Planned Salvador light rail will buy stored Cuiaba LRVs

40 seven-section 44.2m CAF low-floor LRVs built for Brazil's aborted Cuiaba light rail system 12 years ago have found a new home after being purchased by the city of Salvador for BRR 750M. 

 

Construction of a three-line 36.4km tramway system there was approved by the government of the state of Bahia on 14 June, with construction work starting in July. 

 

The 16.6km line 1 will be built by Consórcio Expresso Mobilidade Salvador, a consortium of two local companies at a price of BRR 1.42bn. The 9.2km line 2 will be built by another local consortium for BRR 1.08bn, and the 10.5km line 3 for BRR 791.4M. Completion of the system is expected in 2027-2028. The city had planned to issue a tender for new LRVs, but acquisition of the second-hand fleet from Cuiaba permits a shorter timescale before passengers can be carried. 

 

Salvador light rail replaces a planned monorail scheme, but the city also has a two-line 36km metro opened in 2014-2016. The Cuiaba light rail was supposed to be up and running in time for the 2014 Football World Cup, but was abandoned partly built amid charges of corruption.