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Salvador Metro

12°58′59″S 38°29′34″W / 12.98306°S 38.49278°W / -12.98306; -38.49278

Salvador Metro
A train on the Salvador Metro.
A train on the Salvador Metro.
Overview
Native nameMetrô de Salvador,
Metrô Bahia
LocaleSalvador, Bahia, Brazil
Transit typeRapid transit
Number of lines2
[1]
Line number2
Number of stations22
WebsiteCCR Metrô Bahia (in Portuguese)
Operation
Began operation11 June 2014; 12 years ago (11 June 2014)
Number of vehicles45
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification3,000 V overhead lines

The Salvador Metro (Brazilian Portuguese: Metrô de Salvador, commonly called Metrô or Sistema Metropolitano Salvador-Lauro de Freitas) is a rapid transit system serving Salvador, the state capital of Bahia and the fifth largest city in Brazil. The current system is 38 kilometres (24 mi) long and has 22 stations, which began partial public service on June 11, 2014.[2] The system also has a station at the Salvador Bahia Airport in Lauro de Freitas. The system is operated by CCR Metrô Bahia.

Additionally, Salvador was served by a 14-kilometre (8.7 mi) 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+38 in) metre gauge railway line known as the Suburban Line (Calçada-Paripe) that did not connect with the Metro. This suburban line will soon become an LRT line integrated to the 38 kilometres (24 mi) of the Metro.

The construction of the SMSL was carried out in an expansion divided in six stages that integrated the traditional center of the city to Pirajá (and later, in 2023, Campinas and the district of Águas Claras) and to the neighboring municipality of Lauro de Freitas through Line 1 and Line 2 respectively, totaling 38 kilometres (24 mi) and 22 stations.

The Metro connects to other transport systems such as the Salvador BRT, which is a bus rapid transit system which shares the Lapa station with the Metro, and the 36.4-kilometre (22.6 mi) and 34 station LRT line, which is currently being built to replace the suburban train, extend it, and predicted to be concluded by August 12, 2028, and will encounter the Metro at Águas Claras and Bairro da Paz stations.

History

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The result of the political fighting and contract conflicts caused the project to suffer multiple delays from its original completion date of 2003. In final form, the Bahia state government has taken over responsibility for finishing the line in 2013.[3] When the service starts, it operated on the 7.6-kilometre (4.7 mi), five stop Lapa–Retiro portion of Line 1 between 12.00 and 16.00. Trains operated every ten minutes, and passenger travel were free. On game days, however, only football fans with game tickets were allowed in.

Nearly a decade have gone by after that first opening, and in Bahia's capital, circumstances have undergone a major shift.

On June 14 of this year, the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) Pirajá–Campinas section of Line 1 has opened, bringing the line's total length to 13.4 kilometres (8.3 mi), including 5.8 kilometres (3.6 mi) of elevated track and 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi) of tunnel, with nine stations.

Starting in February 2015, construction on Line 2 was carried out. On December 5, 2016, the first 2.3-kilometre (1.4 mi) of the Acesso Norte–Rodoviária extend opened. With the conclusion of the 3.5-kilometre (2.2 mi) Mussurunga–Airport section on April 26, 2018, Line 2 includes twelve stations and is now 19.6 kilometres (12.2 mi) long. Both lines' services operate from 5:00 to 0:00, with service frequency modified according to demand.

Background

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Construction of Bonocô Station Elevation.
Construction of Bonocô Station Elevation.

The project is a Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) scheme for the operation of the urban transportation system in Salvador, and includes the supply and installation of rolling stock and signaling equipment, and commercial operation of the system for the 25-year concession. Each train, consisting of four cars, has the capacity to carry 1,250 passengers.[4]

Currently, the urban transportation system in Salvador is underdeveloped and largely road-based, causing significant congestion and delays. This level of road-based transport has significant impacts on the local economy and environment. For this reason the municipality and the state, together with the World Bank, have been involved since 1992 in the design and implementation of a transportation strategy. The international standard gauge is 3 kV overhead power supply, and was built by a consortium of Siemens, Camargo Corrêa, and Andrade Gutierrez of Brazil.[5]

Train of Salvador metro.

This project is an integral part of the strategy that aims to improve the quality of public transportation in the area by connecting currently excluded low-income neighborhoods, and by furthering the development of a fully integrated urban transportation system.[6]

Salvador Metro is one of the systems of urban mobility that were deployed for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The connection of Line 2 with Line 1 of Salvador Metro contributes to connect the International Airport to Downtown Salvador and the Fonte Nova Stadium. The new Line 2 of Salvador Metro integrates the metro stations of the Rótula do Abacaxi and the beach city of Lauro de Freitas in the metropolitan area, passing through the Salvador International Airport, with the Airport metro station.[7]

Operations

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Route

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Map of current and future lines.

