In preparation for the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016, the city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil has been renovating its urban track transportation on a large scale. The first inter-city railway train purchased by the State of Rio de Janeiro from China will be delivered in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province on June 7, 2011, according to news from the communication department of the State of Rio de Janeiro.
Sergio Cabral, governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro, said a city without big transportation capacity is impracticable. The inter-city railway trains will offer convenient transportation services for citizens of Rio de Janeiro. This is a long-awaited dream for the local residents of Rio de Janeiro and its neighboring cities.
It is reported that urban mass transit system of Rio de Janeiro, the system with the longest rail lines and the most complicated network in Brazil, owns 98 stations connecting 12 neighboring cities and carries 540,000 passengers daily.
The communication department of the State of Rio de Janeiro sought to purchase 30 inter-city railway trains by inviting public bids in 2009. Fortunately, a Chinese enterprise won the contract worth 165 million U.S. dollars.
This is the biggest bidding project on inter-city railway trains for the State of Rio de Janeiro in 40 years as well as the biggest loan project in South America for the World Bank, said Sergio Cabral.
The inter-city railway trains produced by China can carry 1,300 passengers and have advanced technology as well as modern traction and brake systems. The carriages are spacious and comfortable and are installed with high-definition televisions and air-conditions. As a part of the contract, the Chinese enterprise will provide three-year technological services, including maintenance and replacing accessories, according to the communication department of the State of Rio de Janeiro.
In July, the first inter-city railway train will arrive in Rio de Janeiro. Chinese technicians will put the new train on the rail line of Rio de Janeiro and conduct an adaptive debugging. If everything goes smoothly, the train will be put into use by the end of July.
After the delivery of the first inter-city railway train, the Chinese enterprise will deliver three or four trains every two month.
With these China-produced trains in use, the inter-city railway of Rio de Janeiro will have a high-speed operation capability and be able to dispatch a train every three minutes.
In addition, the State of Rio de Janeiro will purchase 60 more inter-city railway trains by way of international competitive bidding this year. The bid-winning enterprise will undertake a task to improve existing 73 inter-city railway trains at the same time.
By Ye Xin, People's Daily Online