Metro Line 3 could benefit 1.7 million people and boost a new development axis in Rio

Coppe/UFRJ presented on Monday, June 1st, the new details to the Prisma-RJ project, a technical study that proposes the implementation of Metro Line 3 and could transform mobility, urban integration and the socioeconomic development of the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region. The route will connect Niterói, São Gonçalo, and Itaboraí to the capital of Rio de Janeiro through a line of approximately 50 kilometers and 29 stations.

More than an urban mobility project, the study seeks to orient a strategy for urban transformation and socioeconomic development for the attended cities. In order to achieve this, it mobilized a large team of researchers from the Transport Engineering Program (PET), an extensive database, field studies and listening to the needs of approximately 1.7 million people potentially benefited by the new line.

The proposed route includes stations at Largo da Carioca and Santos Dumont Airport in Rio de Janeiro; at UFF, Praça do Rink, Icaraí, Santa Rosa, Alameda Boaventura, and Barreto in Niterói; at Neves, Uerj, Prefeitura, Alcântara, and Vista Alegre in São Gonçalo; and at Manilha, Itaboraí Plaza, Centro, and Venda das Pedras in Itaboraí, among other strategic points.

One of the main differentiators of the route developed by Prisma-RJ is the expansion of the population served. Compared to previous proposals for Line 3, the project increases by 98% the number of residents located within 400 meters of the stations, significantly expanding access to the high-capacity transportation system.

The project received R$ 26 million in funding from parliamentary amendments from the Rio de Janeiro delegation in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies and is being developed by two laboratories at Coppe: the Network for Studies in Engineering and Socioeconomics of Transportation (Reset) and the Laboratory for Optimization and Geographic Information Systems (Optgis).

“It is the benefits generated by the project that justify the investment. We want to improve access to schools, workplaces, stimulate local businesses and strengthen the economic vocations of each region,” says Professor Rômulo Orrico, coordinator of the project.

According to Rômulo, among the objectives of the new line are the creation of a structuring axis for development, capable of boosting economic, social and cultural activities as well as promoting effective integration with the other mobility systems of the Metropolitan Region.

Among the expected impacts are reduced travel times, increased access for the population to employment, education and service opportunities, creation of job positions during construction and in the production chain associated with the project, strengthening of urban development policies linked to transportation and reduced territorial inequalities through more accessible and efficient mobility.

Professor Rômulo Orrico thanked the parliamentarians for their support and the Reset and Optgis teams for the work developed. “There are many stakeholders and we need to listen to all of them carefully. We consider these contributions responsibly and seek to build the best possible proposal. We, researchers, are not the owners of the truth; we are constantly working in search of it,” he stated.

According to Coppe’s director, Professor Suzana Kahn, the public presentation of the results at this stage of the project reaffirms the commitment of public teaching and research institutions to transparency and accountability to society.

“We are talking about a project that could contribute to reducing travel times, expanding the population’s access to job, education and leisure opportunities, improving quality of life, promoting social inclusion and strengthening more sustainable and integrated mobility. Projects of this nature demonstrate how academic research can directly contribute to the planning of public policies and to the construction of more connected, inclusive and sustainable cities. It is precisely to support structuring initiatives like this, capable of generating lasting impacts on urban development and the lives of the population, that Coppe has been working for decades in formulating solutions for the transport sector,” concluded the director.