Line 17 – Gold is a 17.7km monorail system in São Paulo, which will connect Congonhas International Airport to the metro rail network. It begins at Jabaquara terminus station on Line 1 – Blue and terminates at Morumbi station of Line 4 – Yellow, passing through the southern and southwestern part of the city.
Companhia do Metropolitano de São Paulo (CMSP), the operator of the line, has the turnkey construction contract to the consortium Monotrilho Integracao in June 2011.
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The consortium comprises Scomi Engineering of Malaysia, Andrade Gutierrez, CR Almeida, Engenharia de Obras and Montagens e Projectos Especiais. The contract was worth BRZ Real 1.4bn ($862m). The project is expected to take three and a half years to complete.
Line 17 will serve 252,000 passengers a day with trains travelling at headway of 200 seconds. It is one of the three monorail lines being planned in the city.
The city’s existing rail network includes five underground metro lines and six suburban rail lines.
Lines and routes on São Paulo’s monorail network
Line 17 will be routed through the south of São Paulo. The route will form an arch shape, linking four metro lines and three bus corridors.
It connects metro Line 1 at the Jabaquara station, Line 4 at São Paulo – Morumbi station, Line 5 at Água Espraiada station and Line 9 at Morumbi station.
The fleet will be parked and maintained at Água Espraiada yard. The line will have 18 stations.
Line 17 project details
Line 17 will be constructed in two phases. The first phase is scheduled to become operational in 2013 and the second in 2014.
The project was suspended by Brazil’s federal justice ministry in late December 2010 after a local organisation opposed the project. Financing by savings bank Caixa Economica Federal was also suspended.
The organisation opposed the proposal to acquire 132,000m² land for the line. The Sao Paulo government, which has already called for the bids by then, appealed the suspension.
The contract was finally awarded to Monotrilho Integracao consortium in June 2011, selecting it from five contenders.
Under the contract, partners will design, supply, install and commission the monorail system.
Malaysia-based Scomi Engineering will supply rolling stock, the vehicle management system (VMS), switch design and system integration, assurance testing and commissioning.
Rolling stock
Scomi Engineering will supply 24-car train sets of its Sutra monorail trains. The trains will have a capacity to transport 400 passengers in each direction.
Sutra Monorail is a straddle type car which moves on a single beam on an elevated corridor. It occupies minimal space.
It operates on an electric motor and runs on low power supply of 24Vdc. It is designed to travel at a top speed of 90km/h. Each cab has six windows and four bi-parting, external sliding doors.
Sutra has a single shell body made of composite materials.
The combination of light weight structure and stainless steel chasis enhances the strength and durability of the monorail for up to 30 years.
The cab interior is spacious and facilitates passenger navigation with minimal obstruction.
It is equipped with a 40kW roof mounted air-conditioned unit.
The vehicle management system (VMS) provides system supervisory, control, monitoring and diagnostic functions.
Sutra is designed with a provision to install automatic train protection (ATP) system as well as automatic train operation (ATO) equipment.
Monorails in São Paulo
Metro Sao Paulo plans to have three monorail systems by 2015.
The first line, Line 2 – Green extension, is currently under construction. The 23.8km line will have 17 stations.
It is expected to open in 2012. Line 16 – Silver is the third monorail. It will be 8.3km long with 10 stations. Work on this line is expected to commence in 2012 and is scheduled to be completed by 2015.
