ABB, a power and automation technology group, has won an order worth $41 million for power systems to upgrade the urban rail network in São Paulo and help reduce the city’s acute traffic congestion.

ABB’s solution will enable the network operator, Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos (CPTM), to increase the number of rail passengers in the city and enhance the system's reliability. CPTM carries approximately two million passengers daily on its 162-mile rail network, and plans to double capacity by upgrading lines, building and refurbishing stations and other infrastructure, and expanding its fleet of rolling stock.

The project is part of a larger plan to expand public transport in São Paulo with a four-fold increase in the rail and metro network, making it one of the largest public transportation projects ever undertaken in Brazil.

As part of the turnkey project, ABB will provide three high- and medium-voltage rectifier substations (138 kV, 88 kV and 34.5 kV), as well as a 3 kV DC supply to power the trains. ABB will also upgrade two existing 34.5 kV substations. The project is scheduled for completion in approximately 24 months.