The state of São Paulo, Brazil, greenlit a major new rail connection between two of its biggest cities after the governor approved a 14.2 bn reais (USD 2.7 bn) contract.
The project also includes the Intermetropolitan Train between Campinas and Jundiaí and the CPTM Line 7-Rubi.
Governor Tarcísio de Freitas authorized last Wednesday, in Campinas, the signing of the concession contract for the Intercity Train (TIC) Eixo Norte, which will connect the largest metropolis in the interior of São Paulo to the capital.
Winner of the auction at B3 in February this year, the Consortium C2 Mobilidade sobre Trilhos (TIC Trens) will be responsible for the project budgeted at R$ 14.2 billion. The consortium is made up by the local transport group Comporte Participações (60%), and a Hong Kong subsidiary of Chinese supplier CRRC (40%).
“Today is the day to celebrate the legacy of the Intercidades Campinas-São Paulo Train , which is one of the most important projects of this administration. We sign the contract and begin a pre-operational transition period with works beginning in 2026. In 2029 we will have the intermetropolitan stop train service up and running. And then, in 2031, we will have the express train with just one stop in Jundiaí. We will shorten travel time, bringing comfort, improving mobility and reducing emissions with all the benefits that we can have in a project of this magnitude”, stated Tarcísio.
The ceremony brought together state secretaries, deputies, mayors and councilors, as well as Brazilian and Chinese executives from the consortium that will implement, operate and maintain the three services of the TIC Eixo Norte concession over 30 years.
The estimate is 672 thousand passengers transported per day when the system is at full capacity.
The TIC will be the express service on 101 km of tracks between São Paulo and Campinas, with a stop in Jundiaí.
The project also includes the implementation of the Intermetropolitan Train (TIM) between Campinas and Jundiaí and the concession of Line 7-Rubi, currently operated by Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos (CPTM) connecting Jundiaí to the capital.
The TIC Eixo Norte will benefit around 15 million people in 11 municipalities and generate more than 10.5 thousand jobs, including direct, indirect and induced.
When will the new São Paulo lines open
The signing of the concession contract begins the preliminary phase of the project, which takes place between June and November this year.
At this stage, the concessionaire will present financing, expropriation, resettlement plans and prepare for the start of the operational transition with CPTM staff.
Actions prior to the construction of the three TIC Eixo Norte services will be carried out until June 2026. The effective start of construction of all project lines must occur within two years from the formalization of the concession agreement.
The works on Line 7-Rubi and TIM should last three years, with completion estimated in June 2029. The TIC works should last five years, that is, with operations starting in the second half of 2032.
Over the next year, the project foresees the assisted operation of TIC Trens on Line 7–Rubi, with the support of CPTM staff in transferring services to the concessionaire.
Commercial operations on Line 7-Rubi should begin in 2026, when the effective 30-year concession term will also come into force.
For TIM, the estimate is that operation tests will begin in the last quarter of 2029, with commercial operations beginning in 2030. In TIC, with a longer term, the testing phase is scheduled for the end of 2031, and commercial operation from the following year.
The fastest train in Brazil
The project will expand and modernize mobility between the metropolitan regions of São Paulo, Jundiaí and Campinas.
The train that will connect the capital to Campinas will be the fastest in Brazil, with speeds of up to 140 km/h. The trip will last 64 minutes, with 15 trains in express service and an average fare of R$ 50 (USD 9.52).
TIM will operate with seven trains on a 44 km route, with a travel time of 33 minutes.
The stop service will have stations in the cities of Jundiaí, Louveira, Vinhedo, Valinhos and Campinas, with an average speed of 80 km/h and capacity to transport 2,048 passengers. The average fare will be R$ 14.05 (USD 2.68).
Line 7-Rubi will operate between Barra Funda stations, in the capital, and Jundiaí. The amount charged per passenger will follow the public fare, currently R$ 5 (USD 0.95).
The 57-kilometer stretch has 17 stations and capacity to receive 400,000 people per day. The contract provides for the transfer of 30 CPTM trains that travel to the new concessionaire.
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