This Friday (28), the Comporte Participações S.A. group won the auction for train lines 11, 12 and 13 in São Paulo, organized by the state government, for the concession of the Alto Tietê Lot. In a public session held at the B3 headquarters, the company offered a discount of 2.57% on the pecuniary consideration to be paid by the state. This means savings of around R$1 billion over the course of the concession. The package includes the sponsored concession of Lines 11-Coral, 12-Safira and 13-Jade.
With the winning bid in the auction for lines 11, 12 and 13, the new concessionaire will be responsible for 124 km of track that will benefit the Alto Tietê region, the municipality of Guarulhos and the east side of the capital. The investment planned for the contract is R$14.3 billion, with a concession period of 25 years. The contract should be signed by the end of the first half of this year.
“We are gradually starting to expand rail transportation. São Paulo deserves it, since it’s a state that grew up on the banks of railroads. It’s time to give traction again and invest in passenger rail transportation. And today is the day to celebrate another leg of this investment, in which we are going to incorporate many people into the system,” said Governor Tarcísio de Freitas.
“When we talk about these expansions, we’re talking about interconnecting the network. The metro system will be more efficient the more interconnected it is, the more connections it has with other lines. This way, we’ll take railroads where they haven’t gone yet, reaching people who aren’t reached, improving mobility, sustainability and the provision of services to citizens,” Tarcísio said.
Listen to the governor’s speech on the auction of lines 11, 12 and 13, click here.
The auction of lines 11, 12 and 13 also brought together the state secretary for Investment Partnerships, Rafael Benini, state authorities, deputies, B3 directors and entrepreneurs from the urban mobility sector.
The Comporte Group, through a consortium with CRRC, won the concessions for Line 7-Rubi and the Intercity Train (TIC) linking Campinas and São Paulo in 2024.
“This is one of the most modern contracts ever signed by the São Paulo government in the mobility sector. The auction of lines 11, 12 and 13 represents a new stage in the management of public rail transportation, with clear performance targets, robust investment obligations and a total focus on the quality of the service provided to citizens. We are promoting a leap in efficiency with fiscal responsibility, guaranteeing a return for the population and legal certainty for investors,” said the Secretary for Investment Partnerships, Rafael Benini.
The concession, with the auction of lines 11, 12 and 13, has a strong social impact, serving regions of high demand, with more than 4.6 million inhabitants. The project aims to expand the supply of quality public transport, reducing travel times and ensuring greater comfort and efficiency for passengers.
The operation will also boost the labor market in the state, creating around 15,000 jobs in various areas, such as construction, maintenance and railway operation. During the works carried out by the winner of the auction for lines 11, 12 and 13, thousands of professionals will be hired to work on expanding the infrastructure, refurbishing stations and modernizing the systems. Once the lines are in operation, new jobs will be created to manage and maintain the services, guaranteeing long-term employment.
“Comporte is here once again, very happy to have won the auction for lines 11, 12 and 13. We are very optimistic and thank the State Government and the Federal Government for all the support we have had during this process,” said Comporte’s institutional director, José Efraim Neves.
Extension
The auction project for lines 11, 12 and 13 includes the construction of ten new stations, the refurbishment of another 24 and the total reconstruction of four, as well as the extension of more than 20 km of track. Line 11-Coral will be extended to César de Sousa Station, in Mogi das Cruzes, with four new stations. Line 12-Safira will reach Suzano. Line 13-Jade will be extended to Gabriela Mistral, in the east of the capital, and Bonsucesso, in Guarulhos, meeting a long-standing demand from the population.
With these changes, the expectation is that the three lines will together carry around 1.3 million passengers a day by 2040, guaranteeing a better quality of life, access to the job market and economic development for the entire São Paulo Metropolitan Region.
Reduced intervals
The concession, after the auction of lines 11, 12 and 13, will allow for a reduction in the interval between trains, ensuring more efficient operation on different lines:
Line 11-Coral: The interval will be reduced to 3 minutes between Palmeiras-Barra Funda and Suzano and to 6 minutes between Suzano and Cezar de Sousa. In addition, the line will be extended by 4 km to Cezar de Sousa Station, with the service extending to Barra Funda. The branch line will gain four new stations, 14 others will be refurbished and three will be rebuilt. All existing level crossings will also be eliminated and replaced by footbridges, viaducts or underpasses.
Line 12-Safira: The interval between Brás and Itaquaquecetuba will be reduced from 5 to 3 minutes and 15 seconds, and between Itaquaquecetuba and Suzano, from 10 to 6.5 minutes. The line will gain 2.7 km of new tracks, reaching Suzano, and will have two new stations. There will be integration with Line 13-Jade and Line 2-Green of the Metro. In addition, one station will be rebuilt and 12 others will undergo renovations.
Line 13-Jade: The interval will be reduced to 10 minutes, and the branch line will be extended to Bonsucesso, totaling 15.6 km of new tracks. The line will have six new stations, as well as three refurbished ones. The Expresso Aeroporto will operate with trips every 30 minutes during valley hours and 1 hour during peak hours, including a new stop at Gabriela Mistral station, which will allow integration with Line 2-Green of the Metro and Line 12-Safira.
Auction history
In 2024, the São Paulo government held the largest number of auctions in the last 25 years. There were nine auctions that raised more than R$300 million in qualified projects under the Investment Partnership Program (PPI-SP).
The privatization of Sabesp alone, completed in July last year, guaranteed R$260 billion for the public coffers and brought forward the universalization of sanitation by five years. Other highlights in 2024 were the Eixo Norte Intercity Train (São Paulo-Campinas), the road concessions Lote Litoral Paulista, Rota Sorocabana and Lote Nova Raposo, the public-private partnership (PPP) for the construction and maintenance of 33 schools and the concession of state lotteries.
By the end of 2025, 11 more projects should be up for auction: Santos-Guarujá Immersed Tunnel, Water Crossings, School Adaptation and Maintenance, Paranapanema Lot, Water Circuit, Mogiana Route, Campos Elíseos Administrative Center, ABC Guarulhos Lot, Line 16-Violet, West Axis Intercity Train and Campos do Jordão Railroad.
Photo: Celso Silva/SP State Government