BRAZIL’s finance minister, Fernando Haddad, has authorised Reais 450m ($US 82.6m) for the construction of the first light rail line in Niterói, which is located on the opposite side of Guanabara Bay from Rio de Janeiro. However, federal government funding does not cover the cost of acquiring LRVs.
The 5km line, which will have 10 stops, will link the Barreto neighbourhood to the city centre, passing through Engenhoca, Santana, and São Lourenço.
The project, which was approved under the New Growth Acceleration Selection Programme (PAC), is expected to reduce bus traffic from nearby towns such as São Gonçalo, Maricá, and Itaboraí, and will also integrate with other transport modes, improving mobility in the north and city centre.
Rio metro link
This is the second rail transport announcement involving Niterói. In June, the Rio state government released more details of its plans to expand the Rio de Janeiro metro. This includes three initiatives: an extension to Line 2/Green to Praça XV in the city centre; the construction of Line 3 from Praça XV to Niterói and Guaxindiba; and the extension of Line 4 to Recreio dos Bandeirantes.
Line 3 will be the state's first inter-city metro line connecting the cities of Rio de Janeiro, Niterói, and São Gonçalo along a 28km route with 15 stations. The line could be extended from São Gonçalo northeast to Itaboraí in the future.
The new Line 3 is forecast to benefit around 650,000 people daily, cutting the journey time between Niterói and São Gonçalo from 2 hours to just 40 minutes. It is expected to reduce congestion and pollution and create thousands of direct and indirect jobs.
According to the Metro Master Plan, the first section of Line 3, between Praça XV and Arariboia in Niterói, will be built using a tunnel bored under Guanabara Bay. From Arariboia onwards, the line will be built on the surface. Guaxindiba station, which will be built near the BR-101 highway beyond São Gonçalo, will become a major public transport interchange, serving passengers from towns such as Itaboraí, Tanguá, Rio Bonito, Cachoeiras de Macacu, and Magé.
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