The World Bank will support the improvement of urban transportation in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, through a loan that will allow the purchase of additional trains and finance the development of a sustainable transport strategy for the State of Rio de Janeiro.
26 January 2012: The World Bank approved a US$600 million loan to upgrade Rio de Janeiro’s urban rail system, a project which is expected to lead to the reduction of 93.700 tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while benefiting low-income commuters.
The loan will be used to buy at least 60 new, four-car trains, which are expected to improve service availability and quality, attracting more users to the rail system, thereby reducing the use of private cars and buses to access the city. The project will also finance the development of a sustainable transport strategy for the State of Rio de Janeiro, which will include the reductioon of the overall carbon footprint of the system and the establishment of a natural disaster monitoring center. This loan complements two previous loans granted by the World Bank to the Rio Mass Transit Project for over US$440 million. [World Bank Press Release]