São Paulo Metro runs Lines 1, 2 and 15 overnight; Line 3-Red replaced by buses

According to Diário do Transporte, São Paulo's Metrô will keep trains running without interruption overnight on Saturday, 7 November, into Sunday, 8 November 2026. The service covers Lines 1-Azul, 2-Verde and 15-Prata, and all stations on these lines will stay open for boarding and alighting throughout the night.

An experimental 24-hour operation

The overnight service is part of an experimental project that is expected to continue until the end of January 2027. According to the source, the aim is to give more travel options to people who work, study or take part in cultural and leisure activities during the early hours.

During the evaluation period, the Metrô will monitor passenger demand, how the service is used and operating conditions, in order to check whether the initiative is viable.

Line 3-Red changes this weekend

Line 3-Red will not run overnight this weekend. Trains will stop circulating between Corinthians-Itaquera and Palmeiras-Barra Funda because of tests of a new signalling and train control system.

During this period, passengers will be served free of charge by buses from the PAESE system. Posters will be placed at the stations, and staff will be available to explain where to board and how the service works.

Regular service on Line 3-Red will resume at 4:40 on Sunday morning, according to the source.

What is being tested

The tests concern CBTC (Communications-Based Train Control), a technology that relies on continuous communication between the trains and equipment installed along the track. Diário do Transporte reports that this is another stage of what is called the commissioning phase, in which conditions get closer to commercial operation.

Technical teams will assess performance, stability and reliability, including communication between onboard and trackside equipment, real-time train location, headways between vehicles, and acceleration, braking and stopping at stations. Compared with conventional fixed-block systems, the source says CBTC can reduce the gaps between trains and improve regularity.

Earlier tests were carried out on other nights, on a smaller scale. Moving to the next stages depends on the analysis of results and on technical criteria for safety, performance and reliability. The phase is expected to conclude in early 2027.

According to the report, CBTC is already in operation on Lines 1-Azul, 2-Verde, 4-Amarela, 5-Lilás, 15-Prata and 17-Ouro, in addition to Line 3-Red under testing.