In addition to the further extension of the Metro the city plans the construction of no less than 9 Light Rail lines to be designated T2 to T10 which should be ready by 2020. Conventional light rail vehicles will be provided. They are similar to the existing Light Rail line T1 to Xochimilco which until 1984 was the only remainder of the former tramway system of the city (with US-American PCC cars) which was converted to Light rail and serves as a feeder to Metro line 2. The line is operated by 16 articulated vehicles from Concarril, today part of Bombardier, and early in 2009 four additional cars No. 33-36 have been delivered by Bombardier. Xochimilco station has been generously rebuilt.

In the centre of Mexico City it is now planned to construct a real tramway line which starting at  Buenavista will surround the old town centre as an east-west line. Length of the line will be 11 km, with 22 stops of which 5  connecting to the existing Metro. For this 12 trams will be needed, and a vehicle of type Bombardier Flexity Swift in the colours of Minneapolis (one photograph from Minneapolis, an interior view) was exhibited at Zocalo. Running time will be 46 minutes for a complete round trip, intervals between trams 4 minutes. Direct current at 750 Volt will be used. There will doors on both sides, the floor is low at 350 mm for 70 pct. of the car. All cars have air cushion springs. Up to 4 cars can operate together. Track gauge is 1435 mm. The line should be operating by September 2010 and will be designated as line 1 which points to the possibility of further lines. Unfortunately the offers received turned to be much higher than expected, and therefore the project was stopped. 

The Spanish Firm CAF, Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles S.A.,  known as producer of railway rolling stock, has received a contract for Mexico's capital to build and operate a suburban rail line which should start operation in 2008. The new line connects Buenavista in the North of Mexico City with Cuautitlán in the province of Mexico and has a length of 27 km. The line is using an abandoned railway track bed, has 7 stations and will be operated by 20 three section suburban rail vehicles of type 447 from the Spanish railway RENFE, built by CAF. Total value of the order is USD614 millions. 

The contract includes a provision of a possible further extension of 25 km, and the insertion of an additional car in to the trains. The number of passengers is estimated at 320'000 per day, with a train every six minutes during the rush hours. Travel time is 25 minutes. This compares with 2 hours by road. 

System 2 includes the main line from Martin Carrera to Jardines de Moreles of 20 Kilometre and the branch lines Martin Carrera - Tacuba of 12 Kilomtre, Buenavista - Polanco of 8 Kilometre, Martin Carrera - Otumba of 28 Kilometre and Teotihuacan - Jaltocan of 22 Kilometre. 

System 3 includes the main line La Caseta - La Paz of 14 Kilometre, the branch line La Paz - Nezahualcóyotl - San Raffael of 17 Kilometre, the branch line Nezahualcóyotl - San Rafael of 22 Kilometre and the branch line La Paz - Texcoco of 21 Kilometre.

The trains consist of three to four coaches of which one motor coach at each end, an intermediate coach and eventually a motorised intermediate coach. Automatic Scharfenberg couplers, IGTB equipment and four squirrrel cage motors per motor coach for 25 kV/60Hz alternative current, air brakes and regenerative electrical brakes, air suspension, loudspeakers and information screens are part of the equipment. The coaches have a length of 25 Metre, a height above track of 3,85 Metre, a width of 3 Metre and floor height of 1,15 Metre. Acceleration is 1m/s2, the maximum speed 130 Kilometre /hour, the number of passengers of a three car train 1070, the door width 1,3 Meter. 

Line 2 of the Light Rail line was extended on the 31st October 2007 by 3,2 Kilometres from General Anaya to Universidad.
On the 1st October 2009 the line has been extended in elevated position by a further 5 Kilometre to Sendero. 

Opret, the government authority responsible for the restructuration of public transport in the republic has given ALSTOM an order for 19 METROPOLIS trains with a total value of €92,5 millions. Each train consists of three cars which will be delivered for the opening at the beginning of 2008.

Santo Domingo has 2,2 million inhabitants. The first line, after a modification of the original plans after a request by the city, has a length of 16 km and 16 stations. Of these five stations starting at the northern terminal Mama Tingo are on a viaduct over Avenida Hermanas Mirabel, the next station at street level in the Avenida Máximo Gómez,, the next seven underground under the same avenida, two underground under the Avenida Corres y Cidron, and the terminal station Centro de los Heroes underground under the Avenida Jimenez Moya in the south. Intervals between trains will be 3 minutes, and 200'000 passengers are expected per day.

In the mean time three coaches of the first train were  shipped on the 11th December 2007 and arrived at the end of 2007 in Santo Domingo . Trial operation has started. Start of operation is expected in September 2008.

Test operation started on the 27th February 2008. In the meantime a second test train has arrived.

Now the start of service has been planned to take place between 25th November and 15th December 2008. A video shows the line in full operation. Then on the 22nd December 2008, experimental operation started which was free of payment for the passengers. During this time the signalling installations were to be checked. On the 29th January 2009 the definitive inauguration of the line took place. The line shall transport up to 200'000 passengers per day. 

There are further plans for a line 2 which however should be built as "Light Rail" and run in the median strip of Avenida Kennedy. For this project Siemens should be responsible with a Turn-Key contract, and for this line the firm LRTC has made preliminary studies. A further project would be line 3 in Avenida 27 de Fevreiro.

The second largest city of the republic shall receive an LRT Light Rail line which  is situated in east-west direction and will have a length of 22 km. The line connects the major points, the industrial park, the historical inner city (where it will be subterranean), the Cibao airport and other densely inhabited areas. The plans were worked out by FEVE of Spain which has considerable experience of this type of operation. In the meantime the order has been placed with FEVE. Start of construction is by mid-2009, the cost is indicated as USD3000 millions.

With the purchase of 12 diesel engines and further railway material from China in 2006 the revitalisation of the Cuban State Railways was started. In total , 112 engines of type DF7G-C have been purchased. They will be built by the renowned firm of CNR at Beijing. The firm has been delivering engines, rolling stock and other railway equipment since 1886 and owns more than 20 factories all over China. The locomotives have 2500 HP and a maximum speed of 120 km/hour. Furthermore 28 engines were ordered in Russia. The locomotives are destined for passenger and goods traffic. In total, the Cuban State Railways own more than 300 locomotives for passenger and goods traffic, mainly from the USA, Canada, Mexico and Russia. In addition passenger and goods vehicles will be put into service, part of this from Iran. 

This country wishes to rehabilitate lines with a total length of 555 Kilometres. Because of the political problems in the 80s of the last century the existing lines were progressively closed. Officially the operation of the railways which almost completely connected the country and had a strong goods and passenger traffic ceased in October 2002. A strong competition by buses which reach the villages more directly contributed to the downturn of the railways. At present the state railway FENADESAL, Ferrocarriles Nacionales de El Salvador, which is governed by the CEPA, Comisión Ejecutiva Portuária Autónoma, operates a passenger transport between Apopa and El Salvador which also passes through Ciudad Delgado, from Monday to Friday. The train consists of a diesel engine and passenger coaches. Fare is 10 Centavos of a Dollar per passenger.

In the mean time on the suburban line in San José between Pavas Metropolis and Universidad Latina two FEVE three car trains of series 2400 Apolo have been introduced which were taken over in 1993. In Costa Rica the trains are numbered UT300 respectively UT400. If one of trains fails usually locomotives 84 and 86 with up to 8 passenger coaches are operating. This offers a greatly increased capacity which, however, is urgently needed. However there must be one locomotive at each end as underway there is 180 degree turnaround. The trains operate regularly five times a day from Monday to Friday. 

In addition to this suburban traffic there is an excursion train "Tren de la Tica" on weekends from San José to the Pacific coast at Calderas. In the Limon urban area on the Atlantic coast there are if required excursion trains for the arriving cruise ships.

A new project is the reactivation of the railway line from San José to Heredia. Heridia is situated some kilometres north-east of San José. The existing track shall be dug out and repaired, and four more second hand Apolo two car trains from FEVE have been acquired. The trains were built between 1983 and 1986 by the firm of MTA S.A. at Macosa, and have been overhauled between 1998 and 2000. Of the original three car trains the intermediate car had been removed in Spain as the MAN motors had become weaker. They have 6 cylinder diesel engines by Volvo and diesel electric drives, have space for 270 passengers and are air conditioned. Running time will be 20 minutes. 

