Replacement of the VLT Cup, BRT from Cuiabá remains unfinished in Mato Grosso

In the month that marks ten years since the start of construction of the VLT (Light Rail Vehicle) in Cuiabá, a modal designed for the 2014 World Cup games in Brazil, the work remains abandoned by decision of the governor of Mato Grosso, Mauro Mendes (União), which decided to “bury” its implementation to build the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit).

Since the announcement of the modal switch, however, the construction of the BRT is already a year behind schedule. The governor’s promise was that the work would begin in August 2021, with completion scheduled for 2025.

The governor approved the result of the bidding in April this year, in the amount of R$ 468 million. And he signed the service order on the 26th after having managed to overturn a decision by the TCU (Union Court of Auditors), which suspended BRT procedures since May.

The agency stated that it wanted to analyze whether the abandonment of the VLT, a work that has already cost more than R$ 1 billion from public coffers, would be viable or not.

According to the TCU’s decision, the suspension of procedures for the BRT works was necessary, as “large federal amounts have already been spent on the paralyzed enterprise for several years, depriving the population of the important public transport service”.

In practice, the court, in a decision by Minister Aroldo Cedraz, pointed out that the exchange of the unfinished VLT (which cost R$ 1.066 billion) for the BRT was not based on a “systemic and integrated assessment, with robust studies to enable, having fulfilled all the relevant legislation, the substitution of the modal”,

However, the Federal Supreme Court (STF) accepted an appeal from the TCE (State Court of Auditors), which granted a request from the governor and filed an injunction asking for the suspension of the TCU’s decision, saying that the BRT project has no federal appeal. , which would take away the competence of the agency.

During the signing of the work order, the government stated that the work is expected to start in six months, since the Consortium Construtor BRT Cuiabá, led by the company Nova Engevix, is still completing the project.

“This modal is modern, efficient and brings all the quality refinements like the other. In practice, it is called VLP, that is, Light Vehicle on Tires, and it also has air conditioning. It will safely and efficiently serve public transport. The other would cost more than double, not to mention that the BRT ticket, according to studies at the time, would be R$3, against R$5.30 for the VLT”, said Mauro Mendes.

According to him, the population does not want to know whether it will be BRT or VLT, but rather to ride on quality public transport. He also blamed corruption schemes involving the World Cup works.

In addition to the R$468 million, the state government will disburse around R$200 million for the purchase of 53 electric buses for the BRT.

In other words, the BRT work will cost almost R$ 700 million. If the government decided to resume works on the VLT with its reduced scope, the estimate is that it would cost R$ 800 million, according to the study carried out between the State government and the Ministry of Regional Development.

If the state government manages to complete the BRT works, the urban mobility works will cost the state R$ 1.8 billion, including what was used in the construction of the VLT, which was abandoned.

The VLT service order was signed on June 21, 2012, and the interventions only actually started on August 1 of that year, with the beginning of the removal of more than 2,500 trees from the streets and avenues of Cuiabá and Várzea Great.

The rest of the script is known. The World Cup games came without the VLT. The works were halted in December 2014, with 73% of the work completed.

With the beginning of the Pedro Taques government in 2015, a legal war began with several actions to hold the former managers accountable.

In 2017, there was an agreement between the Taques government and the consortium to resume the works. R$ 723 million would be added for the resumption.

After the Federal Police Operation Descarrilho, to investigate the payment of bribes by the consortium to former governor Silval Barbosa, the state government decided to unilaterally terminate the contract with the VLT companies.

With the arrival of Mauro Mendes (União) to the government, he promised that, still in 2019, he would provide a solution for the soap opera. But in December 2020 he announced the decision to abandon and bury the VLT for good.

In its place he announced the construction of the BRT. The government also filed a lawsuit asking for the reimbursement of around R$ 800 million from the companies and for the consortium to take the VLT rails and wagons away. The Federal Court denied the injunction.

Sought, former governor Silval Barbosa stated that he ratifies all the testimonies given in his award-winning collaboration approved in 2017. In a recent testimony to the Federal Public Ministry (MPF), he stated that the requests for bribes to the VLT Consortium occurred after the bidding process and that, during the contest, there was no agreement.

The VLT Consortium said, through a note, that it has always been available to the state government and other competent authorities for the construction of a solution that allows the resumption and conclusion of the implementation of the VLT.

“Therefore, it believes that there is no reasonableness, from a technical, economic and public interest point of view, in the decision adopted by the current government. “, he added.