French train manufacturer Alstom has opened its first production line for Citadis trams at its Taubaté plant, São Paulo, Brazil, to better serve tramway projects in Latin America.
Launched with an investment of approximately €15m, the new facility will employ around 150 people when fully operational.
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Capable of producing about seven or eight trams per month, the 16,000m² production line factory adopts advanced environmental practices, including the use of rain water to test train leakage.
Alstom Transport Latin America senior vice-president Michel Boccaccio said: "More than a transport mode, the tramway redesigns the cities and offers their residents with sustainable, comfortable and accessible mobility. It has already been adopted by a larger number of cities around the world over the last decades.
"With no doubt, this trend is now starting in Brazil and this is why Alstom has invested in this new manufacturing line to accompany tramway projects not only for Brazil but also for all Latin America."
Alstom will manufacture the 32 Citadis catenary-free tramsets for Rio de Janeiro at the facility, which were ordered in September 2013 as part of a programme called Porto Maravilha led by the municipality to modernise the port area.
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By GlobalDataDeliveries of the trams are expected to start this year and will run through mid-2016.
More than 1,900 Alstom Citadis have been sold to 49 cities worldwide, with 1,500 already operating and transported more than six billion passengers.
Image: Alstom inaugurates its first Citadis tramway manufacturing line in Latin America. Photo: courtesy of Alstom Transport.
