Delivery of the Metropolitan BRT marks a new era for mobility in the Metropolitan Region of Belém
The system represents a milestone in urban mobility, connecting Belém, Ananindeua, and Marituba directly, in addition to the municipalities of Benevides, Santa Bárbara, Santa Izabel, and Castanhal, with more comfort, safety, and speed.
The Metropolitan Region of Belém receives, this Friday (31), starting at 10 a.m., one of the most anticipated and transformative projects in recent years, the Metropolitan BRT (Bus Rapid Transport). The project, executed by the Metropolitan Transport Management Center (NGTM) of the Pará government, represents a milestone in urban mobility, connecting Belém, Ananindeua, and Marituba directly, in addition to the municipalities of Benevides, Santa Bárbara, Santa Izabel, and Castanhal, with more comfort, safety, and speed.
With a length of 21.6 kilometers, 10.8 km in each direction - between Entroncamento and Marituba - the Metropolitan BRT was designed to ensure traffic flow and improve public transport on the main connecting road of the region: BR-316. The corridor has three lanes of flexible pavement in each direction, intended for regular vehicles, and one exclusive lane of rigid concrete pavement, also in both directions, reserved for the BRT system buses.
The works, which began in January 2019, generated about 1,500 direct jobs, boosting the local economy and benefiting thousands of families throughout the process. During execution, complex infrastructure interventions were carried out, including deep drainage, paving, signaling, urbanization, modern lighting, and new access points, ensuring more efficiency and safety for drivers and pedestrians.
The Secretary of Infrastructure and Logistics, Adler Silveira, highlighted the importance of the delivery. “The Metropolitan BRT is a watershed in urban mobility in the Metropolitan Region of Belém. It represents a new era of quality of life for the population, reducing travel time, integrating municipalities, and facilitating access to essential services, such as schools, health posts, and workplaces. It is a collective achievement that will transform the daily lives of thousands of people,” said the secretary.
For those who experience public transport daily, the expectation is one of relief and hope. Psychologist and Benevides resident, Ian Teixeira, sees the BRT as a real change in expenses and travel time. “I believe it will bring many benefits. As a resident of Benevides, the bus options are extremely limited to Castanheira and São Brás. Thus, the cost of fares, especially if not half fare, is very heavy on the wallet at the end of the month. With the BRT, being able to pay less and use more than one bus will bring savings and time optimization,” he commented.
Marituba resident, Lucas Ferreira, also shares the excitement. “It will be great because I spend a lot on fares to get to downtown Belém, and now it will only be two, one for going and one for returning. I will save a lot,” he stated.
Start of operation
Starting this Saturday (November 1), the assisted operation of the Metropolitan BRT will begin, which will be carried out gradually. In this initial phase, circulation will be between the terminals of Marituba and São Brás, with fare integration and a single fare of R$ 4.60 (or R$ 2.30 for students), allowing passengers to use different lines by paying only one fare.
The passenger boards the feeder buses (blue color) in their neighborhood of origin and goes to the integration terminals of Ananindeua or Marituba, where they transfer, at no additional cost, to the trunk buses, lilac, departing from Marituba, and green, departing from Ananindeua. The trunk lines operate in express or stopping service at 13 stations along the corridor, with stops at strategic locations such as São Brás, Ver-o-Peso, and the Federal University of Pará (UFPA).
Structure
The Metropolitan BRT will have 265 buses, with 40 fully electric and 225 Euro 6 models, which emit up to 15 times less greenhouse gases. The lines will be divided between 26 feeder lines and 10 trunk lines, expanding the network coverage and ensuring regularity in schedules.
The ticketing system will be fully digital, with no cash used on board. The electronic validator automatically deducts the fare from the Pra Já card, which must be loaded in advance at authorized service points.
With the card, a passenger traveling from Castanhal to UFPA, for example, makes the complete journey paying only one fare, with the right to transfer at the terminals. The same benefit applies to residents of Benevides, Santa Bárbara, Santa Izabel, Marituba, and Ananindeua.
Monitoring
The entire operation will be monitored in real-time by the Operational Control Center (CCO), which brings together technicians from the Public Services Regulation and Control Agency (Arcon-PA), the State Department of Traffic of Pará (Detran-PA), the Military Police, and the responsible concessionaires. The monitoring ensures safety, punctuality, and quality in the service, consolidating the Metropolitan BRT as a new milestone in integrated mobility in the Metropolitan Region of Belém.
