The Government of Bahia has approved an international tender for the purchase of 10 new trains for the metro system serving Salvador and Lauro de Freitas, according to g1 Bahia. The estimated investment is about R$ 632.7 million.
What is changing
The purchase is part of a plan to expand the operating capacity of Line 1 and Line 2 of the metro. According to g1 Bahia, the approval was published in the State Official Gazette (DOE) on Thursday (30).
The Companhia de Transportes do Estado da Bahia (CTB) will carry out the purchase. The order covers ten trainsets, each with four cars, for operation on the Salvador and Lauro de Freitas metro system.
Why the trains are needed
The decision comes as demand for rail transport grows in the Metropolitan Region of Salvador. According to the information released by the source, the new trains are expected to increase the number of trips offered, reduce the time between trains and add capacity during the busiest hours of the day.
Next steps
The approval of the tender is one stage in the process. The contract still needs to be formalized before the trains can be manufactured. According to g1 Bahia, the schedule for delivery of the new trains and their entry into service has not yet been announced by the responsible authorities.
Passengers on Line 1 and Line 2 should expect further updates from the authorities on delivery dates and the start of operations. No changes to current schedules or stations were reported in the article.