In a fierce dispute with French giant Alstom, Chinese manufacturer CRRC won the tender to supply 44 new trains to the São Paulo metro system. The contract was approved on 18 March by the state government through the Metropolitan Transport Secretariat. CRRC's proposal, with a total value of R$3.104 billion, includes the supply of 264 metro cars.

The novelty brought by CRRC to the São Paulo Metro lies in the innovation of the trains. One of the outstanding features of the new fleet will be the absence of a driver's cab. As a result, the model adopted is moving ever closer to an autonomous driving system, something that the Metro aims to extend to other lines in the system.

The acquisition of these trains is part of an ongoing effort by the São Paulo Metro to improve transport capacity and modernise the system, which serves millions of passengers every day.

(Source: Click Petróleo e Gás, on 20 March)