Santa Teresa Tram

For the modern light rail system in Rio de Janeiro, see Rio de Janeiro Light Rail.
Santa Teresa Tram
Tram on a cobblestone-paved section
Overview
LocaleSanta Teresa, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
First service1 September 1896; 128 years ago (1896-09-01)
Current operator(s)Companhia Estadual de Engenharia de Transportes e Logística
WebsiteOfficial website
Route
TerminiCarioca
Dois Irmãos
Stops4
Distance travelled6.0 km (3.7 mi)
Service frequencyEvery 15 minutes
Technical
Track gauge1,100 mm (3 ft 7+5⁄16 in)
Electrification600 V DC overhead wire
Track owner(s)Rio de Janeiro State Government

The Santa Teresa Tram, or Tramway (Portuguese: Bonde de Santa Teresa, IPA: [bõˈdʒi dʒi ˈsɐ̃tɐ teˈɾezɐ]), is a historic tram line in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It connects the city's centre with the primarily residential, inner-city neighbourhood of Santa Teresa, in the hills immediately southwest of downtown. It is mainly maintained as a tourist attraction and is nowadays considered a heritage tramway system, having been designated a national historic monument in 1985.[1] The line has a very unusual gauge: 1,100 mm (3 ft 7+5⁄16 in). The main line is 6.0 kilometres (3.7 miles) long.[2]

Having run continuously since its opening in 1877 (except for a 2011–15 suspension), it is one of the oldest street railway lines in the world.[1] It has been electrically powered since 1896, being the oldest electric railway in all of Latin America.[3] For many years it was also the only remaining metropolitan tram system in Brazil. The only other original tram systems in the country to have survived past 1971 are the Campos do Jordão interurban tram/light rail line, which continues to operate today,[3] and the Itatinga line (near Bertioga), a rural and non-public tram line which had ceased operation as a tramway by 2017.[4] All other cities closed their systems by 1971 (Santos being the last), but since that time, three towns, Belém, Campinas and Santos, have reinstated trams as heritage services. Rio de Janeiro opened a modern light rail/tram system in 2016.

All service on the line was suspended starting in August 2011 as a result of a serious accident,[5][6] but limited service resumed in July 2015 with new tramcars and with passengers no longer allowed to stand on the running boards. Following studies after the 2011 suspension, it was decided to buy new trams that would be replicas of the previous vintage fleet, and an order for 14 such cars was placed in 2012.[7] Rebuilding of the line then commenced, and was continuing in late 2014, at which time reopening was scheduled for 2015, in time for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[8] In July 2015, limited service resumed between Carioca Station and Largo do Curvelo,[9] and was extended from the latter point to Largo do Guimarães in December 2015, making the length of route in operation about 2 km (1.2 mi).[10]

Work continued slowly, and at times intermittently, on restoration of additional sections of the main route to Dois Irmãos. In February 2018, just five trips per day were extended from Largo Guimarães to Praça Odylo, and then on 22 October 2018 all service was extended to Largo do França.[11] The full 6-kilometre (4 mi) route between Largo da Carioca and Dois Irmãos was finally restored to operation and passenger service in January 2019.[11]

  1. ^ a b Morrison, Allen (1989). The Tramways of Brazil: A 130-Year Survey. New York: Bonde Press. pp. 17, 90–113. ISBN 0-9622348-1-8. Archived from the original on 2009-03-03. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
  2. ^ Claydon, G. B.; and Mather, G. (August 1977). "South American Tramways Today / Part 2: Rio de Janeiro". Modern Tramway and Light Rapid Transit magazine (UK), pp. 271–279. Ian Allan Publishing. ISSN 0309-8222.
  3. ^ a b Morrison, Allen (1 November 2010; later updates). "The Tramways of Latin America in 2015". Archived 2010-11-08 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  4. ^ Morrison, Allen (1996). Latin America by Streetcar: A Pictorial Survey of Urban Rail Transport South of the U.S.A. New York: Bonde Press. pp. 3–5. ISBN 0-9622348-3-4.
  5. ^ "Five die in Rio de Janeiro tram derailment". BBC News. 27 August 2011. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  6. ^ Phillips, Dom (23 May 2015). "'Olympic Park' viral video satirizes failing Rio infrastructure". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  7. ^ "Worldwide Review [regular news section]". Tramways & Urban Transit. UK: LRTA Publishing. November 2012. p. 433. ISSN 1460-8324.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference ODia29Sep2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Bondes de Santa Teresa recebem 2 mil passageiros no sábado" [Santa Teresa tram carries 2,000 passengers on Saturday]. G1 (Rede Globo). Grupo Globo. 1 August 2015. Archived from the original on 2020-07-24. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference taut-2016mar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference taut-2020apr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).