Rio de Janeiro metro faces architectural decay and operational issues

The Rio de Janeiro metro system, originally recognized for its high-quality modernist architecture, is facing significant signs of decay and structural changes. The pioneering Line 1 stations, designed by architects including Sabino Barroso, Jaime Zettel, and José Leal—who previously collaborated with Oscar Niemeyer—featured elegant materials such as white marble, dark granite, and colored glass tiles.

Since its privatization in 1998, the system has been managed by MetrôRio, controlled by the sovereign wealth fund Mubadala. Reports indicate that original architectural elements have been covered with mortar and metal plates, and the aesthetic coherence of newer stations has been criticized.

Operational issues have also emerged, with users reporting dirty signage, malfunctioning escalators, water infiltration, noisy trains, and poor lighting. Furthermore, structural changes to the original project, where lines are embedded within one another, have prevented a reduction in train intervals. The expansion of the network has stalled, with no new stations opened during the administrations of Cláudio Castro; the last extension was the Jardim Oceânico station in 2016.