Rio de Janeiro Metro
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| Rio de Janeiro Metro | |
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| Locale | Rio de Janeiro |
|---|---|
| Transit type | Rapid transit |
| Began operation | 1979 |
| Number of lines | 2 (3 in project) |
| Number of stations | 33 (1 under construction) |
| Operator(s) | Rio Trilhos |
The Rio de Janeiro Metro (Metrô Rio) is a mass-transit underground railway network that serves the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Founded in 1979 with five stations operating on one line, it now includes 32 stations and two separate lines and serves on average nearly half a million passengers per day.
The system currently consists of two lines: Line 1 which serves the city's downtown business center, tourist areas in the city's South Zone, and several neighborhoods in the North Zone; and Line 2, which serves working-class residential neighborhoods extending toward the north.
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[edit] History
On November 14, 1968, the Companhia do Metropolitano do Rio de Janeiro (Metro Company of Rio de Janeiro) was created by State Law n. 1,736. In March, 1975, with Law-Decree n. 25, the company effectively came into existence.
On June 23, 1970, construction work started at Jardim da Glória.
From 1971 to 1974, due to lack of resources, construction work stopped. In the following year, in Jardim da Glória, it restarted.
The Rio de Janeiro Metro began operation in March of 1979, during the administration of governor Chagas Freitas. At the beginning, there were only five stations: Praça Onze, Central, Presidente Vargas, Cinelândia and Glória, operating from 9 AM to 3 PM.
In the first 10 days, the system transported more than half a million people, averaging sixty thousand passengers per day. At that time, the subway worked with only four trains of four cars each, with an average interval of eight minutes. In December of the same year, the operating schedule was extended until 11 PM, including on Saturdays.
In 1980, the metro system began to be expanded with the inauguration of the Uruguaiana and Estácio stations. The two new stations caused larger passenger demanded, compelling an increase in the number of trains from four to six.
The Carioca station in the business center of the city, the most active station with more than eighty thousand passengers a day, was finished in January of 1981. In the same year the Catete, Morro Azul (now called Flamengo) and Botafogo stations were also inaugurated. In November, the second line (linha 2 in Portuguese), started, beginning with only two stations, São Cristóvão and Maracanã (which serves the Maracanã football stadium). In December, completing the southern section of the first line (linha 1 in Portuguese), the Largo do Machado station began service.
In 1982, the complementary inaugurations of the northern section of Line 1 started, with the beginning of the operations of the Afonso Pena, São Francisco Xavier and Saens Peña stations.
In order to allow the completion of the second line to Irajá, in 1983, the trains of this line began operating from 6 AM to 2 PM. After a month, this schedule was extended until 8 PM, and a free bus service was established, integrating the Estácio, São Cristóvão and Maracanã stations. After the conclusion of the works, the Pre-Metro and the Maria da Graça, Del Castilho, Inhaúma and Irajá stations were opened. In 1984 began the commercial operation of the second line, with five trains in the work days, with five minutes and thirty seconds intervals during the week.
Following the expansion, the Triagem station was inaugurated in July of 1988, the year of the creation of the Subway/Train integration ticket.
In 1991 the Engenho da Rainha station was inaugurated. From 1991 to 1996, two stations were opened, Tomás Coelho and Vicente de Carvalho. In this period, the time interval of the nine stations of the second line was reduced to six minutes. In July of 1998, the Cardeal Arcoverde station, in the traditional neighborhood of Copacabana, was inaugurated. Five more stations became operational in the following two months: Irajá, Colégio, Coelho Neto, Engenheiro Rubens Paiva, Acari/Fazenda Botafogo and Pavuna.
In 1997, the Carnival Operation (Operação de Carnaval in Portuguese) began operation, with the continuous service during the Carnival festivity days.
In 2003, the Siqueira Campos station, in Copacabana, was inaugurated.
The Cantagalo station, following Siqueira Campos, was due to be completed in March, 2006. However, due to financial problems, the opening date had to be postponed to December 15[1]. This was again postponed and the final opening took place in february 2007.
[edit] Rolling Stock
The passenger cars are of monoblock construction in stainless steel. Driving cars can accommodate a maximum of 351 passenges (40 seated), while non driving cars accommodate a maximum of 378 passenges (48 seated). Passenger train composition can vary between four and eight cars. In six-passenger car configurations the maximum number of passengers that can be transported is 2,214.
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