Marcopolo's business unit signed a contract to supply three train units of two cars each, Prosper model, to the Chilean market, and opens opportunities for Brazilian technology abroad.
Marcopolo Rail expands its operations, now in the international market, with the supply of three train units of two wagons each, for Empresa de Ferrocarriles del Estado – EFE Trenes de Chile, a public company responsible for the management of the country's railway network . The Marcopolo business unit, specialized in the development and production of railway units, signed the contract for the supply in December 2022.
“The vehicles will be bidirectional, with operating cabins at each end. The units will have the capacity to transport 223 passengers, that is, 80 seated and 143 standing. The models will have air conditioning, spaces for people with reduced mobility, as well as a bathroom”, points out Petras Amaral Santos, executive manager of Marcopolo Rail.
The contract with EFE includes the supply of rolling stock, spare parts and maintenance. There will be three DMUs (Diesel Multiple Units), with two cars each of the Prosper model, with doors on both sides, seats with armrests, USB ports and a retractable table on its back. For greater thermal comfort, the units have an independent air-conditioning system for each car. Production is scheduled to start in the first half of 2023, at the Ana Rech Industrial Complex, in Caxias do Sul (RS), in a specific warehouse for the production of railway products and will meet all the requirements of manufacturing processes.
The trains produced will operate on the Talca – Constitución branch, a medium-distance interurban passenger transport circuit, 88 kilometers long and with 11 stations. The system is part of the Trains of Chile program and has had recent improvements in its infrastructure. Currently, the branch connects the rural areas of the Central Valley and the Coastal area, in the Maule region. “Our arrival in Chile positions Brazil as an important player on the international railway metro scene, considering Marcopolo's strategic production potential and capillarity for service to the continent. The supply of trains to Chile will strengthen our performance and favor entry into other Latin American markets, with the possibility of expanding mobility on rails”, Santos affirms.
Advances in rail metro mobility
Marcopolo Rail acts to identify opportunities for the advancement of metrorail mobility, in line with current global demands, and works to promote high-capacity, speed, efficiency and comfort travel.
In 2020, Marcopolo Rail launched the Prosper VLT, its first Light Rail Vehicle (VLT), to operate on a Giordani Turismo tourist route, in Bento Gonçalves – Rio Grande do Sul (RS). Marcopolo Rail will also be the supplier of the "people movers" for the AeroGru consortium, made up of the companies Aerom, HTB, FBS and TSEA. The consortium is responsible for the passenger transport project for line 13 – Jade of the CPTM (Paulista Metropolitan Train Company) to passenger terminals 1, 2 and 3 of the Guarulhos International Airport, in São Paulo.