Testing has begun on the first of São Paulo’s new monorail vehicles. M01 made the way from its depot to Oratory station on Friday 10 on the first of a series of test runs to trial the first phase of the planned 27-kilometre automated monorail system.

Line 15 (Silver) will boast the world’s largest and highest capacity monorail in the world, moving 48,000 passengers an hour in each direction, according to the city’s municipal government. Four bi-directional trains will operate on the first 2.9-kilometre section of the line between Vila Prudente and Oratorio, which is scheduled to open in March 2014. The first two vehicles have now been delivered and are undergoing testing.

In total, 54 trains will operate on the Silver Line once the entire $6.4 billion system, spanning 18 stations across the city, opens in 2015.

Source: www.globalrailnews.com, 13 January 2014

Photo: Diogo Moreira/ Governo do Estado de São Paulo