Launch of an opportunity study for a tram line in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro

As
part of the technical cooperation with the State of Rio de Janeiro, AFD will support the City of Niterói for an opportunity study for a tram line.

Photo credit: S. Medeiros

Niterói is a city of about 480,000 inhabitants, and represents the second economic pole of the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro (RMRJ). The tramway line planned by the City Council would correspond to a line of BHNS and two maritime shuttle stations (which connect Niterói to the city of Rio de Janeiro), passing through the city center and the neighborhoods at the edge of the bay, which are the densest areas of the city.

CODATU was asked by AFD for the drafting of the Terms of Reference, as well as for technical support during the development of the study.

The study was awarded to the Egis Rail, Egis Engenharia e Consultoria e Sinergia consortium and will consist of three missions, the deliverables of which will include:

• an analysis of the mobility of the city of Niterói and the CMAJ, and an estimate of the transport demand;
• the identification of the priority transport axis, the evaluation of alternative routes and the analysis of the choice of mode of transport;
• cost analysis, assessment of economic feasibility, difficulties, impacts and phasing of implementation, an urban integration study, funding opportunities and institutional arrangements.

The study was launched during a mission by AFD’s urban transportation expert in Brazil, Priscille de Coninck. The meeting was attended by the Mayor of Niterói, Rodrigo Neves, the Secretary of Urban Planning and Mobility, Renato Barandier Jr., as well as representatives of the group, the AFD, CODATU and officials of the Mayor of Niterói .

The duration of the study is 5 months, until April 2018. The results will make it possible to evaluate the relevance of pursuing in-depth studies for this new mode of transport in Niterói.