Alstom announced this week that it had hit a milestone with the production of its 5000th carshell – the metallic exterior of trains and light rail vehicles (LRVs) -, at its facilities in Brazil. Alstom has been manufacturing trains and other components for the rail industry for nearly 70 years in Brazil. The the milestone was reached this week at the company’s factory in Taubaté, São Paulo and is part of Alstom’s legacy in mobility projects in Brazil and around the world.
“We are extremely proud of reaching the milestone of five thousand units produced in Brazil. This incredible performance of our operation is a reflection of Alstom’s commitment to Brazil and to the mobility of the country and the world throughout these almost 70 years of operation in the railway industry, producing sustainable and quality mobility solutions locally,” says Michel Boccaccio, President of Alstom in Brazil and General Director for Latin America. “Throughout this history, we have had very challenging moments and we have always overcome them, as we also have a highly competent team of employees who are always engaged, resilient and committed.”
Initial production took place at the old Alstom factory in the Lapa neighborhood of São Paulo – that was the first train factory in Latin America. The company’s operations were later transferred to the Taubaté plant, which opened in 2015 and was expanded in 2022. This facility is now a center of excellence in the production of stainless-steel train cars.
Of the five thousand units produced, many have gone to projects inside Brazil including:
- Lines 1 and 3 of the São Paulo Metro (produced between 1972 and 1989);
- RFFSA – Rede Ferroviária Federal Sociedade Anônima (produced between 1976 to 1982);
- Rio de Janeiro Metro(produced between 1978 and 1984); and
- Rio de Janeiro VLT (produced between 2015 and 2016).
Alstom Brazil also produced some of these units for international projects including: the New York City Transit and California Amtrak Surfliner (USA); Santiago Metro (Chile); SBASE (Argentina); Chennai Metro (India); and PRASA (South Africa).
Currently, the company is advancing in the total delivery of 36 trains (288 cars) for ViaMobilidade lines 8 and 9 in São Paulo, in addition to having already started production of Line 6 for the São Paulo Metro. Its project portfolio also includes the production of:
- 13 trains (78 cars) for the new Bucharest Metro Line M5 (Romania);
- 35 trains (140 cars) for the extension of Phase 2 of Taipei Metro Line 7 (Taiwan);
- 29 trains (116 cars) for the Taipei Circular Line (Taiwan); and
- 37 trains (185 cars) for the new Line 7 of the Santiago Metro (Chile).
Alstom Taubaté
Alstom’s industrial unit in Taubaté is a center of excellence in the production of stainless steel cars and is strategically located in an industrial hub, next to two important highways in the country, Dutra and Carvalho Pinto, and close to the Port of Santos, the largest port complex in Latin America.
The unit was responsible for the production of 27 Citadis cars for the Rio de Janeiro tramway, which were manufactured in record time for the Summer Olympics in Brazil, demonstrating Alstom’s agility, commitment and customer focus. The project was the second in the world to have a 100% catenary-free system. After the conclusion of the VLT contract, the plant also produced the NS16 cars for the Santiago Metro in Chile.
In November 2022, Alstom inaugurated the expansion of the site after an investment of BRL 100 million (USD 18 million) that is part of the company’s growth strategy after the signing of six national and international contracts. More than 170 trains (over 940 cars) will be produced by Alstom in Taubaté for the cities of São Paulo (Brazil), Santiago (Chile), Taipei (Taiwan) and Bucharest (Romania), highlighting the facility’s ability to contribute to mobility at a global level.
In addition to investing in the industrial site to execute current projects, the company hired around 750 employees in the state of São Paulo, of which 700 work at the Taubaté plant. For this, around 500 professionals were trained by the National Service for Industrial Learning – SENAI Taubaté to work directly in the production of projects.
Alstom Brazil
Alstom is the leader in rail mobility in the Brazilian market with achievements such as the construction of the first passenger train factory in the country and the largest export agreement in the Brazilian rail sector for the supply of cars for the metros of Santiago, Chile, and New York, United States, signed in July 2002.
In 2014, the company participated in the largest project in history of suburban trains in South Africa. More recently, Alstom’s contribution to the rail transport sector is proven by products and services delivered to the main passenger operators in the country, such as São Paulo (SP), Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Porto Alegre (RS), Fortaleza (CE), Recife (PE) and Brasília (DF), in addition to the Rio de Janeiro tramway.
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