Rio de Janeiro

Table of Contents

Overview - Rio de Janeiro

Located on the west side of the Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro is the capital of Rio de Janeiro and the second largest city by population in Brazil. It has approximately 6,748,000 inhabitants in the city proper as of 2020. The Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area comprised 12,280,702 residents as of the 2020 IBGE census estimate.


Rio de Janeiro's rapid transit network consists of three metro lines, three light rail services, and three bus rapid transit lines. It also has five regional and three commuter rail lines, and a historic tramway. It formerly had two gondola lift services that have not operated since 2016 due to a lack of funding. There are tourist aerial lifts (Bondinho do Pão de Açúcar) and a rack railway (Trem do Corcovado), which are not covered on this website.

MetrôRio

Opened 1979, MetrôRio consists of metro lines that serve the city of Rio de Janeiro and the surrounding suburbs. Please note that since Estácio service on Line 2 is weekend only, it is not shown on this website.

Line 1 (Linha 1)

MetrôRio Line 1 is a metro line on a rotated L-shaped alignment. It runs from Uruguai in the west to General Osório in the southeast via Central, serving 20 stations. Services typically through operate onto Line 4.


Line 1 was opened in March 1979 and the last extension to the line was to General Osório in December 2009. Line 1 is owned by Rio Trilhos.

Line 2 (Linha 2)

MetrôRio Line 2 is a metro line on a northwest-south alignment. It runs from Pavuna in the northwest to Botafogo and Estácio (weekends only) in the south via Central, serving 27 stations. Estácio not shown on strip map above.


Line 2 was opened in November 1981 and the last extension to the line was the link to Line 1 in November 2010. Line 2 is owned by Rio Trilhos.

Line 4 (Linha 4)

MetrôRio Line 4 is a metro line on an east-west. It runs from Jardim Oceânico in the west to General Osório in the east, serving 6 stations. Services typically through operate onto Line 1.


Line 4 was opened in July 2016. Line 4 is owned by Rio Trilhos.

VLT Carioca

Opened 2016, VLT Carioca consists of three modern tramway services that serve the city of Rio de Janeiro.

Line 1 (Linha 1)

VLT Carioca Line 1 is a modern tramway service on a northwest-southeast alignment. It runs from Terminal Gentileza in the northwest to Santos Dumont in the southeast, serving 20 stations of which 9 are served in a single direction only.


Line 1 was opened in June 2016 and the last extension to the line was to Terminal Gentileza in February 2024. Line 1 is owned by the Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro.

Line 2 (Linha 2)

VLT Carioca Line 2 is a modern tramway service on a northwest-southeast alignment. It runs from Praia Formosa in the northwest to Praça XV in the southeast, serving 14 stations of which 6 are served in a single direction only.


Line 2 was opened in February 2017 and the last extension to the line was to Praia Formosa in December 2017. Line 2 is owned by the Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro.

Line 3 (Linha 3)

VLT Carioca Line 3 is a modern tramway service on a northwest-southeast alignment. It runs from Central in the northwest to Santos Dumont in the southeast, serving 10 stations


Line 3 was opened in October 2019. Line 3 is owned by the Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro.

BRT Rio

Opened 2012, BRT Rio consists of three bus rapid transit lines that serve the city of Rio de Janeiro and the western suburbs. A fourth corridor (TransBrasil) has been partially constructed.

TransOeste

TransOeste is a bus rapid transit line on a rotated U shaped alignment. It runs from Santa Cruz in the northwest and Campo Grande in the west to Jardim Oceânico in the southeast, serving 65 stations of which four are served in a single direction only. Through services from the other lines at Terminal Alvorada not shown on the strip map above. Note that paradero (local/stopping) services detour into Terminal Recreio between Salvador Allende and Pontões/Barra Sul to allow for in-system transfers with the other corridors.


TransOeste was opened in June 2012 and the last extension to the line was a number of stations opening in 2016. TransOeste is operated by the Consórcio BRT Rio.

TransCarioca

TransCarioca is a bus rapid transit line on a northeast-southwest alignment. It runs from Terminal Alvorada in the southwest to Terminal Paulo da Portela and Galeão Tom Jobim in the northeast, serving 47 stations of which two (Penha 1/2) are served in a single direction only. Services through operate onto TransOeste and TransOlímpica. Note that Santa Efigênia is only served by express services - paradero (local/stopping) services use Merck instead.


TransCarioca was opened in June 2014 and the last extension to the line was a number of stations opening in October 2014. TransCarioca is operated by the Consórcio BRT Rio.

TransOlímpica

TransOlímpica is a bus rapid transit line on a north-south alignment. It runs from Terminal Recreio in the south to Terminal Sulacap and Terminal Deodoro in the north, serving 22 stations. Services through operate onto TransCarioca (and onto TransOeste via TransCarioca). Note that some services may skip Terminal Centro Olímpico if they serve Morro de Outeiro.


TransOlímpica was opened in July 2016 and the last extension was to Deodoro in September 2023 to connect to TransBrasil. TransOlímpica is operated by the Consórcio BRT Rio.

SuperVia

Beginning service in its current form in 1998, SuperVia consists of five regional and three commuter rail lines that serve the city of Rio de Janeiro and its suburbs. A shuttle runs between Honório Gurgel and Deodoro and is not covered below.