Brasil has granted the Republic of Panama a loan of USD1 billion for the construction of a subway in the capital Panama City.

Venezuela is at present the country of Latin America, which - apart from Chile - most intensely promotes public transport. In addition to the extensions and new lines of the Caracas metro a new suburban line was opened in Caracas, in Valencia and Maracaíbo the first new LRT Light Rail lines were inaugurated and in Mérida a new trolleybus system opened. In Barquisimeto a further trolleybus system and electric suburban lines will be constructed. By 2009 about 4000 km of railways should open, and this for both passenger and goods traffic.

As part of these projects Venezuela has concluded a contract with China for the construction of 468 Kilometres of railway between Tinaco and Anaco, with a total value of USD7,5 billions. These railways shall connect the four northern provinces  Cojedes, Guárico, Aragua and Anzoátegui. As part of the contract China participates with a share of 40 pct.. at the construction of a factory for goods wagons. Top speed will be 220 Kilometres per hour.  The lines will be diesel operated and standard gauge. Construction time is 40 months. Ten stations are planned, and six million passengers and more than 10 million tons of  produce will be transported per year. 

In order to be able to cope with the continuously increasing number of passengers and following the  example of São Paulo, empty trains are inserted into the line which passengers can only board during the rush hours at the most used stations. Until 2012 line 1 shall be completely overhauled, and then these measures can be dropped. By then 12 new trains shall be in service.

 Following the example of the Colombian city of Medellín, Caracas has built the MetroCable San Augustin as a cable car line. The line connects at the Parque Central station to Metro line 2 and shall provide the inhabitants of the hills with a better connexion to the city.

The government has ambitious plans for goods traffic. The line from Puerto Cabello to Barquisimeto  (province Lara) with a length of 173 km is to be  be modernised under the designation "Ferrocarril Bolívar". On this line it is also planned to operate passenger trains. As the present stock consists of only twelve coaches, additional coaches are to be ordered.

In the mean time five multiple-unit trains with two motor coaches each and each with space for three hundred passengers and equipped with toilets and air conditioning have arrived at Barquisimeto. Furthermore 152 flat cars for containers and large size goods, 42 special cars for wheat transport of maximum 58 tons and six covered goods cars as well as eight diesel locomotives, all of chinese manufacture, have arrived.

The trains that have arrived so far are now being the subject of intensive tests. In Barquisimeto there is a track of 1600 m length for this purpose. Later tests will follow with higher speeds on a section of the 5 km line between Yaritagua and Acarigua. The first section as far as Yaritagua should start operation in the first quarter of 2009 and transport 70'000 passengers per month and 6 million tons of goods per year. For this 12 goods trains and 5 passenger trains will be available. The remainder of the line as far as Acuarigua will follow in the second half of 2009.

In the meantime the first 10 buses have arrived and have started test  runs.

On the 8th June 2009 the Light Railway was  extended from Sabaneta to Libertador.  

As part of the railway line to Sogamosa a length of 25 km outside of Bogotá shall be double tracked, so that a suburban railway line can be installed. 

For the supply of 10 three car trains for an extension of line 1 by 2,5 Kilometre to Sabaneta offers have been called for. Line 3 has been built as an aerial cableway. 

Between Tambo and Coyoctor, an archaeological excavation site, an excursion transport will installed. The track with a length of 3,5 Kilometre has been repaired and Tambo station renovated. Transport will be by an Autoferro which recently has been overhauled.

The new operator of the railway from Cuzco to Agua Calientes, Andean Railways, has ordered in the USA 12 diesel hydraulic motor coaches, the first of  which shall arrive shortly. They have air conditioning, panoramic windows and space for 60 passengers. The new designation is Machu Picchu train, and by May 2009 the vehicles shall be in operating condition and by then also new timetables shall be ready.

At the beginning of November 2008, some new development started by a public call for offers. Cost of rebuilding is estimated to be 14 billions of Pesos. By this, the speed can be raised from 20-30 to 40 km per hour. By 2010 the line should  be ready for operation. Mainly benefiting is the harbour of Arica.

The firm of Amsted Maxion delivers from its factory at Hortolândia in the interior of the local state of São Paulo the diesel hydraulic locomotive of type DH-10 with a performance of 1340 HP or 1000 kW which, however, can be increased to 3200 HP to meet the requirements of the customers. Locomotives with a low performance have an average life span of 40 years in Brasil.

Scientists of the Engineering Department of the University of São Paulo have developed a locomotive simulator which shall be ready for operation by 2010. Up to now, engine drivers were trained in a classical way or with the help of simulators developed abroad. 

Work on the reconstruction of this railway was taken up by Santo Antônia Energia. Cost of the work will be BRR20 millions. The line was closed in 2000 and is classified as a national monument. Also involved is the M-MRS Madeira-Mamoré Railway Society.

State President Luíz Inacio de Silva opened on the 8th May 2009 the first section of this new tourist train on a journey from Aquidauana, 130 Kilometre from Campo Grande, to Palmeiras do Sul in the local state Mato Grosso do Sul over 140 Kilometres. In the meantime the first trains started to operate betwee the capital of the local state of Mato Grosso do Sul and Miranda over 200 Kilometres.

Already in the 80s of the last century there was an excursion train only operating on Sundays with diesel units from São Paulo to Paranapiacaba which included a visit to the machinery of the famous inclined rope system which for this purpose was put into action. Now there is a new project for a similar train which, however, in the first place will operate from São Paulo to Jundiaí. Start of this train was in the middle of December 2008, as "Circuito das Frutas" (fruit trip). It operates every Saturday. From the end of the year onwards the same train will operate every Sunday from São Paulo to Rio Grande da Serra (up to this place the CPTM is responsible), as the section from there to Paranapiacaba has not been authorised by MRS. The trains will be using historical equipment of the ABPF,  Associação Brasileira de Preservação Ferroviária. A further excursion  destiny is the city of Mogi in the eastern part of the city (on line 11/Coral of the CPTM). This line shall operate from São Paulo by May 2009.

This city known by its bus factories which produce aluminium bodies following Swiss patents would like to remove the railway lines (goods traffic) from the town centre. So the connexion to São Francisco do Sul will be shortened by 8 Kilometres, and the problems with the road users diminished. The re-routed lines have a length of 18 Kilometres. 

The railway tracks which at present cross the centre of the city shall be moved and the crossing with the city  transit be simplified. 

For the ten trains one offer only was received: from AnsaldoBreda in Italy.

This city which is situated 240 Kilometres west of Fortaleza in the local state of Ceará wishes to build a Light Rail line. It will be similar to the Metrô do Cariri and be operated by five diesel hydraulic rail coaches. The South line will have a length of 7 Kilometres, the North line of 4 Kilometres. A former freight line will be used for part of the system.

On this line in the south of the state of Ceará (capital Fortaleza) there has been until march 1991 a local railway operation for pilgrims with trains from Fortaleza who visited Juazeiro do Norte (and goods operation until December 1995). Now it is intended to modernise this line of 14 km and start an interurban light rail service. The two cities have together 330'000 inhabitants. With this relation, an old request of the population will be realised. Total cost are estimated at BRR13 millions.

For this purpose the line is being repaired. At Crato the new station is being built along the cultural centre of Araripe, to generate has many passengers as possible. Two new stations are built in the suburbs Araripe and Muriti. In addition two more stations similar to the tube stations of the buses at Curitiba are inserted in Júazeiro da Norte, and a maintenance workshop and control centre installed. Later Barbalha will be included.

The two  diesel hydraulic train sets consist each of two coaches and have space for 330 passengers of which sixty are seated. They have air conditioning. Maximum speed is 60 km/h. The sets are presently under construction at the firm Bom Sinal Industría e Comércio Ltda. at Barbalha which for the first time manufactures rolling stock. They should be finished by the end of the year.

