International Award Highlights OEC’s Experience in Metro and Urban Train Projects

At the end of last year, OEC – Odebrecht Engineering and Construction was announced as the winner of the merit award in the “Rails” category of the renowned Global Best Projects, awarded by the American magazine Engineering News-Record (ENR). The award recognizes the excellence employed by the construction company in its long trajectory in the execution of works in this modality.

Over eight decades, the construction company has established itself as one of the main references in infrastructure works, with a remarkable performance in sectors such as energy, oil and gas, sanitation, mining, logistics, and urban mobility. In the latter, especially in rail transport, the company has accumulated a vast portfolio, being responsible for the execution of 263 kilometers of works on 26 lines and more than 200 passenger stations, in Brazil and abroad.

In Brazil, OEC is the leading company in the implementation of metro projects and played a crucial role in the expansion of São Paulo’s network, the state with the highest number of passengers transported in this modality. Highlights include the construction of emblematic stations such as Brigadeiro and Trianon-Masp, on Avenida Paulista, through which more than 100,000 passengers pass every day, and the Klabin, Imigrantes, and Alto do Ipiranga stations, on Line 2 – Green of the Metro.

Projects such as the José Bonifácio-Guaianazes connection, on Line 11 – Coral of CPTM; interventions on lines 3 – Red, with Marechal Deodoro station and the section that connects it to Barra Funda; 4 – Yellow, with 10 stations in the Paulista and Pinheiros lots, in addition to the Vila Sônia yard, with an area for maneuvers and maintenance workshops; and 5 – Lilac, which include two underground stations and the Campo Limpo – Santo Amaro – Giovanni Gronchi connection, of CPTM, highlight the company’s significant contribution to São Paulo’s urban mobility. With the intervention on Line 5, the consortium led by OEC won, in 2018, the Global Best Projects, a world engineering award promoted by the American magazine Engineering News-Record (ENR), in the “Bridges and Tunnels” category.

A separate chapter in this São Paulo journey was OEC’s participation, in consortium with other Brazilian companies, in the conquest of the first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in the urban transport sector in the country, with the structuring for the construction and operation of Line 6 – Orange of the SP Metro. The project included the construction of 15 stations, along 15.5 kilometers, with the simultaneous use of two mega-tunnel boring machines. The Expresso Linha 6 consortium, led by OEC, advanced 12% of the work until 2016, executing demolition, earthmoving, excavation, concreting, equipment definition and purchase, and TBMs (tunnel boring machines), among others.

In Rio de Janeiro, OEC has a significant participation in much of the city’s metro network. The most recent work in this segment in the city was on Line 4, between Barra da Tijuca and Ipanema, one of the legacies of the Olympic Games, becoming an alternative for fast, modern, efficient, and sustainable transport for citizens.

According to the demand study developed by FGV, the migration of passengers from other means of transport to Line 4 in Rio would allow a reduction of approximately 40% in car trips on the Barra – Zona Sul axis. For the execution of this project, the concessionaire responsible for the work managed about 340 companies and more than 200 national and international specialists and consultants. 650,000 cubic meters of concrete were used, equivalent to eight Maracanã stadiums. Another relevant connection in the city under OEC’s responsibility is Cantagalo-General Osório, on Line 1, which connects the neighborhoods of Copacabana and Ipanema.

Metros around the world

OEC’s expertise has also qualified it to operate abroad. In Panama City, the company was awarded twice with the Global Best Projects, the most recent being this year, recognizing its interventions in the capital’s metro. Still in Latin America, it was responsible for the Los Teques Metro and the San Agustin MetroCable in Venezuela, as well as the Lima Electric Train in Peru.

In Portugal, the company worked on seven stations in Lisbon, including the famous Gare do Oriente and the expansion of the Red Line, as well as the Yellow Line in the city of Porto. In the United States, the company signed notable works such as the Metrorail AirportLink, which connects the metro to Miami airport, as well as the MIA Mover and Metromover monorails.

According to Marcelo Piller, OEC’s Director of Engineering and Innovation, who worked directly on metro projects in the Portuguese capital, the construction company’s participation in the expansion of the railway network and the construction of stations in Lisbon gives the company a relevant resume that qualifies it to work on major urban projects. “We employed complex and high-level engineering in the execution of the Lisbon metro, with construction challenges overcome in an innovative way, especially in the works of the Baixa-Chiado double station, the new Cais do Sodré station, and the expansion/remodeling of the Rossio and Restauradores stations. It was the first large-diameter EPB (Earth Pressure Balance) TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) operated by a Brazilian construction company, back in the 1990s. After that, OEC maintained a continuous participation trajectory in the works of the Lisbon Metro, on the Red Line, Santa Apolonia station, and the Gare do Oriente itself, in the Expo Park,” details Piller.

With an extensive global portfolio, OEC reaffirms its commitment to urban mobility solutions that connect people, transform cities, and promote innovation and technical excellence.