Violence disrupted train services 682 times in Rio in 2025

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Interruption data comes from the Public Transport Services Regulatory Agency (Agetransp). The favelas are more concentrated in the North zone: there are 104 of them. But there are communities along the railway line in the center of Rio (four), in the West zone (41) and in Baixada Fluminense (30). With 104 stations, SuperVia agencies connect the capital to 11 municipalities, through 270 kilometers of track. From January to November this year, the concessionaire recorded 16 exchanges of fire that affected train traffic, one every 20 days on average.

Up to 18 hours of downtime

The duration of interruptions along the entire length of a branch or just a section, caused by gunfire, varied from 15 minutes to more than 18 hours. The largest of these occurred at the Belford Roxo branch. After a shootout between criminals and police officers in Costa Barros, a bullet hit the overhead power network on August 29, around 6 a.m. Four stations had to be closed. Service was not fully normalized until around 5 a.m. the next day. But it was the users of the Gramacho/Saracuruna branch who suffered the most from this type of problem. No less than nine exchanges of gunfire were recorded during the first 11 months of the year on the stretch between Central and Saracuruna.

Of this total, seven took place near the Vigário Geral, Parada de Lucas and Cordovil stations, which are influenced by the TCP and together form the Israel Complex, in the North zone. This territory is controlled by Álvaro Malaquias Santa Rosa, known as Peixão, one of the most wanted drug traffickers in the state, with 11 arrest warrants issued by the Rio Court of Justice. The two other traffic interruptions on the same branch are due to shootings that occurred near the Corte Oito neighborhood, in Duque de Caxias, in the Baixada Fluminense, an area under the influence of the CV in the Complexo da Mangueirinha.

Anyone who uses the extension on a daily basis knows that interruptions caused by gunfights are not uncommon. Some use social media to alert other users of gunshots. “A bullet is flying here in Corte Oito,” one passenger wrote on August 22, warning of a new stoppage of train service.

— It’s really a shame to have interruptions like that. From time to time, shootings occur near Vigário Geral and trains are stopped. What we do is always leave the house half an hour early. Have more time and not be late for work, says a 38-year-old logistics manager.

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Six more interruptions due to gunfire were recorded at the Belford Roxo branch. Five of them took place near the Costa Barros stations, near the Complexo do Chapadão and in Del Castilho, both in areas that have territories under the influence of the CV. And one in Barros Filho, near Complexo da Pedreira, which has areas controlled by the TCP.

On August 23, train traffic was interrupted on the Deodoro branch, near the station of the same name, for more than two hours. The location is close to one of the access points to the Muquiço community, which has territories controlled by the TCP.

Looking at the map, it is possible to see the concentration of favelas dominated by militias in the West zone. Despite this, during the first 11 months of the year, no impact on train traffic caused by gunfire was recorded in the region.

A judicial auction, scheduled for January 27, will define the new operator of the rail system that will replace Supervia, currently responsible for operating trains that connect Rio to 11 other municipalities.

Last Tuesday, Governor Cláudio Castro announced that the State Attorney General’s Office and the Secretariat of Transport and Urban Mobility (Setram) had concluded an opinion, which will be published by the Court, with the rules for choosing the new concession holder.

The contract will be an authorization, according to a model set by the state attorney general’s office. The operator will manage the system for five years, with the possibility of renewal for the same period. The company’s remuneration will now be based on the kilometer traveled and no longer on the number of passengers. The model is similar to that which already exists on ferries, where the operator is paid for the nautical miles traveled, and the State keeps the amount collected on the tickets. Thus, the government now has more control over tariffs, thereby reducing demands for contractual rebalancing due to lower demand.

In September 2024, the State Government announced that SuperVia would only operate until November. Then, a new agreement extended the deadline until March 16, 2026. Now, it is estimated that the new dealership will start operating the service from April.

Responsible for patrolling the 270 kilometers of railway track used by SuperVia, the Military Police informed, in a note, that the policing of the rail system is carried out “dynamically, with teams distributed on the axes of action along the network”. The document also specifies that the teams work “with preventive patrols on platforms, accesses and interior areas of stations, in addition to on-board patrols and reinforcement during rush hours”. And the numbers are also increased thanks to the supplementary service regime (RAS).