Now two vehicles have been finished. Opening has been postponed to 2009. More photographs can be found on the portuguese language section of the Bom Sinal web site, a PowerPoint presentation. Bom Sinal collaborates with Grupo Trends Engenharia e Tecnologia which is specialised on developments in public transportation. Opening of the line has been postponed to 2009. A new opening date has been set for the 24th November 2009.
 

This CBTU system has received four new passenger coaches which have been rebuilt in the workshops. At present two train sets with four coaches each operate and serve, apart from João Pessoa, Santa Rita, Cabedelo and Bayeux. The additional coaches will replace an existing train..

In the meantime three more coaches have arrived, and a further three are being expected. The project for the improvement of the system envisages the renovation of 9 stations, and two new stations, one in the district Alto do Mateus, and one at the beach of Poço.

Also João Pessoa shall receive diesel VLT (Vehículo Leve sobre Trilhos, Light Rail vehicles. The same goes for Maceió in the local state of Alagoas and Natal as well as Fortaleza. The vehicles shall be delivered by the firm of Bom Sinal and Trends Tecnologia.

The suburban railway to Cabo was extended by one station from Imbirabeira to Shopping Sul. On the 17th November 2008 the line was extended by one station to Tancredo Neves. Also on this system it is intended to create a VLT line with vehicles from Bom Sinal and Trends Tecnologia. On the 23rd March 2009 the line was extended to Cajueiro. The remainder of the line to Cabo shall be finished by November 2010. In the meantime a total of 14 trains was modernised and equipped with air conditioning, three more will follow by August. By February 2010 all trains shall be air conditioned. 

The missing five stations shall now be finished by March 2009, but without the transfer terminals to the buses. At present only four trains are available so that the interval between the trains would be 12 to 15 minutes. For a further reduction four more trains would be required. 

On the suburban line to Paripe a total of three used and rebuilt trains from the suburban lines of São Paulo were inserted and several stations renovated. At present, not more than three train units are in service, but this permits the reduction of the intervals from 45 to 30 minutes. A fourth train will follow later, and then the interval can be reduced to 15 minutes. A further three second-hand trains from the suburban lines of São Paulo  are awaiting reconstruction. 

For the trains of the new LRT  Urban line, for which the first of 24 trains ordered from Rotem in Korea should arrive soon, a new construction of Scharfenberg couplers by the firm of Voith with the designation One4 (also called quatro em um, or four in one, has been included which should reduce the maintenance cost by 80 pct. In the meantime the first 12 coaches have arrived at Salvador. The termination of construction of the first part to Acceso Norte is expected by May 2009. In the meantime the funds for the second part of the line from Acceso Norte to Pirajá have arrived so that the entire line of 12 km can start operation. In the meantime the remaining 3 trains with 12 coaches have arrived. New date for the completion is November/December 2009. This means additional cost, as the trains have to be protected against the climate, a request of Mitsui and Rotem.

The CPTM, Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanas, which operates the suburban network in São Paulo, will support the CTS, Companhia de Transportes de Salvador, which will operate the LRT Urban line in Salvador on the installation of services. This includes the training of the staff, the establishment of operating regulations, and operating strategies, and the CPTM will be helping the CTS with the start of operation of the first section of six Kilometres.

The up to now furthest out terminal station Ceilândia has been opened. Until October the line will only be operated on a trial basis. Passengers can travel as far as Praça do Relogio  station. The fare is BRR2.--. At present 58'000 passengers use the Metrô per day. the extension should increase the number of passengers by 12'000, as the intermediate stations will open later. Of a total of 29 planned stations by the end of the year only 16 will operate. At present the cost of the maintenance which is carried out by a private firm is higher than the passenger income. In addition, a joint ticketing system is planned with buses and minibuses (so-called Vans). A further five stations shall be operative by April 2008. These stations were opened in the middle of april. 

A new order for 12 trains with four coaches each has been put to tender which shall be delivered in May 2010, and which increase the rolling stock from 20 to 32 trains. On 4th June 2009 the station 102 Sul was opened. All trains shall be converted from ATC (automatic train control) to ATO (automatic train operation). Thereby the distance between trains can be reduced from 4,5 minutes to 3 minutes. At the same time the line ending at present at Ceilândia will be extended by two stations and 3,2 km and go to the urban Sector East of Samambaia. This will be opened by 2010. Asa Norte will receive its first underground station around 2010.

As a new feature, the VLT system, Vehículo Leve Sobre Trilhos (see also under Recife) shall also be used in Brasilia. The first part goes from the terminal Asa Sul to Brasilia Shopping (8,7 Kilometres, cost BRR776 millions) and shall be inaugurated in September 2010. Then follow the lines Aeroporto Internacional to Terminal Asa Sul (6,5 Kilometres) and Brasilia Shopping to Terminal Asa Norte (7,4 Kilometres. A map shows the situation of the line.
For the North South  line, Alstom and Siemens have made offers for 35 vehicles. Now the decision for the vehicles has been made. Alstom delivers from France  16 complete tramcars of type "Citadis" of which up to now more than 1000 cars have been delivered and of which the major part - without problems - operate world wide; a further 23 cars will be built in Brasil . The cars have a length of 42 Metres, a width of 2,65 Metres, a speed of 70 Kilometres per hour and space for 400 passengers. Current will on 1,2 Kilometres come - similar to the new tramway in Bordeaux/France - from below the cars by the system APS (Alimentation par le sol) instead of a catenary which however is much more expensive. Similar systems are from Bombardier (Primove) and from AnsaldoBreda (Tramwave). €140 million come from the French state whose president Sarkozy was present at the presentation of the offer. A video, which, however, was taken in Mulhouse shows one of their own vehicles which for the visitors from Brasil received green stripes. The transport system TaM in Montpellier will, by a separate contract, furnish technical support until the opening of the system. Montpellier itself has not yet any lines with APS current collection.  

This town in the local state of Rio de Janeiro, 150 Kilometres north of Rio de Janeiro at the coast and which has become reach because of oil sources in front of the city wishes to build a Light Rail systems with VLT diesel hydraulic vehicles from Bom Sinal. This would use a former railway line of  FCA Ferrovía do Centro Atlántico (which is part of the Companhia Vale do Rio Doce) and which was closed to traffic eight months ago. It runs along an existing motorway which connects the north and south of the city. Running time would be 43 minutes.
 

Once again, the 14 streetcars had to go to the workshops, this time at T'Trans which belongs to  Central which earlier operated as Flumitrens which latter firm, however, is being liquidated at present. The cars receive new modern motors and brakes. Of the 14 cars four will be kept as reserves, ten are sufficient for operation which also should be extended to Silvestre again (tourist trams). 

As a new development, the tramway  shall be privatised. The French firm Sistran Engineering is working out a proposal b the end of the year. This will also contain proposals for the fares which also will include the possibility of a reduction for local inhabitants.

In the meantime, attention has been given to the track. A total of 6 Kilometre of track with sleepers and the respective points at the bifurcation and depot access at the Alto de Guimarães have been replaced. However, this was not accomplished to European standards. Further urgent replacements are necessary for 3 Kilometre of track and further points, and also the catenary should be replaced as the electronic drive puts higher demands on the current supply. 

Of the old cars only three are still in constant service. Now the first of the rebuilt cars, No. 8, has arrived which however does not please the inhabitants of Santa Teresa. For the old vehicles, the electrical equipment of which dates from the beginning of the last century, there are however no more spare parts. Now the new car is being tested. The new cars look similar to the old ones, the old body has been measured piece by piece, and with this information the new body was built. Probably new is the truck, certainly new the motors and the electronic gear. The cars have three brakes: the electric brake, new the electro pneumatic brake  (with a an emergency brake) and a hand brake. On the up to now only photograph the new element on the roof can be seen. To start with the car, laden with sand bags which simulate the weight of the passengers, curved through the streets of Santa Teresa. Later the car has gone back to the manufacturer, T'Trans in Três Rios, in the local state of Rio de Janeiro, for repairs. In the meantime, seven renovated cars have been delivered and are operating. During an unusual accident an uphill car was damaged during a normal stop by a taxi going downhill. Thereby the air brake was damaged and the car descended downhill without any brake effect. With the help of the hand brake and an ordinary bus going uphill, the car was stopped, but one passengers was killed and several others slightly injured. A track brake which would have stopped the car in time seems not to be available.

