Alstom’s (www.alstom.com) first Citadis tram for Rio de Janeiro arrived recently after 20 days in transit from its facility in La Rochelle, France, where four more are being produced.

This is the first of the 32 tram-sets ordered from Alstom by the city of Rio de Janeiro in 2013, as part of an integrated catenary-free tramway system. The 27 other trams will be produced at Alstom’s new facility in Taubaté, near Sao Paulo.

The tramway will be 100% catenary-free, combining APS (Alimentation par le Sol, which literally means ‘feeding via the ground’ using a third rail positioned centrally between the running lines) and super-capacitors installed on the roof of the tram to store power from regenerative braking.

The line, which is 28km long and has 32 stations, will be partially opened in mid-2016 in time for the Olympic Games.

Michel Boccaccio, senior vice-president for Alstom Transport in Latin America, said: “Alstom is pleased to hand over the first Citadis tram to Rio de Janeiro — the first city in Brazil to be equipped with a full tramway system that will be connected to buses, metros and trains.”