Invensys Rail wins milestone Brazilian Metro contract

On October 22, 2009, leading railway control and communications systems provider Invensys Rail, Brazilian engineering company Montagens e Projetos Especiais (MPE) and Spanish telecoms specialists Infoglobal signed a milestone £255 (€280) million contract to upgrade the signalling and automatic train control on lines 8, 10 and 11 of São Paulo's rapidly developing Metro system.

Invensys Rail will install its Sirius Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) system on all three lines and associated rolling stock along with WESTRACE interlockings, point machines and LED signals, totalling a 60% share within the consortium. To minimise disruption during the upgrade, the new system will be installed and designed to operate alongside the existing signalling system until the project is fully completed. This approach has been successfully used by Invensys Rail on metros around the world and has proved highly successful in delivering complex projects on-time and on budget with the minimum disruption to passengers.

Invensys Rail CEO and President James Drummond highlighted the importance of the contract to the Company, saying: "This is our first major project award in Brazil and is yet another success for our CBTC systems after winning the signalling contract for Singapore's new Downtown Line. We are delighted to be given the opportunity to work on such a high-profile project in one of the world's most exciting cities."

The contract marks Invensys Rail's biggest success to date in the Brazilian market, and with rapid development of heavy-haul freight routes, commuter and metro networks and a planned high speed line in the country, Invensys Rail believes this award will provide a platform for expansion in this important and growing market.

The three lines are owned and operated by Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos (CPTM). Line 8 is 35km long with 20 stations; Line 10 is 37km with 15 stations and Line 11 is 37km long with 12 stations. In total, 136 trains and maintenance vehicles operate on the three lines to transport over one million passengers per working day.