The section of the line between Dois Irmãos and Silveste which was operated by some tourist trams connecting to the Corcovado railway was closed as the copper overhead had been stolen. Possibly this will be now replaced as there is a touristic interest in the renewal of the connexion to the Corcovado railway. 

As the new contract with the former operators was finally accepted, now it is becoming urgent to order new rolling stock. Of course, first the finance has to arranged. Seven trains are envisaged with a capacity of 150 passengers each. The trains will feature air conditioning and operate 30 pct.. faster. The trains will be built as before by the firm of  Stadler as successor of SLM which delivered in 1978 the existing trains and which is today world wide the only firm which produces rack trains. The trains shall be delivered by 2010 and cost a total of BRR15 millions. It is also intended to attract more passengers from cruise ships.
 

The Metrô continues its extension plans slowly but steadily. The northern section of line 1 shall be extended by one station from Saens Peña to the new terminal Rua Uruguay, and there a four-car set should operate a shuttle. The extension passes through the so-called  "Rabicho de Tijuca", which originally was planned as a reversing section and storage track, but never was used as such. It was then converted into a car parking area, but there presently fifty spaces are empty, so that there is no problem for the extension. Afonso Pena station on the same section will receive escalators and lifts for wheelchair users. Estácio which is a connexion station to line 2 receives two additional escalators and two fixed stairs as well as a counter with Braille inscription and information of the Metrô system.

At the southern end of line 1 in Copacabana, construction continues towards Ipanema, and the section to the next stop, Cantagalo, was opened on the 22nd December 2006, but the new station and part of the infrastructure are not yet ready. At present a four car shuttle operates at 25 km/h every 30 minutes.  In the meantime, the remaining infrastructure works was finished, and normal operation started on the 18th February 2007. From there to the previously planned terminal at Praça General Osorio in Ipanema the distance is only 779 Meter, and the Metrô is confident to receive funds for this. General Osorio station will have a length of 136 Meter and be 26 Meter below the surface. There will be three platforms. There will be two exits, one on Rua Sá Ferreira in Copacabana and one on Rua Jangadeira in Ipanema, near Praça General Osorio. The station is expected to be used by 50'000 passengers per day who can count with 13 rolling stairs. In addition, there will be two elevators and two vertical lifting platforms for wheel chairs users. For the inhabitants of the nearby Favela Cantagalo, a vertical elevator and a separate entrance will be provided. Construction has now started, a and a construction time of 30 months is envisaged so that the opening in 2009 should be feasible .

Between Botafogo and Siqueira Campos, trials have started with a fully automatic service. This could reduce the intervals between the trains by 90 seconds, and for this four additional six-car trains will be ordered.

Again resurfaced has the long existing project for line 3. As originally planned, the line should have been a continuation of line 2 from Estácio (on lines 1 and 2) via Cruz Vermelha and Carioca to Praça  XV, and then in a tunnel to Niteroí and from there on the alignment of the existing diesel line to São Gonçales. Tunnel work to Cruz Vermelha had already started earlier and the excavating machine is still underground as it was cheaper to leave it there. According to the new plans it starts as line 3 at Carioca, but already a discussion has started, as the original plans would help to reduce the present overcrowding of line 1. As with the new line 1-A  this problem has been solved for the time being and the present pleasant ferries (journey time 20 minutes) have been replaced in the meantime by large catamarans with a journey time of 12 minutes and these are except in rare cases of fog, together with the fast catamarans and the fast air cushion boats which operate directly to Itamaraí, and together with the beautiful viaduct, absolutely capable to transport the present crowds, and for financial reasons, as  preliminary investment for this line only the line between Niteroí and São Gonçales will be built. It will have 14 stations and travel partially on a viaduct. Part of the existing line  between Barreto and Itaborei which at present has two trains per day with outdated and run-down material, will be modernised. However, various new inhabitants who in the meantime have settled along and on this line must be resettled.

In order to relieve line 1 effectively, the previously planned course of line 2 will be changed. As line 1-A it will as of now run from São Cristovão as an over ground line, with a station named Cidade Nova in front of the Municipal Administration (Prefeitura) in  Avenida Getúlio Vargas (with an overhead pedestrian passage), to Central and there be inserted into the existing line 1 to Botafogo. With this measure , however, the capacity of line 2 is being reduced by 20 pct., as on line line 1 only six car trains are possible due to the platform length, instead of of eight car   trains on line 2. For this 108 new coaches will be ordered. With this, the transfer problem has been moved from Estácio to Central, but not resolved. The trains should operate at a four minutes interval. The present connexion to Estácio will be maintained and can be used on days with little traffic. Progress on the work can be directly follow on the Metrô web site.

For a long time a station near the shopping centre Rio Sul has been found missing. This centre did not wish to participate with the construction cost as their customers of high standing would in any case arrive by their own cars or if necessary by bus. On the line itself a space was reserved during the construction of the extension from Botafogo to Arcoverde in Copacabana. Now Metrô will take up the missing work and plans a station at the Rua Alvaros Rama. The grounds are already owned by Metrô. From the station exit an existing pedestrian overpass will lead to the shopping centre. At present the economic question is being examined. If all the permits have been arranged, construction time will be 18 months.

For the actual lines Metrô will purchase 18 six car trains. These will be manufactured in China. The existing manual signalling of line 2 between Maria Graça and Pavuna will be replaced by automatic signalling. This and the above mentioned new line 1-A will be part  of a new contract with Opportrans - since 2005 controlled by the city - and provided, built and paid by Metrô. For this, the new contract will run to 2037 instead of 2017. The new features shall be operative by 2009. Not included is the extension of line 1 to Ipanema which will be provided by the State.

In order to gain more space, the interior of the cars is being renewed. This includes the installation of longitudinal seats. Newly introduced were magnetic cards in place of the present paper tickets.

The former planning of an extension of line 1 as line 4 from Saênz Penha to Barrra will be discarded, also the branching off from line 1 in Botafogo in the direction of Barra. Now the plans are for the construction of line 4 from  Barra (Jardim Oceánico) to Gávea, and line 1 will be extended from Ipanema (new stations Praça Nossa Senhora da Paz and Avenida Henrique Dumont) via Leblon (stations Avenida Bartolomeu Mitre, Largo da Memória  and Avenida Afrãnia de Mello Franco, in front of Shopping do Leblon). At Gávea then there will be a connexion to line 4. Thus the passengers to Botafogo will not anymore have to change trains and one ticket is enough for the journey to the centre of Rio.

New owner of the Metrô is the investment fund Invepar.

Continued  rebuilding of this suburban railway includes the purchase of 120 trains with air conditioning and the overhaul of a further 32 trains. The trains shall operate at an interval of 3 minutes (at present 10 minutes) and daily transport 1,5 million passengers. The introduction of electronic tickets has started.

For the passengers at the terminal station Dom Pedro II departure screens were introduced. A total of 14 stations have been thoroughly renovated. On the platforms the ticket counters are being separated from he access gates. A further 20 train will be equipped with air conditioning so that the total of air conditioned trains will 89. This corresponds to 37 pct. of today's active 159 trains.

Now a call of offers for thirty more trains has been issued. With these trains delivered, 50 pct. of the fleet would be renewed. 

