18 October 2013
A consortium led by Spanish firm Acciona has been awarded a $1bn contract to build the east line of a new metro in the city of Fortaleza, Brazil.
Acciona will partner with Brazilian engineering firm Cetenco Engenharia to build a 12.4km subway with twelve stations that will carry 400,000 people a day.
The metro line is the largest public works project ever undertaken by the state of Ceará. Linking with the Fortaleza’s west and south lines, it is expected to relieve traffic congestion in Brazil’s fifth largest city.
Acciona will lead a consortium to build the east line of the Fortaleza Metro
As part of the contract, the consortium will also assemble four tunnel boring machines, nicknamed "tatuzões" (giant armadillos), that have been acquired by the government of Ceará.
Brazil is currently accelerating investment in infrastructure as the country prepares to host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games.
The metro project will partly be financed with federal government funds and is part of its plans to boost transport networks in Brazil’s largest cities.
The government also plans to double the country’s road and rail networks and expand the capacity of ports and airports.
