Salvador, Brazil―On January 3, the Salvador government approved the full preliminary design and authorized construction of the first BYD SkyRail in the Americas. The signing ceremony was held in an office of the local government, and the entire project’s construction is expected to kick off officially at the beginning of 2020.
The entire seaside route will be 14.46 miles long and will feature 26 stations along its length. Phase-1 of the project will cover the first 11.93 miles of the route, with the additional 2.53 miles completed in Phase-2. Once finished, the line will be connected with Salvador’s other metro lines.
Located on the northeastern coast of Brazil with a metropolitan area population of about 3.8 million, Salvador is the country’s fourth-largest city. Like many big cities across the world, along with rapid urbanization has come growing issues of traffic congestion, air pollution and more. To meet local residents’ needs for cleaner and more modern connectivity, the Bahia state government made a call for bids globally in May 2018 to build a new rail transit line in Salvador as part of the city’s growing public transit system.
SkyRail is a straddle-type monorail system developed by a dedicated, 1,000-strong R&D team following five years of research and development worth $719,155,400 million USD, which aims to solve traffic congestion in cities. With a minimum turning radius of only 45 meters and ability to climb gradients of 10%, SkyRail is well-adapted to Salvador’s difficult terrain. What’s more, advanced autonomous driving technology together with a striking and futuristic appearance allows the SkyRail to seamlessly fit into modern urban environments.
SkyRail’s unique technologies have overcome many of the difficulties of construction and operation in Salvador. For example, the elevated tracks don’t occupy valuable road surface, the space below them still can be rebuilt into pedestrianized areas, and their elevated position keeps them free from flooding, which has been a problem for the city’s existing rail network.
Besides offering comfortable, low-carbon and efficient public transport for residents, the expectation is that SkyRail will help attract new businesses and visitors to the area, aiding the government’s efforts to boost local employment and tourism.
On December 10, 2019, witnessed by Bahia Governor Rui Costa and Chinese Ambassador to Brazil Yang Wanming, BYD was given permission to build Phase-1 of Salvador’s SkyRail project. A signing ceremony took place at Calçada Station, the first railway station in Salvador. First built in 1860, this station symbolizes the starting point of Brazil’s urban rail network. Once the project is completed, the old station will be used as the entrance for passengers, to be connected with the new SkyRail station above it via an escalator, providing an opportunity for passengers to shuttle between the old and modern side of Salvador as well as between the city’s history and future.
The implementation of BYD SkyRail is expected to increase employability in the region, which will attract new businesses, including hotels and restaurants.
Brazil has already adopted multiple zero-emission transport products from BYD including pure electric buses, trucks and taxis, putting it at the vanguard of Latin America’s electrification drive. Obtaining permission to build the SkyRail in Salvador was no doubt an important milestone, which means that BYD’s goal of “using EVs to combat air pollution and using rail transit to solve traffic congestion” will be widely implemented across Brazil.
BYD continues to expand its SkyRail initiatives in the Americas. For example, BYD is a partner in the LA SkyRail Express Team that was recently identified by LA Metro as a qualified candidate for a Private/Public Partnership to implement the Sepulveda Transit Corridor – a 19 mile rapid transit line in the I-405 Corridor from the San Fernando Valley to Los Angeles International Airport.
