Find out which companies gave up on the intercity train

Held last Thursday (29) at B3, the auction for North Axis Intercity Train drew attention because there was only one participant who submitted a proposal. Formed by Comporte Grouplinked to the Constantino family, founder of Gol, and the Chinese group CRRC Sifangthe C2 Mobilidade Sobre Trilhos Consortium won the concession made by the management of Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) with a discount of just 0.01% on the monetary consideration.

Competition – which had the potential to be fierce given the expected total investment of R$14.2 billion in a 30-year contract – withdrew from participating in the final hours of the auction. Among them, big names in the sector stood out, such as CCR Group, one of the largest infrastructure conglomerates in Latin America that operates highways, subways and airports in several regions of Brazil.

As reported by the People’s Gazettethe group had joined with the Alstomleader in the supply of rail transport products and services, with the construction company Queiroz Galvão and with the Japanese multinational Hitachi. Approximately one day before the auction, however, the consortium withdrew from submitting a proposal.

Like them, another consortium formed by CS Infrafrom the Simpar group, and by Hyundai Rotema South Korean manufacturer of railway material, backed down and did not participate in the auction due to the high price.

Accounts “didn’t get there”

A People’s Gazette was at the auction and, according to Rafael Benine, Secretary of Investment Partnerships for the state of São Paulo, the other consortia withdrew from the dispute after not aligning themselves with financial expectations.

“We had other groups that participated until this week, but decided not to enter because their bill didn’t reach there”, explained Benine, highlighting that the presentation of a single proposal does not diminish the success of the auction.

Despite these withdrawals, the intercity train project continues forward, promising to revolutionize transport between municipalities in the state of São Paulo. The start of operations of the intermetropolitan train – which will connect the cities of Jundiaí and Campinas and will have four stops – is projected to begin in 2029 and Campinas intercity train (TIC), the first medium-speed train in the countryfrom 2031.

The competition for the public-private partnership (PPP) won by Grupo Comporte covers three services for a 30-year concession: in addition to the two train projects, it includes operation, maintenance and works on CPTM line 7 – Rubi, between the metropolitan regions of São Paulo and Campinas.

Reaching speeds of 140 kilometers per hour, the TIC Campinas should be 101 kilometers long, a stretch that can be covered in around 1 hour and 4 minutes. With delivery scheduled from 2031, each train will have a capacity of approximately 800 passengers. The fare must be a maximum of R$64, and may be subject to discounts on advance sales.

The intermetropolitan train, which will connect Campinas to the city of Jundiaí – with stops in Louveira, Vinhedo and Valinhos – should be completed in 2029 and the maximum fare should reach R$28.10.

The services contract must be signed three to four months after the conclusion of the auction. After this period, the transfer will begin for six months of the know-how from CPTM to the new consortium that will operate line 7 (ruby). There is also a period of one year in which CPTM will supervise the concessionaire’s operation. The fare must remain within the public fare standard for the metropolitan rail system, currently R$5.