BRT Transbrasil opens in Rio de Janeiro

With a length of 27 km and capacity to carry up to 250,000 passengers a day, BRT Transbrasil is one of the largest urban bus lines in the country

Work on the BRT Transbrasil express bus corridor was handed over in Rio de Janeiro on Friday (23/02). The project is approximately 27 kilometers long, culminating in the Gentileza Intermodal Terminal, in front of the Novo Rio Bus Station, and includes 21 bridges and viaducts, 18 stations, 21 footbridges and four terminals, making it possible to connect with Supervia’s urban trains and the Transolímpica and Transcarioca BRT corridors, which already operate in the city. The project was built by the Transbrasil S/A Consortium, made up of the construction companies OEC – Engenharia & Construção, Alya and Coesa.

Implementation will take place gradually until maximum capacity is reached, scheduled for July. At first, two lines will run along the corridor, one of them for an express connection to Galeão International Airport. The BRT will be integrated with various modes, such as trams and conventional buses. This should help reduce bus traffic on Avenida Brasil and in the city center. The promise is that passenger journeys will be quicker, as it will be separated from regular traffic, providing a faster and more comfortable service for passengers. It is expected to transport around 250,000 people a day, cutting commuting times by 50%.

Numbers

Located on the main road connecting the center, north and west of Rio de Janeiro, the exclusive BRT Transbrasil corridor generated more than 5,000 jobs at the peak of construction, including direct and indirect jobs.

The volume of concrete used on the project reached 211,922 cubic meters, almost seven times the amount of concrete used in the Maracanã. In addition, more than 12,000 tons of CA-50 steel were used in the bridges, viaducts and terminals, 315,000 tons of asphalt to upgrade the express lane, 8,390 tons of metal structures in the stations and walkways along the exclusive corridor and almost 40,000 meters of deep foundations, corresponding to around 1,970 piles.