Already in May 2001 Flumitrens was dissolved. The lines were transferred to a new organisation under the name of Companhia Estadual de Engenharia de Transportes e Logística, but is better known as Central. In fact the former famous Central do Brasil was in part predecessor of the new network. At present operating are the line Guapimirim with 17,3 km and 19 stations which goes from there to Saracuruna, the line Niteroí with 32,8 km and 14 stations from there to Visconde de Itaboraí which both theoretically operate daily from 5 h to 23 h, and since 16th of January 2007 the line Campos (on behalf of the city of Campos) with 2 km and 4 stations and an operating time of 8 minutes from Central de Campos to Guarus which should operate daily from 6 h to 16.30 h. The line Barinha from Japeri to Barra do Piraí is being rebuilt, the line Itaguaí from there to Santa Cruz is at the planning stage. The average speed is 20 km per hour, track gauge 1000 mm and the lines are diesel operated. Rolling stock on the line Niteroí consists of 3 GE locomotives of type U-12B of 1200 HP from 1957 (1 in operating condition) and on the line Guapimirim 6 GE locomotives of type U-12C with 1200 HP from 1957 (3 in operating condition) as well as 26 passenger coaches Pidner (Brasil) of series U (5 in operating condition) and 5 passenger coaches Pidner (Brasil) of type UC (4 in operating condition); on the line Guapimirim 3 train sets can be formed (but usually only one operates which instead of the planned 6 daily journeys runs only 1 to 2 times a day, on the line Niteroí there is sporadically one train set and on the line Campos operates one train set.

A further part of this organisation is the Bonde, the tramway at Santa Teresa.

The line Guapimirim is at present being repaired. For this funds of BRR9 millions have been provided. Reason for this was the derailment of a passenger trains. Work is restricted to the section from Guapimirim to Magé, 
 

Due to new law all transport undertakings in the state of São Paulo must provide for overweight passengers  with a body mass index of over 40 (weight in kg, divided by height in cm in the square) a number of wider seats. This must be arranged within four years. For this, it is intended to use the seats up to now reserved for pregnant women, senior citizens, mothers with perambulators and users of wheel chairs. Asides from the trains also seats in stations, in buses, cinemas, theatres and entertainment places must be adapted. New is also a law which reserves during the rush hours from 6 to 9h, from 12 to 14h and from 17 to 20h one coach exclusively for women. The same law is in force in Rio de Janeiro.

As of recent passengers may transport bicycles on the trains, but only on Saturdays between 15 and 20 hours, and on Sundays and Holidays between 7 and 20 hours. Special floor markings show the doors to be used. In the meantime 15 Bicycletarias were opened on the system where bicycles can be stationed or even be rented. Since the opening in September 2008 50'000 passengers have used this service.

As the number of passengers on the existing lines continues to increase with the introduction of the integrated bus/Metrô, further measures had to be taken to manage the streams of passenger traffic. Already today the trains on the strongest line 2/Red/Leste-Oeste travel at intervals of 100 seconds and at a maximum speed of 100 km/h. For many years, the capacity of 75'000 passengers per hour and direction had been reached, all values reached in very few cities of the world. At busy stations such as Praça República on line 1/Blue/Norte-Sul of twelve admittance gates six are opened, later the next six, and the connecting corridors on  three levels are gigantic. But all this is not enough. Therefore today at some station's platforms employees are stationed who however do not as in Tokyo push passengers into the cars but advise them on which car on the trains to use. This is being tried out at Barra Funda and Brás. Also, between the most important stations empty trains are put in to relieve the regular trains. In addition,  the so-called "Vale-Transporte" vouchers were abolished which employers handed out to their employees. These were often misused and accepted as payment by dealers and thus missed their targets. In addition, the distance between trains will be reduced. This requires the renewal of the more than 30 years old signalling. From the present 100 seconds the distance shall be reduced to 80 seconds. With the system of the moveable blocks the distance between trains can be reduced to up to 30 Meter. The order for the renewal of the signalling on lines 1 to 3 has been placed with Alstom. The existing 51 trains of lines 1/blue and 47 trains of line 3/red shall be modernised. They will receive air conditioning, alternate current motors, fire alert equipment, dynamic passenger information and video surveillance.

Construction of Metrô line 4 has started. It is being built in partnership of the state of São Paulo and private partners (Public Private Partnership). Now the contract with the consortium Via Quatro, consisting of Norberto Odebrecht, OAS, Queiroz Galvão, Camargo Correia and Andrade Guitierrez, has been signed. The stations will feature glass partitions with platform doors which open together with the train doors. Length is 12,8 km and 11 stations. The line from Luz to Vila Sônja as well as the car shed at Vila Sônia should open in 2008, but the intermediate stations from Butantã to Vila Sônia should only open in 2012. As for the first time the line is jointly financed by the State and private investors, the trade unions oppose on principal reasons. Similar to line 5 the track will be standard gauge of 1435 mm which facilitates the purchase of rolling stock.  Power supply at 1500 Volt direct current comes from an overhead current rail. To increase the capacity the system of movable blocks is used for signalling. With this system, the European underground systems have introduced driverless trains.  Thus, distance between  trains can  be lowered to 75 seconds. Signals and telecommunication  will be furnished by Siemens. All electrical equipment comes from Alstom. For the first part there will be ordered 15 six car trains with a capacity of 720'000 passengers per day. The trains are supplied by  Rotem of Korea. The trains are air conditioned and have surveillance cameras and display screen, also portable telephones can be used. The trains are expected by the end of 2009, opening is planned for 2010. For the opening of the remaining  stations another 16 six-car sets will be ordered, and the capacity increased to 900'000 passengers per day. Total cost are estimated at USD340 million of which 27% come from the state.

For the first time in many years an extension of a line can be announced. On the 30th April 2006 the eastern extension of
line 2/Paulista/green from the former connecting point with line 1/North-South/blue, Ana Rosa to Chácara Kleber (future connecting point with line 5 for which already preparations have been made) and on the 9th May 2006 the section to Imigrantes was opened. On the 30th June 2007 the line was, as conclusion of the first section, extended by one more station to Alto de Ipiranga. This part of the extension has a length of 3,4 km. As a second step the stations Sacomã and Tamanduatei, with a length of 3,4 km will follow. After this extension an increase of 280'000 to 774'000 passengers per day is expected. At Tamandatei there will be an interchange station to line D of the CPTM. Also there a car yard is being built. From there, line 2/green should have gone to Tatuape on line 3/red, but now it is planned to go to Penha station on the same line. With this connexion, passengers to Avenida Paulista can bypass the (overcrowded) connexion through the centre of São Paulo. 

Thus, at the same time two lines are under construction. An order was placed with Alstom for 30 coaches which will be built in São Paulo. Half of this order will be delivered within one year, the remainder in 2009. Of the present coaches of line 2 a total of 66 will be rebuilt and brought to the latest state. Their local factory has a capacity of 200 coaches per year. The coaches are built in stainless steel and have air conditioning, information systems for the passengers, and are adapted to passengers with a handicap. Now the first two finished trains have been handed over to the Metrô. 

For the maintenance service Metrô has purchased five lorries and two pickups which can run on the tracks. A further seven lorries and three pickups will be purchased by the end of 2009. They will be used both for track and overhead maintenance.

CAF of Spain will for the first time deliver trains for the Metrô. This will be 17 trains of 6 coaches each. They will be used on lines 1 to 3. Total value of the order is €184 Million. Delivery shall be by 2010. CAF is reinforcing their facilities in Brasil where part of the order will be manufactured. The construction of the new factory at Hortolândia in the local state of São Paulo has started. Also a partner is Armsted Maxion which up to now has constructed there diesel engines and goods wagons, but now also will build suburban and Metrô trains.

To finance various projects this system which operates the suburban lines for the times places a public bond over BRR200 million. This money serves for the financing of three projects: Reconstruction of line F (Brás - Calmon Viana) and construction of three new stations (USP Leste, Jardim Helena and Jardim Romano) and modernisation of two stations (Comendador Ermelino and Itaim Paulista). In the mean time the new station USP Leste and the rebuilt station Comendador Ermelino were inaugurated. The remaining stations follow until July 2008. With this, line F, up to now the most neglected of the system, will be brought up to modern standards.

On line C 8,5 km of signalised and electrified double track  will be constructed and three new stations built (Autódromo, Interlagos and Grajaú). These projects will only be finished in 2008. Of these three stations, Autódromo was opened on the 17th October 2007. At the same time the former terminal station of Jurubatuba  was completely newly built and opened, the remainder follow in 2008. 

Since October 2005 a program is underway which will modernise until 2008 300 cars of which at present 120 are out of service and which will increase the capacity of lines C and  F. Total cost of the three projects is BRR800 million of which BRR320 million will be needed for the rolling stock. In addition, 8 trains with 6 coaches were ordered from Alstom which are equipped with air conditioning. Of these, the first train has arrived.