Deodoro

The Deodoro Line is a regional rail line on an east-west alignment. It runs from Deodoro in the west to Central do Brasil in the east, serving 19 stations. As of June 2020, all services through operate on to the Santa Cruz line.


The Deodoro Line began operations in its current form in November 1998.

Santa Cruz

The Santa Cruz Line is a regional rail line on an east-west alignment. It runs from Santa Cruz in the west to Deodoro in the east, serving 17 stations. As of June 2020, all services through operate on to the Deodoro line - before this, services operated express to Central do Brasil together with the Japeri line.


The Santa Cruz Line began operations in its current form in November 1998.

Japeri

The Japeri Line is a regional rail line on an northwest-southeast alignment. It runs from Japeri in the northwest to Central do Brasil in the southeast, serving 20 stations. Services run express between Deodoro and Central do Brasil


The Japeri Line began operations in its current form in November 1998.

Paracambi

The Paracambi Line is a commuter rail line on a northwest-southeast alignment. It runs from Paracambi in the northwest to Japeri in the southeast, serving 3 stations.


The Paracambi Line began operations in its current form in November 1998.

Belford Roxo

The Belford Roxo Line is a regional rail line on a northwest-southeast alignment. It runs from Belford Roxo in the northwest to Central do Brasil in the southeast, serving 19 stations.


The Belford Roxo Line began operations in its current form in November 1998.

Saracuruna

The Saracuruna Line is a regional rail line on a north-south alignment. It runs from Gramacho and Saracuruna in the north to Central do Brasil in the south, serving 20 stations. A linear transfer is in place at Gramacho.


The Saracuruna Line began operations in its current form in November 1998.

Vila Inhomirim

The Vila Inhomirim Line is a commuter rail line on an east-west alignment. It runs from Saracuruna in the west to Vila Inhomirim in the east, serving 8 stations.


The Vila Inhomirim Line began operations in its current form in November 1998.

Guapimirim

The Guapimirim Line is a commuter rail line on an east-west alignment. It runs from Saracuruna in the west to Guapimirim in the east, serving 15 stations.


The Guapimirim Line began operations in its current form in November 1998.

Santa Teresa Tram (Bonde de Santa Teresa)

Opened 1896, The Bonde de Santa Teresa is the last remaining part of the original tram network in Rio de Janeiro.

Santa Teresa Tram

The Santa Teresa Tram is a heritage tramway service on a north-south alignment. It runs from Carioca in the north to Dois Irmãos in the south, serving 6 stations. There are also a number of request stops along the line without platforms or dedicated infrastructure.


The Santa Teresa Tram was opened in September 1896. The entire line was suspended between August 2011 and July 2015. Service to Dois Irmãos was restored in January 2019. The Santa Teresa Tram is operated by CENTRAL.

References & Helpful Links

Rio de Janeiro Metro at Wikipedia | Metrô de Rio de Janeiro at Wikipedia.pt

Rio de Janeiro Light Rail at Wikipedia | VLT Carioca at Wikipedia.pt

SuperVia at Wikipedia | SuperVia at Wikipedia.pt

Santa Teresa Tram at Wikipedia | Bonde de Santa Teresa at Wikipedia.pt

Official Website for MetrôRio: MetrôRio

Official Website for VLT Carioca: VLT Rio

Official Website for BRT Rio: BRT Rio

Official Website for SuperVia: SuperVia

Official Website for Santa Teresa Tram: Bonde de Santa Teresa


Maps

All Official Maps - Metrô Rio [Last Accessed February 28, 2024]

Official Integrated Map (2018) [JPEG] [Last Accessed January 27, 2022]

Official System Map - MetrôRio [PDF] [Last Accessed February 28, 2024]

Official System Map - VLT Carioca [JPEG] [Last Accessed February 28, 2024]

Official System Map - SuperVia [PDF] [Last Accessed February 28, 2024]


Other Sources

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at Urbanrail.net

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at BRTDATA.org


Other Websites


External Citations

Asset Notes

Metro colors taken from MetrôRio website as of January 27, 2022.

BRT colors taken from official BRT system map as of January 27, 2022.

Bonde de Santa Teresa colors taken from 2018 integrated map.

VLT colors taken from official VLT map as of February 28, 2024 (version with VLT Line 4). Formerly taken (Lines 1-3) from 2018 integrated map.

SuperVia colors taken from CSS on SuperVia website and from SuperVia logo on Wikipedia as of January 27, 2022.


Last Updated: Feb 28, 2024

Old Maps
Note: Not all maps reflect changes in service. Older maps may contain inaccuracies.
2022 03 v12023 10 v12024 03 v1

+ : Line/Station Extension/Opening | x : Line/Station Closure | = : Other Service Change | ! : Map change unrelated to service changes

Changelog:

2022 03 v1 - 2023 10 v1: + Extension: TransOlímpica to Deodoro
2023 10 v1 - 2024 03 v1: + Extension: VLT Line 1 to Terminal Gentileza | = Rename: Antônio Carlos -> Antônio Carlos/MAM, Cidade do Samba -> Cidade do Samba/Tia Ciata | ! Addition: VLT Line 4 (u/c) | ! Adjustment: Switch VLT colors from those on the 2018 integrated map to those on the new VLT Rio map