METRO Magazine Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Bombardier’s Brazil monorail honored for innovation

Won UITP’s award for Intermodal Innovation for Latin America for its Innovia Monorail 300 system for the São Paulo Metro. The monorail’s advantages include its high passenger capacity combined with the fact that the system is cost effective to introduce as it does not require major infrastructure or civil works.

May 29, 2013
2 min to read


Bombardier Transportation won the award for Intermodal Innovation for Latin America for its Innovia Monorail 300 system for the São Paulo Metro in Brazil.

The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) presented the award to André Guyvarch, president and chief country representative Brazil, Bombardier Transportation, at a ceremony held during the 60th UITP World Congress and Mobility & City Transport Exhibition in Geneva.

The award confirms that the Eastern Express Monorail, also known as São Paulo Metro line 15, has put the city of São Paulo on the map as a global pioneer in urban public transport. Brazil´s largest city will be the first in the world to implement Bombardier’s high capacity Innovia Monorail technology for a public transit system.

The UITP recognized Bombardier’s Innovia Monorail system for São Paulo as a true game-changer for public transportation in Latin America. It offers the ideal solution for megacities such as São Paulo, where innovative solutions are needed today to solve their mobility challenges. The monorail’s many advantages include its high passenger capacity combined with the fact that the system is cost effective to introduce as it does not require major infrastructure or civil works. Innovia Monorail technology offers transportation capacity similar to a metro while being up to twice as fast to implement.

São Paulo’s new 15-mile line with 17 stations will operate with 54 seven-car trains, connecting the Vila Prudente and Cidade Tiradentes areas in the eastern part of the city. The new driverless transit system for São Paulo features the integrated Bombardier Cityflo 650 communications-based train control technology, which will allow for very short headways of only 75 seconds. Currently this journey takes approximately two hours by car and the monorail will reduce the time to only 50 minutes, benefiting half a million users daily.

The project is being delivered by the Expresso Monotrilho Leste Consortium (Eastern Express Monorail consortium), led by Brazilian civil contractor Queiroz Galvão and incorporating construction firm Construtora OAS as well as Bombardier Transportation. The consortium was awarded the project in 2010 by the Companhia do Metropolitano de São Paulo (São Paulo Metro). The system will be completed in 2016.

More Rail

A New York MTA subway car with an open gangway
Railby Staff and News ReportsSeptember 16, 2026

New York MTA Advances Final Contract for Second Avenue Subway Expansion

Contract Four is the largest in the Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 project and includes construction of station infrastructure, tracks, and signals for the subway expansion, MTA officials said. Work on Contract Four will begin in 2027.

Read More →
A San Diego MTS Copper Line vehicle
Railby Staff and News ReportsSeptember 15, 2026

San Diego MTS Breaks Monthly Trolley Ridership Record

Agency officials said July’s ridership indicates MTS’s continued recovery from the pandemic.

Read More →
NJ TRANSIT's new Multilevel III commuter railcar manufactured by Alstom
Railby Alex RomanSeptember 14, 2026

Report Examines NJ TRANSIT Reliability, Funding Challenges

The Garden State Initiative analysis examines the roles of Amtrak infrastructure, fleet management, and agency operations while recommending a more performance-based approach to improving reliability.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
A CapMetro commuter rail train provided by Stadler
Railby Staff and News ReportsSeptember 11, 2026

Stadler, CapMetro Sign Long-Term Rail Fleet Support Agreement

Beginning in 2027, Stadler will provide on-site technical expertise, spare parts support, training, and obsolescence management to help extend the reliability and longevity of CapMetro’s GTW fleet.

Read More →
Rendering of an Alstom train in a VIA Rail Station
Technologyby Alex RomanSeptember 10, 2026

Biz Briefs: Alstom Lands Canadian Contract, LYT to Supply California TSP, and More

In METRO's latest installment, we take a look at recent news from Complete Coach Works, Beep, FlixBus, and more partnerships making headlines across the transportation sector.

Read More →
The CATS Gold Line in service with the city skyline in the background.
Railby Staff and News ReportsSeptember 3, 2026

CATS Gold Line Marks 5 Years of Service, 2.8M Passenger Trips

With a six-mile expansion planned, the Charlotte streetcar is positioned to connect more neighborhoods and major transit hubs across the region.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Designing Stations Around the Passenger
RailSeptember 2, 2026

Why Simulating Pedestrian Movement Has Become Essential for Modern Rail Stations

Pedestrian microsimulation is helping rail planners identify bottlenecks, test station designs, and prepare complex transit hubs for growing passenger volumes.

Read More →
Amtrak Sunnyside Groundbreaking
Railby Staff and News ReportsSeptember 2, 2026

Amtrak Begins Major Construction at New York’s Sunnyside Yard

The new maintenance facility will support Amtrak’s Airo trainsets while improving maintenance efficiency and turnaround times in New York.

Read More →
O'Hare Flyer Rendering
Railby Staff and News ReportsAugust 27, 2026

Chicago Leaders Unveil Plans for O’Hare Airport Express Train

The privately developed project would offer a 15-minute trip between downtown and O’Hare’s Terminal 2, with trains operating every 15 minutes on a dedicated track. The service would use battery-electric trains and three existing freight rail rights-of-way.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
An OCTA coastal rail line train.
Railby Staff and News ReportsAugust 27, 2026

OCTA Maps Out 30-Year Strategy to Protect Coastal Rail Corridor

The draft feasibility report identifies strategies to protect the coastal rail line for decades as the agency continues near-term stabilization and sand placement efforts.

Read More →