In addition, the preparation of the project of the line to the international airport Cumbica at Guarulhos, the Expresso Aeroporte,  will start .in 2007. This line uses part of the alignment of line F, but operates on two separate tracks, and shall also be financed by PPP, Private Public Partnership. Length is 31 km, of which 8 km are in tunnel and 6 km on viaducts. Running time from Barra Funda is 20 minutes. The seats are upholstered, the trains have space for luggage and are air-conditioned. There will be no standing passengers, and the trip will cost BRR25. Check-in of the passengers will be at the stations. Work should start between 2007 and 2008, and the line could be operative by 2009, but a construction time of four years is more likely. 55'000 passengers per day are expected. Intervals between trains should be 12  minutes to start with, later 6 minutes. On  the same track the "Trem Guarulhos should be realised. This train operates from Brás with intermediate stops at Engenheiro Goulart/USP Leste with interchange to line F to Zezinho Magalhães. Length of this line is 19 km, running time 15 minutes. New plans are for line 6/orange with 11 stations from Freguesia da O in the North to São Joaquim in the centre on line 1/blue/Norte-Sul. The line will carry 600'000 passengers per day and cost ca. BRR4  billions. Work shall start in 2010.

Line 8/Diamond - ex B - shall be modernised by PPP - Private Public Partnership. The contract will run over 30 years and first twelve old trains of the former Fepasa will be modernised. Later 24 new trains shall be purchased. Intervals between the trains shall be reduced from the present seven to five minutes. Various stations shall be modernised, and the line possibly extended to Alphaville. Instead of the present 392'000 passengers in future 480'000 passengers shall be transported on weekdays per day. 

The VLT virus, of the Vehículo Leve sobre Trilhos, a Light Rail line, which is somewhat simpler and mainly less expensive than the Metrô, has also arrived in São Paulo. As the airports are completely overloaded, with this means of transport on not so strongly used connexions the load of transport shall be reduced. This type of vehicles only exists in Latin America in Mexico and with two financially not so successful lines in Argentina of which the "Tren de la Costa" of recent is asking for subsidies.

The first section of the planned line of 1,2 Kilometre shall lead from the local Brasilian airport Congonhas  to São Judas station on line 1/azul/Norte-Sul of the Metrô. This line is already visible on the plan mentioned under CPTM. On the  grounds of the airport three stations are planned. The line shall also connect to Line 9/Esmeralda/ex C. A further line shall connect Morumbi station on line 9/Esmeralda/ex C with the southern terminal of line 1/azul/Norte-Sul Jabaquará. A further connexion is planned with line 5/Lilás at Campo Belo when this will be built. 

The  Expresso Leste of the CPTM (Line 11, Coral) should originally only operate as far as Suzano. The line from there on via Mogi to Estudiantes should have been converted to VLT. With this it was hoped to reduce the separation of the sections of the  city, in the way that the line would not operate on a viaduct, but on street level, with transit signals at the crossroads, etc. The idea was to reduce the cost  of operation. This resulted in a strong uproar, especially in Mogi. Protests arrived from all sides. VLT is in Brasil only known from Campinas, and there the wrong choice of route proved to be a disaster and the line had to be closed again after a relatively short period.

Latest transport system is, after a visit of the authorities to Japan, the monorail  system . Straight away projects for 100 Kilometres are being planned. One of them serves as an extension of the reserved bus track called "Fura Fila", a kind of "Bus Rapid Transit" which originally was planned for trolleybusses and later was converted to ordinary articulated buses and which in contrast to Santiago de Chile, Bogotá in Colombia and of course Curitiba in the south of Brasil was not successful. The project by the name of "Expresso Tiradenes" shall be going out of the planned Metrô station at the line 3/green/Paulista run over 25 Kilometres to Tiradentes. Monorails are said to be cheaper than a full Metrô and could be built relatively quickly. The fares, however, would be the same as for a Metrô. 

The Italian government has donated to the city of Santos two vehicles from Turin, a six axle articulated tramcar, No. 2840, which will be rebuilt to become a restaurant tram and as such will operate on the museum line, as well as a PCC car, No. 3265, which has been exhibited on Praça Maua in the centre

The tramway of Santos celebrated this year its 100 year anniversary. For this event various festivities were planned. The extension of the line makes good progress, and after the installation of the necessary pointwork opening was envisaged for the 28th April.

Also Santos has plans for a VLT (Vehículo Leve Sobre Trilhos) line. Start of  construction shall be in December 2009. The line of 11 Kilometre connects the Area Continental of São Vicente with the harbour of Santos. Planned are 14 articulated cars with a length of 42 Metre and a capacity of 350 passengers. With this, 210'000 passengers shall be transported per day. Planned is the realisation by the PPP system (Public Private Partnership). A good co-ordination with the existing bus systems is planned.

The extension of the line from Sâo Leopoldo to Novo Hamburgo shall now finally be constructed, and the relative construction work will start shortly. This has now taken place, and work has started. For the construction of the new line 2 which shall serve as a feeder to the football world championship in 2014, and which will cost BRR2,5 billions, financing may well be accomplished by PPP, Private Public Partnership, one of the few accomplishments of the government of President Lula and which already is being used in São Paulo. The line will have a length of 15,3 Kilometres, and work shall start in 2011. 25 four car trains with a capacity of 760 passengers each are envisaged. 12 stations are being planned.

The "Aeromovel" which is driven by compressed air using a propeller which has been taken over by an American company has, apart from a test track on viaduct in Porto Alegre which our association visited during the last study trip in 2007 only sold one system to a theme park in Indonesia. Now a new opportunity has come up: in connexion with the possible construction of line 2 for the football world championship in 2014 the construction of a short line of about 830 Metres from the airport to to a Metrô station of Trensurb is being considered. For this, a credit of BRR30 millions is envisaged. The original idea of engineer Coesters to create a light vehicle for mass transport cedes space to a use on short lines for which it is more suited. Thanks to a co-operation with local universities many improvements were possible. A car has space for 300 passengers. Thus a further variant of a VLT, Vehículo Leve  Sobre Trilhos or Light Rail would be created which only uses have the energy of a Metrô and thus conforms to today's ecological trends. 

AFE, the state railway of Uruguay plans now the reconstruction of 414 Kilometre of track. As a test, a short section of 10 Kilometres, where the exchange of track and sleepers can be tested, will be rebuilt. Thereafter the restoration of the corridor begins which starts at Pintado station in the Departement Florida and goes to Rivera where the meeting point with the largest traffic is situated. This rebuilding shall last 30 months. At the same time a GPS system to survey the locomotives  and goods coaches will be installed.

With support from the French rolling stock manufacturer Alstom a demonstration line shall be built in this former harbour area, today an upper-class residence, and will show what a modern tramway can perform. The temporary line has an extension of 2 km and runs parallel to Avenida Alicia Moreau de Justo from Cecilia Gerson Street which is the extension of Avenida Córdoba, to Avenida Independéncia. Every four blocks there is a stop. For this purpose, two five-section articulated cars of type Citadis-302, originally destined for the French city of Mulhouse and there not required until further line extensions, have been put on loan. The cars are No. 204 and 206. The technical data: Track gauge 1435 mm, double-ended with two driving positions, Length 32.52 Meter, width 2.65 Meter, 100% low floor, 4 three-phase motors of 120 kW each, 231 passengers of which 56 are seated, mostly on pedestals. The trams were shipped in Bilbao/Spain.and work has started on the infrastructure. In the meantime the  cars were presented in Buenos Aires.

The government of the city will adapt the street signals and help with the construction of the stops. Ferrovías will adapt the present goods tracks, Metrovías mount the overhead and organise the means of communications, Alstom supply the overhead and the communication equipment and operate the trams. The new tracks of type UIC-54 with standard gauge will be mounted on concrete sleepers with elastic fixings. The present goods tracks will be modernised, and an electric substation built. Fare will be AP0,70.

