In a critical move to prevent a major service disruption, the Recife Metro is set to receive a fleet of six trains from the Belo Horizonte Metro. This transfer is a direct response to technical studies that forecast a complete operational collapse of the system's Linha Sul (South Line) by April 2027.
The operation is being overseen by the Companhia Brasileira de Trens Urbanos (CBTU). According to the company's regional operations manager, José Inocêncio, the trains were inspected in Belo Horizonte and are part of an agreement between the federal and Pernambuco state governments to "state-ify" the administration of the Recife Metro. The primary goal is to supplement the aging fleet and avoid the predicted crisis.
A technical note from the National Secretariat of Urban Mobility highlights the severity of the situation. It states that the current trains operating on the Linha Sul are facing a critical fleet restriction after approximately 40 years of service. This advanced obsolescence, coupled with a scarcity of spare parts and structural failures, jeopardizes the daily transport of around 60,000 users and points to a full fleet shutdown by April 2027.
The document confirms that acquiring the six trains from Belo Horizonte was deemed a technically viable solution compatible with Recife's rail network. Despite their high mileage, the compositions were found to have satisfactory structural conditions and systems in adequate working order, provided they are accompanied by critical spare parts and initial technical support.
The CBTU manager confirmed that all trains approved in the inspection were operational in Belo Horizonte and are currently undergoing reforms before being shipped. The delivery schedule is set for May through September 2026, with one train arriving each month from May to August, and the final two arriving in September. Images released by the CBTU show one of the trains already repainted in the colors of the Pernambuco flag, with its destination sign reading "Cajueiro Seco," the final station of the Linha Sul.
However, the transfer has not been without controversy. The president of the Pernambuco Metro Workers' Union (Sindmetro-PE), Luiz Soares, claimed the Belo Horizonte trains were previously slated for sale as scrap to a junkyard in Cuiabá for about R$ 2 million, before the federal agreement reached R$ 60 million. He also questioned their compatibility with Recife's network. The CBTU did not respond to these specific allegations.
The plan originally included five trains from Porto Alegre, but four were rejected after inspections revealed a high degree of degradation and prohibitive recovery costs. Only one train from Porto Alegre was approved, with its arrival date unspecified. The Sindmetro had previously warned that the Porto Alegre trains were in poor condition and unsuitable for service.
The Pernambuco state government, through its Secretariat of Mobility and Infrastructure (Semobi), stated that the operation and emergency acquisition of the trains remain under federal responsibility via the CBTU. The state is currently analyzing contributions from a public consultation regarding the future concession of the metro, which includes plans for purchasing new trains and system upgrades.
Based on reporting from g1.