The current route of Line 1 begins at the underground Lapa station, and runs for 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi) in Metro tunnels, before emerging to the surface. Brotas station (which serves the Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova stadium) is elevated, while Accesso Norte Station and Retiro stations are at-grade.

With Line 1 fully operational over its whole course from Lapa to Rodoviária as of December 2023, it is 17-kilometre (11 mi) long[8] (with 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi) underground, 5.8 kilometres (3.6 mi) elevated, with the rest at grade[citation needed]), and serves ten stations.[9]

A new bus station for Salvador has begun the operations by 20th of January 2026. With this modification, the Rodoviária station, located on Tancredo Neves avenue, got a new name: Iguatemi station. Also, Águas Claras station has changed to Rodoviária station, where the new bus station is built near the BR-324 federal highway.[10]

Stations

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Lapa Station, in the downtown of city.
Lapa Station, in the downtown of city.

The following lists the current, and planned, stations of the Salvador Metro, by their opening date:[11]

StationLineOpening dateNotes
Lapa111 June 2014Access by Bus Terminal of Lapa ("Terminal Rodoviário da Lapa"), in operation
Campo da Pólvora111 June 2014Access by two sides of Dom Pedro II Square ("Praça Dom Pedro II"), in operation
Brotas111 June 2014Access by Av. Mario Leal Ferreira or by Rua das Pitangueiras, in operation
Bonocô113 November 2015[12]In operation
Accesso Norte1 & 211 June 2014Access by walkway of Shopping Bela Vista and BR-324 Highway, in operation[1]
Retiro125 August 2014Access by Baixa de Santo Antônio Street, in operation[13]
Bom Juá123 April 2015[14]in operation
Pirajá122 December 2015[9][8][15]In operation
Detran25 December 2016In operation
Iguatemi[10]25 December 2016In operation[9]
Pernambués223 May 2017In operation
Imbuí223 May 2017In operation
CAB223 May 2017In operation
Pituaçu223 May 2017In operation
Flamboyant211 September 2017In operation
Tamburugy211 September 2017In operation
Bairro da Paz211 September 2017In operation
Mussurunga211 September 2017In operation
Aeroporto226 April 2018In operation
Campinas114 June 2023[16]In operation
Rodoviária[10]126 December 2023In operation
Lauro de Freitas[9]2TBDPlanned
Campo Grande[17] 1 TBD Planned
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Network map

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Map

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 "CCR Metrô Bahia". Grupo CCR. Retrieved 2014-06-12.
  2. Keith Barrow (June 11, 2014). "Salvador metro opens in time for World Cup". International Railway Journal. Simmons-Boardman Publishing Inc. Retrieved 2014-06-12.
  3. "Salvador Bahia Metro Station | JBMC Arquitetura & Urbanismo". Archello. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  4. "Seis trens são levados para estação de metrô em Salvador" [Six trains are brought into the subway station in Salvador]. globo.com (in Portuguese). August 20, 2010. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
  5. Schwandl, Robert. "Salvador". UrbanRail.Net. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
  6. "Project Brief (Metro de Salvador S.A. (Metrosal))". Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency World Bank Group.
  7. "Metrô deve chegar a Salvador antes da Copa" [Metro is expected to come to Salvador before the World Cup]. portal2014.org.br (in Portuguese). November 15, 2011. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  8. 1 2 Smith, Kevin (December 23, 2015). "Salvador finally opens original Line 1". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Com Pirajá, metrô de Salvador chega a 12km: 'momento histórico', diz Dilma" [With Pirajá, Salvador subway reaches 12 km, 'historic moment', says Dilma]. globo.com (in Portuguese). December 22, 2015. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
  10. 1 2 3 Douglas, Maycol (2026-01-19). "Estações de metrô de Salvador mudam de nome após nova Rodoviária de Salvador; entenda". Bnews (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-01-21.
  11. "Estações" [Stations] (in Portuguese). Metrô de Salvador. Retrieved 2014-06-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  12. "Estação do metrô na Bonocô é inaugurada". Portal A TARDE. November 13, 2015. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
  13. "Perto da Copa, Salvador vai ganhar 7 km de trecho de metrô após 14 anos" [Close to the Cup, Salvador will gain 7 km stretch of metro after 14 years]. globo.com (in Portuguese). May 6, 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
  14. "Inaugurada estação do metrô de Bom Juá; cobrança deve ser em junho" [Inaugurated Bom Juá Metro station]. globo.com (in Portuguese). April 23, 2015. Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  15. "Governo lança edital de licitação para metrô de Salvador" [Government launches bidding for Salvador Metro]. globo.com (in Portuguese). May 24, 2013. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
  16. "Metrô de Salvador ganha nova estação". 14 June 2023.
  17. "Área de 6 mil m² será desapropriada para construção de estação de metrô do Campo Grande". www.correio24horas.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-01-21.
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