With a small delay of two weeks the line has been inaugurated on Saturday, 14th July 2007 by the Argentinean President Kirchner and on Wednesday, 25th July at 8 o'clock opened for passengers. On the opening day, rides were free, and 6500 passengers took the opportunity to get acquainted with this new transport system which is locally known as Celeris. At the stops there a ticket machines. Fare is set at ARP1,00. The tram operates on weekdays from 11h to 19h30 , on weekends from 12h30 to 20 h, every 17 minutes. Running time is 12 minutes, average speed is 20 km/h. For the first time in 43 years there is again a streetcar in central Buenos Aires. In the meantime normal operation has started, and the number of passengers has dropped to 1100 on weekdays and 1700 on weekends which has created a more realistic atmosphere with regard to an extension of the line. Total cost were ARP46 million. A possible extension is expected to increase the number of passengers.

In the meantime it has become somewhat more quiet around the tramway, apart from a derailment. New designation is "Tranvía del Este". Loading is still very modest, as the line operates in an area with few pedestrians. Now the line shall be extended as far as Retiro and the nearby long-distance bus terminal. Work should have started at the beginning of February and be finished six months later. The extension has a length of 2 km and three new stops. Two more tramcars should permit a 20 minute service.

Now the government has issued a request for bids for an order for 15 new trams, with a local content of 75 pct., and for an extension of the tram line to La Boca. The length of the new section is 5,2 kilometre, total length including the extension to the bus terminal near Retiro 6,8 Kilometre. Two more substations are required, 16 new level crossings are envisaged and the construction of a maintenance workshop at Casa Amarilla. Total cost will be ARS70 millions, time for construction is six months. A later extension to Estación Buenos Aires  is a possibility. In the meantime another Citadis tram, car No. 153 of the Light Rail system of Madrid (feeder lines to the Metro), took up service. It replaces one of the trams from Mulhouse, No. 2005, which has returned to its home town. The car is somewhat less wide than the Mulhouse cars and therefore the stops had to be adapted. As a consolation award for the cancellation of the TAV (TGV) to Rosario, Alstom shall now receive an order for the 15 new cars which then can be assembled in Argentina.  

The former workshops Polvorín where up to now the Subte subway trains were maintained and which was connected with a surface rail line to line A at the Primeira Junta terminus will be replaced by new workshops. Polvorín is also the place where the historical vehicles of the AAT, Associación Amigos del Tranvía, are stored which from there make round trips with the old streetcars and subway cars. Now the depot and the entire street section have been declared a national monument. 

The association also occasionally organises trips outside the museum area. Thus in the suburb of Quilmes public rides were organised on track repaired for the occasion. This was so successful that Quilmes now has the intention to introduce a real tramway line.

The two cars No. 2 and 3, manufacturer Preston, from 1913 which originally operated on line A from Plaza de Mayo to Primeira Junta and from there via the ramp on Avenida Rivadávia as far as Iacerra as ordinary tramway and operated by Anglo Argentina until discarded at the end of the seventies, and which then went to the AAT (operating them also on their museum circuit) have carried out a  trial run on Line A. They are in original condition and beautifully overhauled. 

This former showcase line, the only light rail line of Argentina, which from the terminal Bartolomé Mitre of the suburban line of the same name of the TBA line (from Retiro) goes to Tigre will be nationalised again. The forecast which  based the income on commercial centres at the intermediate stations and an amusement park at the terminus has not come up to expectations. The number of passengers has decreased steadily and comes up to 3100 passengers on weekdays.  

This suburban railway system which from the Sarmiento line's Once station operates a line to Moreno has developed with the Emprediementos Ferroviárias S.A. (EMFER) at San Martin, Province Buenos Aires (same owner as TBA) and with the help of the INTI, Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Industrial, an eight car double deck train to relieve the line which with 9 million passengers per year is reaching saturation. With this train 30% more passengers can be transported than with the conventional trains. On the lower floor there is 2+2 seating, on the upper floor 2+3 seating. Apart of the luggage car all coaches can take wheel chairs at one end and have there been provided with fold-up seats Two wider twin doors speed up exit and entrance. The train has air conditioning. Each unit has four powered coaches (two at each  end). The luggage car serves for the transport of passengers with bicycles or large parcels. The brakes are electro pneumatic type "fail safe". The train have a GPS navigation system to supervise punctuality and for the information of passengers via loudspeakers. The doors, with crush protection, close automatically. If the trains function well, another 25 trains sets will be ordered. After       completing successful tests the 25 trains sets have now been ordered. They will operate on the line Once - Moreno from May 2009 onwards. One train will be delivered every two months.

In addition, three modernised trains of Type Puma V.3 Línea Aerodinámica - driving cabin on the line  Once - Moreno with 9 coaches each were put into service which have new streamlined plastic bodies similar to the trains from Retiro to Tigre. They have air conditioning and automatic doors. Further trains should follow every two months, and for this modernisation 125 coaches are envisaged. This is carried out by EMFER S.A. Total cost are ARP318 million. Originally the trains were built by Toshiba.

At present, the signalling installation are being modernised. For the Sarmiento line this happens from Once to Liniers. On the lines from Retiro this happens between Retiro and J.L. Suãrez and Bartolomeo Mitre, and this with a CTC type S90 from Siemens. The work will take 3 years and cost AP300 millions. At Retiro, the operation of all lines will be installed in signal cabin 7.

For the mechanised track maintenance TBA has ordered and received from Plasser & Theurer two track maintenance machines. The first of type 08-16 Split Head regulates, levels out and firms the track bed. The second, of type PBR 400, regulates and cleans the ballast. 

A Portuguese consortium has won the contract for the electrification and modernisatin of this line. The consortium will now work out the corresponding plans within 180 days. The value of the order is €125 millions. Partners are Ferconsult, Efacec, Somafei (Soares da Costa and Teixeira Duarte) and Ferrovías.
 

After in an intermediary phase for political reasons having studied a large scale project of the line from Constitución to La Plata, now for financial reasons planning has come back to the further electrification of the lines from Constitución to Temperly. This concerns tracks 1 and 2 and the second track between Glew and Korn as well as the line between Avellanada and Quilmes.

On the 9th August 2003, at 11h, the extension of Line B  of the "Subte" subway by two stations to Los Incas was officially opened. From 14h onwards, local inhabitants could travel on the newly opened section from one of the new stations free of charge, and thus operation of the new section had started.

Line B will be within the first part of the extensions of Subte extended by 1,2 km and two stations, Echeverria and Villa Urquiza (new: Juan Manuel de Rosas). Near Echeverria a new maintenance workshop will be constructed. All of this should be ready by 2011. Following new information, the extension of line B as well as the construction of the maintenance workshop must be deferred to an indefinite date.

Furthermore, line U (suburban line to General Lemos) should by means of rebuilding the existing ramp at Federico Lacroze be connected to Line  B, and trains should run through to the centre of Buenos Aires. If this is possible with the existing trains (which are rather  old) is uncertain. In the meantime a new source for rolling stock has been found in Madrid. The first trains of series 5000 which are no longer needed there could - because of wider bodies - only operate on line B. Apart from the pantographs the cars which were delivered in the seventies by CAF also have current collection devices for third rail pickup. Line B is the only line with this current collection system. With these cars the Mitsubishi trains from the sixties bought second hand would receive reinforcements. Such trains will also be needed for the planned extension of the line in 2009 with the new stations Echeverria and Villa Urquiza, planned long ago. In the meantime test runs have been successfully completed  and the eighteen trains of two coaches each definitively ordered. The trains which operated on lines 6, 7 and 9 in Madrid, are about 30 years old. The Madrid metro will overhaul the trains and also be responsible for future maintenance. As now the extension of line B has been delayed, the order for the remaining trains has been suspended.

