The Rio de Janeiro Metro (Portuguese: Metrô Rio, commonly referred to as just the metrô ) is a mass-transit underground railway network that serves the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Founded in 1979 with five stations operating on one line, it now covers 40.9 km (29 mi) divided into two lines and 35 stations. It is the second largest metro system in Brazil after the São Paulo Metro.
The system currently consists of two lines. Line 1 (orange line) serves downtown Rio, touristic areas in the South Zone, and several neighbourhoods in the North Zone. It is a semicircular line, and is fully underground. It runs from Saens Peña to Ipanema/General Osório. Line 2 (green line) serves working-class residential neighbourhoods extending toward the north. It is a northwest-to-southeast line, and almost completely above-ground (mostly at grade and partly elevated). This line started as a light rail, but due to increasing numbers of commuters, it gradually changed to rapid transit or metro. Because of its origin as light rail, it is at grade except for Estácio station (the former connection station between lines 1 and 2), which is underground and Cidade Nova station, which is elevated.
An additional line, Line 4 (silver line), is planned to be completed by 2016. This will finally reach the Barra da Tijuca neighbourhood in the West Zone, passing under São Conrado and Rocinha. All stations will be underground, but there will be a bridge leading to a tunnel inside a mountain.
The Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro remains responsible for the expansion of the metro network, through Rio Trilhos. In late December 2007, the lease was renewed until 2038 and Metro Rio assumed responsibility for the construction of Cidade Nova station, which will serve as a link between Line 2 and Line 1 ending the need to transfer stations, with the purchase of 114 cars, and construction of Uruguai station, extending Line 1 further north.
The extension works of Line 2, called Line 1A, which ended the need for a transfer at Estácio Station and allowed the direct connection from Pavuna to Botafogo were started by Metrô Rio on November 13, 2008 and the tracks were completed in December 2009. With the extension, the 250 thousand passengers that circulate daily on Line 2 do not need to change trains any more in order to get to the South Region. The interconnection of the two metro lines will reduce, by up to 13 minutes, the journey time from Pavuna station to the city's downtown, the destination of 83% of Line 2's passengers.
Read more about Rio De Janeiro Metro: History, Rolling Stock, Lines, Fare Structure, Modernization, Expansion
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“Americans living in Latin American countries are often more snobbish than the Latins themselves. The typical American has quite a bit of money by Latin American standards, and he rarely sees a countryman who doesn’t. An American businessman who would think nothing of being seen in a sport shirt on the streets of his home town will be shocked and offended at a suggestion that he appear in Rio de Janeiro, for instance, in anything but a coat and tie.”
—Hunter S. Thompson (b. 1939)
“Americans living in Latin American countries are often more snobbish than the Latins themselves. The typical American has quite a bit of money by Latin American standards, and he rarely sees a countryman who doesn’t. An American businessman who would think nothing of being seen in a sport shirt on the streets of his home town will be shocked and offended at a suggestion that he appear in Rio de Janeiro, for instance, in anything but a coat and tie.”
—Hunter S. Thompson (b. 1939)
“Americans living in Latin American countries are often more snobbish than the Latins themselves. The typical American has quite a bit of money by Latin American standards, and he rarely sees a countryman who doesn’t. An American businessman who would think nothing of being seen in a sport shirt on the streets of his home town will be shocked and offended at a suggestion that he appear in Rio de Janeiro, for instance, in anything but a coat and tie.”
—Hunter S. Thompson (b. 1939)