The consortium won an international public works tender to build a 12.4km subway that will carry 400,000 people a day when completed.
The new metro line, which will have 12 stations, will link up with Fortaleza's West and South lines and is expected to relieve traffic congestion in Brazil's fifth largest city. It is the largest public works project ever undertaken by the state of Ceará.
As part of the contract, the consortium will also assemble the four tunnel boring machines - nicknamed ‘tatuzões’ (giant armadillos) - that have been acquired by the government of Ceará for the project.
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Fortaleza, the capital of Ceará, has a population of 3.6m and is an important tourist destination in the northeast of Brazil. The city's new metro line forms part of the federal government's plan to improve urban mobility. As a result, Fortaleza's new metro line will be partly financed with federal government funds.
Brazil is accelerating investment in infrastructure as it prepares to host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games. The federal government's ambitious plans call for a doubling of the country's road and rail networks, better public transport networks for Brazil's largest cities, as well as an expansion of capacity in ports and airports.
Brazil is a strategic country for Acciona. The company has been present in the country since 1996 and is helping to build Brazil's new infrastructure with four key projects: the Rodoanel ring-road in São Paulo, breakwaters for the Porto do Açú port, the BR393 highway in the state of Rio de Janeiro, and the Linha Leste metro line in Fortaleza.
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