Line A will be extended by four stations from Primeira Junta to Naca, and work has started on this. Building time will be three years. The existing line is at present being completely rebuilt. No new trains are envisaged, instead the line will receive trains from Line D which there are being replaced by new trains. As the new line from the former terminal station Primeira Junta runs  by the side of the former ramp to the surface connexion to the former workshop which is also being used by the local tram museum (see also under line D) this ramp will continue to exist. In March 2008 the first two stations of the extension, Puán and Carabobo, should have opened, To increase the capacity, trains from line E shall be introduced. In the meantime the first two stations of the extension were inaugurated on the 27th December 2008 with two old trains - one with a modern body but still with the old technology of 1913. The date of opening of the two further new stations has not been fixed. At the same time a new signalling system from Alstom was introduced on line A which is compatible with the systems on lines B, D and E. 

Line D will receive at the outer terminal Congreso de Tucuman a new workshop with four tracks. This would replace the present installation at Caballito (near Primeira Junta) where also the museum cars of AAT are  domiciled, and which is open to the court yard, which may be rather cold in winter at temperatures near the freezing point. In 2007 Metrovías has received ten subway cars from Alstom which correspond to the latest existing cars and are being used on line D.

At present, subte trains use the ramp track of the former (surface) tramway and its access to the workshops which is also used by the museum trams of AAT. So if you want to photograph subway trains on street tram tracks, here is your chance. 

Whilst all these extensions are being built by the City of Buenos Aires, the planned extension of line E from Bólivar to Retiro has to be built by the concessionaire (Metrovías). Originally a through connection to line H had been envisaged which would make for a very long line from Plaza de los Virreyes to Nueva Pompeya. Following long preparation work has started now. The originally envisaged opening date cannot be kept of course.

Rolling Stock: Of the 16 new train sets with a total of 80 cars ordered from Alstom, so far six sets have been delivered.. As a consequence of the financial crisis, the  remainder will be delivered over eight years and will be assembled in a railway equipment plant in La Plata. In addition, 16 cars have been ordered from Alstom, in order to extend the trains to six cars, to cope with the rising demand on line D. In addition 16 coaches have been ordered from Alstom, to increase the trains to six coaches, in order to adapt to the continuing increase of demand on line D. In the meantime all the 96 cars have been delivered and are in service.

These sets will, like the new sets already delivered, operate on line D, the line with the largest amount of passengers (all sets on this line have longitudinal seating to increase standing capacity).  The sets displaced from line D will move to line C, and the sets displaced from line C will move to line A where at present the original rolling stock from 1913 still is operating. 
 

Because of the lack of funds of the City of Buenos Aires, up to the end of 2009 only a total of three stations will open: Puán and Carabobo on line A and Corrientes on line H. First priority for the opening has now Corrientes station which is almost finished. A total of 150 cars from Siemens and General Electric from the thirties which were built for line C shall be extensively overhauled.

A novelty is a new line map which if folded can be put into the pocket. On one side are the Metro and Premetro lines (which is and remains in reality tramway), on the other side the timetables and information on the stations and their facilities. These plan are being distributed to the passengers. 

A further rail bus of the firm Tecnoporte, called Ferrobus/MicroTren, has ben presented in Bartolome Bavio. Instead of the usual four doors the vehicle has only two doors, one on each side, beside the drivers control equipment which is available at both ends.

Now also Rosario has plans for an urban rail system, within the the second strategic plan. It is planned to use the closed railway lines. Two lines are envisaged: Line A connects the University City (Siberia) with a future multimodal passenger station after the pedestrian zone. and turns from there north to the large super markets, the nautical club and the parks. Line B connects the south of the city to the city centre. Station distance is 500 Metres.

Together with Tafi Vejo, Salta, Córdoba and Resisténcia this line was declared open by the President of Argentina, via video conference. This does of course not mean that they will start service, as most of them not even are completely reconstructed, not to mention timetables etc. This is a typical latin American reelection program (electioneering) to improve the damaged image of the President. Until all lines are ready, if ever they get as far, many months may pass. In the meantime the few Apolo trains which have arrived are being distributed on as many programs as possible which does not serve for anything, as one vehicle per line is not sufficient for an efficient service. Shortly, however, more trains will follow, so that at least this problem is solved. Chances are only good for Salta and Resisténcia which already operates the SEFECHA lines.

For a new railway line with a length of 257 Kilometres between Paraná and Concepción del Uruguay, the firm of Materfer which already earlier has produced diesel motor coaches has developed a new multiple unit set. 

The temporary timetable envisages five daily connexions between Rodríguez de Busta and Alto Cõrdoba. There are no intermediate stations, but the barriers at the level crossings are functioning. Journey time is 25 minutes. At the end of June the line of the Tren de la Sierra was extended to Alto Córdoba, with three connexions per day. After sixty days operations stopped again, as instead of the expected 3500 non-paying passengers only 200 were transported per day. In addition, after an accident with a goods train problems started with the low income people living at the sides of the line, and the trains were constantly attacked by stones being thrown. For this ARS109 millions were spent for reconstruction. 

On this line passenger traffic shall operate from April onwards. For this line one of the Apolo trains purchased in Spain has arrived. 

This city plans the construction of an electric urban light rail line, the Metrotranvía Urbano between Mendoza and Maipú with a length of 13 Kilometre. For this purpose 6 to 10 trains of modern construction shall be purchased. Now the Chinese Industries wants to offer trains which are up to 25 pct. cheaper.

The 16 stops shall be served at intervals of 10 minutes. An existing railway line shall be rebuilt with double tracks.. Five substations will deliver the current, and at road crossings intelligent signalling will be installed. Preparation work started in May. Track gauge will be 1435 Millimetres (standard track).

As a replacement of the ageing three axle trolleybus fleet from Solingen /Germany sixty used two axle trolleybuses built by Flyer were purchased from Vancouver/Canada, as Rosário showed no interest for them. They have arrived in the meantime.  ;

As part of the former railway line from Mendoza to Buenos Aires the section across lake Picaza has been taken into use again which had been out of use since 1939. It has a length of 17 km and is operated by ALL, concessionary of the Linea San Martin. With this the goods trains can arrive at Buenos Aires one day earlier. Later passenger trains should operate with a maximum speed of 160 km/hour. Up to 1939 there were diesel rail coach trains on this line which required 10 hours for the journey. 

Until this winter the "Tren de los Nubes" should operate again. Winner for the call of offers for the repair of the line is the firm JPA which represents the Spanish firm  Acelor. Although an inauguration trip took place, normal operation will only be possible in July as the work is behind schedule. The line finally opened on the 6th August 2008. The trains operate on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays and have 5 passenger coaches. For this line passenger coaches of the Swiss Zentralbahn  (with central entrance, ex Brünigbahn) and a General Motors locomotive have arrived. After adaptation and a new coat of paint the will be used on the line C-14. 

A new project is for a Light Rail line on existing tracks. The line has a length of 22 km and goes from Cerillos to Castañares. For this line an Apolo train set has now arrived.

For the renewal of their rolling stock this railway system which we have described on a separate page will receive three (second hand) Apolo two car trains from FEVE of Spain, series 2400, - interior view - driving position, for the urban lines and three (second hand) three car trains from Portugal for the long distance lines. At present 500'000 passengers are transported per year.

For the first time since three years a laden goods train has travelled the entire line from Salta in Argentina to Antofagasta in Chile and back.  The train used in Argentina the line C-14 (Transandino del Norte) which also partially is used by the "Tren a las Nubes". For the 354 Kilometres on the Argentinean side up to the boarder station Socompa ARS30 millions were invested to improve the track. The Chilean state also participated. This was an experimental journey.

The  subway had to introduce express trains on line 4 in order to cope with the considerably increased number of passengers.  Since 20th August 2007 some trains stop between 7 and 9 h only on every second station. With this, an additional 3200 passengers can be transported.

As a temporary measure, actual trains of line 1 are reinforced from 6 to 8 cars, some seats removed and straphangers installed in the roof and staff at the stations increased. Line 1 transports 44 pct. of all subway passengers. 

For the extensions of line 1 now under construction Alstom  is delivering the signalling system. It has already successfully been used on lines 1,2 and 5.

Merval, Metro de Valparaíso, will now co-operate with the existing trolleybus lines and later also with the many funiculars, called Ascensores. For this purpose talks have started.

An extension of the line to Coronel is being planned. By mid-2009 the investigation should be ready so that a decision for the new line can be  taken.