THE government of the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro will hold an auction on January 27 to select a new operator for the city's commuter rail network.
The current concessionaire, SuperVia, operates Rio’s 270km five-line commuter rail network using a fleet of 201 EMUs. The system carries around 750,000 passengers daily.
The tender, announced jointly by the State Attorney General's Office and the Secretary of Transport and Urban Mobility (Setram), will award a five-year contract with an option to renew for an additional five years. The auction forms part of the judicial recovery proceedings for SuperVia, which is administered by Guarana Urban Mobility (Gumi).
The new operator will be remunerated per kilometre operated rather than by the number of passengers carried. This new model is designed to provide greater predictability in revenue control and reduce requests for contractual changes due to fluctuations in demand.
“We are inaugurating a new operating model, focused on service quality, with payment per kilometre operated and clear performance targets,” says Priscila Sakalem, secretary of transport and urban mobility. “This entire process was built with legal certainty, responsibility and state investment, to guarantee a smooth transition.”
The successful bidder will not inherit SuperVia’s existing debts and legal liabilities. The arrangement also establishes a fund to ensure service continuity and employment protection during the transition from SuperVia to the new operator.
The state has already invested Reais 160m ($US 28.6m) in system improvements, including cable replacement to reduce theft, train refurbishment, anti-vandalism measures and modernisation. These interventions have already reduced service disruptions, improved system reliability and shortened journey times on some lines.
