Belo Horizonte Metro ( pt, Metrô de Belo Horizonte) is a

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be ...

system serving the city of Belo Horizonte, in the state of

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. The system has one line which serves 19 stations. The Metro carried 54.4 million passengers in 2019, or approximately 150,000 passengers per day. The system is operated by Companhia Brasileira de Trens Urbanos (CBTU). Two more lines are planned.

History

The first section of the metro opened on 1 August 1986. At its opening, the Metro was long and had six stations with three trains in operation. In 1987 the line was extended to Central station and two more trains were brought into use. The line was extended again several times in the mid-1990s, and finally once more in 2002 adding the last 5 of the current 19 stations. Further trains were delivered in the 1990s, with the last being delivered in December 2001, bringing the total number of trains to 25.

Operations

Network

System characteristics

The trains are supplied by 3000 V DC

overhead wires An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, trolleybuses or trams. It is known variously as: * Overhead catenary * Overhead contact system (OCS) * Overhead equipment ...

, and have a commercial speed of 40 km/h with a maximum speed of 80 km/h.

Track gauge In rail transport, track gauge (in American English, alternatively track gage) is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many ...

is ( Irish gauge).

Future service

The transfer of the administration of Belo Horizonte Metro from Companhia Brasileira de Trens Urbanos to MetroMinas is yet to be discussed. In early 2014, it was announced that the Belo Horizonte Metro will be expanded with two new lines by 2018, with new train cars, and two additional stations added to Line 1. In September 2015, ten new train cars was introduced officially. No progress was made in respect of expansion of the network until September 2020, when the Brazilian government committed 1.2 billion reais of funding for the construction of Line 2.

Planned expansion proposed by CBTU

Planned expansion proposed by State Government

Network Map

References

External links

{{coord missing, Minas Gerais Metro Rapid transit in Brazil 5 ft 3 in gauge railways in Brazil Transport in Minas Gerais Electric railways in Brazil 3000 V DC railway electrification 1986 establishments in Brazil