URBAN TRANS II-RAIL

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The Second Urban Transport (Porto Alegre) Project the construction of a surface suburban rail mass transit system with about 25 electric unit trains between the central business area of the city of Porto Alegre, the capital of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, and the town of Sapucaia, 26.7 kms to the north. The system will have 14 stations spaced approximately every 2 kms, and will have a capacity of 48,000 passengers per hour in each direction. The benefits of the project will mainly accrue to the urban poor, many of whom live on the periphery of the metropolitan area, providing them with more rapid access to employment centers and improving the urban environment in which they live. The project will save on vehicle operating costs including fuel, reduce travel time, and reduce air and noise pollution by achieving a more efficient modal distribution of traffic and use of all transport facilities in the area of influence of the railway. It will contribute to the development of selected employment growth poles along the north-south corridor. The project involves the establishment of the company, TRENSURB, which was recently created to own and operate the system on a commercial basis without government operating subsidies.