 0.34 per km is the maximum. The dealer may charge less. In fact, the winning bidder will submit the lowest fare and the lowest public funding”, said the executive superintendent of the Agencia Nacional dos Transportes Terrestres (ANTT), Hélio Mauro France.

“This value is the maximum. If the company charges a lot for the fare, it will have trouble when competing with other modes of transport such as airplane and bus”, said.

He explains that the resolution and the study made by Halcrow deals with different concepts, since the charges in the report of the consultancy was a reference for the potential demand for high-speed train.

The project provides at least 60% of the seats of each composition of the high-speed train to be charged as economic class. The maximum price of US$ 0.34 per km considers prices of December 2008, which will be adjusted annually by the Indice de Preços ao Consumidor Amplo (IPCA), which is considered the official inflation index.

US$ 0.34 as maximum rate per kilometer is included in Resolution No. 6 of December 7 2009, published in the Diario Oficial on Tuesday, which gives guidelines for the concession model train bullet. Under the proposal, the winning bidder for the operation of high-speed train will be the company that make the offer with the lowest amount of public funds, respecting the limit of US$ 11,81 bn, and with the lowest rate, considering US$ 0.34 per km.

For the schedule program approved by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday, on December 18th a public consultation on the announcement will be open. Between January 11 and 18, public hearings will be held in the cities in which the high-speed train will pass. The project also was referred to the Tribunal de Contas (TCU) and only after its approval it might be published, which is scheduled for February.

It is estimated that the auction of the HST will be held in May, with delay, and the contracts will be signed in July. Thus, the work should begin by the end of 2010 or in the beginning of 2011.

The government’s proposal provides that the concession period for the HST will be 40 years, while the deadline for payment of public funding will be 30 years. The annual rate of interests will be TJLP plus 1% per year.

Fonte: O Globo