What changed
2026-07-27 06:35 UTC → 2026-07-29 14:46 UTC ·
added
removed
São Paulo rail privatization concession dispute and service disruptions
After a threatened metro‑employee strike was averted in May 2025, São Paulo’s government approved salary increases, launched fare‑integration and proceeded with several line extensions, safety upgrades and a PPP The transition to modernise the regional water‑ferry system. June saw the trial private operation of the Linha 17‑Ouro monorail shuttle, Pix ticket‑payment testing at CPTM stations, vaccination sites at Line 7‑Rubi stations, CPT and the opening expansion of five new metro lines. Courts ordered fire‑safety plans for all CPTM stations, and toll‑based financing proposals were launched. In early July a three‑week free‑Wi‑Fi pilot began at three Line 3‑Red stations, and CPTM completed a city‑wide Pix‑based ticket‑payment system on Lines 11, 12 and 13. The state‑owned CBTU placed a refurbished Cobrasma train on Recife’s Metro Line South. Operational anomalies continued, including logo‑less Series 8500 cars on Line 10 and vandalism on Line 12, prompting heightened security measures. On 20 July the private concessionaire São Paulo’s rail network continued to be troubled. After Trivia Trens began operating took over Lines 11‑Coral, 12‑Safira, 13‑Jade 12‑Safira and the Expresso Aeroporto under a 25‑year, R$ 14.3 billion concession signed in May 2025. The hand‑over, supervised by CPTM, was formalised 13‑Jade on 21 20 July 2026, with fares, schedules and ticket integration unchanged. Passengers reported electronic‑panel malfunctions and reduced speeds the following day. A a short‑circuit fire on 12‑Safira on 23 July 2026 forced CPTM to temporarily resume operation of Lines 11, 12, 13 and service on the Airport Express; three lines on 23 July, with normal service was operations restored by 24 July. On 27 July the concession contract’s compensation clause sparked a dispute: the state agency Artesp ordered CPTM to retake operation of the three lines for up to 90 days while defects are investigated. CPTM workers voted for an indicative strike to begin on 4 August unless negotiations resolve job‑security guarantees tied to the temporary reassignment; the union is also pushing Project Law 730/2025 in the state assembly. The same day the government began evaluating a new public‑private partnership model that would reiterated its plan to keep CPTM operating in charge of operations on Line 10‑Turquesa (and the future Line 14‑Ônix) while assigning maintenance and infrastructure work to a private partner, with partner would handle investment and maintenance under a similar approach envisaged for new PPP model. On 29 July the planned Line 14‑Ônix. São Paulo Public Ministry opened a civil inquiry into the operational and safety failures on Lines 11‑Coral, 12‑Safira and 13‑Jade, targeting CPTM, Trivia Trens and the transport regulator Artesp. The tender is expected probe follows a 275 % surge in incidents on Line 11 during the early 2027. weeks of private management and the July 23 fire that halted service on all three lines.