Construction of the second phase of the metro network in the Brazilian city of Salvador reached a milestone on September 29 with the start of dynamic testing on the east-west Line 2.
The first test runs took place on the 1.5 km section between Detran and Rodoviária and the western end of the 24.2km line, which links an interchange with Line 1 at Accesso Norte with Deputado Luis Eduardo Magalhães airport and Lauro de Freitas Avenue.
Construction began on Line 2 in February 2015 and according to the state government the project is now 69% complete. Commercial services are expected to begin on the western section between Accesso Norte and Rodoviária by the end of this year, with the remainder of the line due to open in the second of half of next year.
Line 2 is being built as part of the Phase 2 expansion of the Salvador metro under a Reais 4 billion ($US 1.23 billion) build-operate concession awarded to Brazilian infrastructure concessionaire CCR in October 2013.