Curitiba’s Subway will Create Promenade
The implementation of the Curitiba subway will turn the bus thoroughfares, now used exclusively for the bi-articulated express bus system, into a large living space. Entitled Park Paths (Vias Parques), the current exclusive bus lanes will be replaced by a spacious promenade for pedestrians, bike lanes, more trees, and recreational equipment. The subway will run under the thoroughfare and the space where buses travel today will be converted to recreational use.
In an effort to prioritize public transport while granting pedestrians and cycling privileged space, the innovative concept in designing the Curitiba subway was outlined during the preliminary studies of the subway in partnership with the CBTU (Brazilian Urban Train Company).
These studies also layed out the routing for the new mode of transportation (North-South Axes), the length (22km), the number of stations (between 21 and 23), and the installation method that will be used. The first subway line, Santa Candida to CIC South, will be 22 km long, 19km of which will be underground. Also called the Blue Line, the Curitiba subway will carry about 500,000 passengers at the start of operations.
The idea is that the subway be as shallow as possible, albeit underground. Details such as the depth of the subway will be defined at each point during the studies and engineering projects. The proposed installation method, cut and cover, is cheaper than the conventional tunneling method. The proposed method consists of the construction of retaining walls from the surface by inserting support stakes along the sides of the trench. Excavations begin only after the construction of the top slab, and the final phase involves surfacing of floors and walls.
The implementation of a subway in Curitiba has been under consideration by the city since 1978, when the IPPUC began to explore ways to expand the transportation capacity of its main transport arteries. At the time, a Light Rail Vehicle was the first proposal to be studied.
In more recent studies, surface and elevated metro systems have been analysed. Since the proposed route passes through high density residential and commercial areas, involving sixty-two traffic crossings and their associated safety requirements, it was concluded that the best option for Curitiba would be a primarily underground metro.
The main objective of the subway is to expand the capacity of the Integrated Transport Network (RIT) and to be part of the RIT, and not a parallel system that would potentially compete with the city’s existing bus system.
The deployment of the Blue Line (subway) is one of several steps being taken to improve, modernize and adapt the RIT to meet the needs of the population of Curitiba and surrounding municipalities. Besides the Blue Line, other RIT measures include the realignment of the tube stations along Avenida Marechal Floriano Peixoto, terminal renovations, and fleet renewal.
Source: Municipality of Curitiba
