São Paulo Metro
The São Paulo Metro (Portuguese: Metropolitano de São Paulo, commonly called Metrô) is the city of São Paulo's rapid transit system. The first such system in Brazil, it began operations in 1974. Although São Paulo is one of the largest cities in the world, with a population of nearly 19 million, its metro system is relatively small (approximately 60 kilometers of track) when compared to its European or North American counterparts.
As of 2005, it consisted of four color-coded lines: Line 1 - Blue, Line 2 - Green, Line 3 - Red and Line 5 - Lilac, serving a total of 54 stations. The metro system carries 2,800,000 persons a day. Metro itself does not cover all of the urban area. Another company, Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos (CPTM), works along the metro system and runs railways converted into metro, which total six lines (A, B, C, D, E, and F), about 250 km long, serving 92 stations. Metro and CPTM have integration between their stations. Metro and CPTM each operate as a government company, and have received awards in the recent past as the cleanest system in the world.
The first line, Norte-Sul (North-South), later renamed "blue line", and then Line 1 – Blue, began operations on September 14, 1974. That was after an eight year gestation period that began in 1966, under mayor Faria Lima.
Expansion on the metro includes new lines. In late 2004, efforts had begun on a US$ 1 billion, 12 km all-underground line, Line 4 – Yellow, with ten stations, transporting almost a million people per day. By 2004, line 2 was also being expanded, with three new stations due to open by 2006. A 10 km expansion of the Line 5 and construction of a 10 km airport express line are in the short-term plans as well. The plans also include revamping the CPTM heavy rail system, which will add several million passengers capacity into the system. It is expected that the São Paulo Metro and CPTM systems will carry about 7 million people on average week days by 2012, as opposed to today's 4 million (Metro: 2.5 million; CPTM: 1.5 million as of 2004).
Metro stations operate from 4:40 a.m. to around 12:00 a.m. As of 2006, tickets cost R$2.10 (about US$1.00). Integrated tickets which may be used on city buses are also available, and cost R$3.60 (about US$ 1.75).
List of Stations
Line 1 - Blue
- Tucuruvi
- Parada Inglesa
- Jardim São Paulo
- Santana
- Carandiru
- Tietê
- Armênia
- Tiradentes
- Luz (with line 4 - yellow and CPTM)
- São Bento
- Sé (with line 3 - red)
- Liberdade
- São Joaquim
- Vergueiro
- Paraíso (with line 2 - green)
- Ana Rosa (with line 2 - green)
- Vila Mariana
- Santa Cruz
- Pça da Árvore
- Saúde
- São Judas
- Conceição
- Jabaquara
Line 2 - Green
- Vila Prudente (Planned)
- Tamanduateí (Planned)
- Sacomã (desapropriating)
- Alto do Ipiranga (Under Construction)
- Imigrantes
- Chácara Klabin
- Ana Rosa (with line 1 - blue)
- Paraíso (with line 1 - blue)
- Brigadeiro
- Trianon-MASP
- Consolação/Paulista (with line 4 - yellow) (Under Construction, but only Paulista station. Consolação station is open since 1992.)
- Clínicas
- Sumaré
- Vila Madalena
Line 3 - Red
- Palmeiras-Barra Funda (with CPTM)
- Marechal Deodoro
- Santa Cecília
- República (with line 4 - yellow)
- Anhangabaú
- Sé (with line 1 - blue)
- Pedro II
- Brás (with CPTM)
- Bresser
- Belém
- Tatuapé (with CPTM)
- Carrão
- Penha
- Vila Matilde
- Guilhermina Esperança
- Patriarca
- Artur Alvim
- Corinthians/Itaquera (with CPTM)
Line 4 - Yellow (Under Construction)
- Luz (with line 1 - blue and CPTM)
- República (with line 3 - red)
- Higienópolis
- Consolação/Paulista (with line 2 - green)
- Oscar Freire
- Fradique Coutinho
- Faria Lima
- Pinheiros (with CPTM)
- Butantã
- São Paulo-Morumbi
- Vila Sônia
Line 5 - Lilas
- Chácara Klabin
- Santa Cruz (With Line 1 - Blue)
- Vila Clementino (Planned)
- Servidor (Planned)
- Moema (Planned)
- Ibirapuera (Planned)
- Campo Belo (Planned)
- Brooklin (Planned)
- Borba Gato (Planned)
- Paulo Eiró (Planned)
- Largo 13
- Santo Amaro (with CPTM)
- Giovanni Gronchi
- Vila das Belezas
- Campo Limpo
- Capão Redondo