CPTM strike affects nearly 1 million in São Paulo.

Camila Maciel
Reporter from Agência Brasil

São Paulo - Three train lines, which transport almost 1 million people a day, have been totally or partially paralyzed since midnight this Wednesday (12) because of the strike by railway workers in the capital of São Paulo. Only Line 9 - Esmeralda, which runs from Osasco, in Greater São Paulo, to Grajaú, a neighborhood in the south of the city, is completely closed. According to the Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos (CPTM), around 8:30 am no disturbances had been reported at the stations.

Lines 11 - Coral, between Guaianazes and Estudantes stations, and 12 - Safira, between Engenheiro Manoel Feio and Calmon Viana stations, both in the east zone, are partially paralyzed. Line 11 carries 200 people per day. There is no data available on how many passengers use the paralyzed section of the Safira line. CPTM only reported that 240 people travel daily along the entire line.

The Emergency Transportation Support Plan (Paese), which provides buses to cover the closed routes, has been activated in some sections. On Line 9, there will be buses between Pinheiros and Grajaú stations; and on Line 12, between Itaquaquecetuba and Poá stations and between Itaquaquecetuba and Itaim Paulista. Line 11 will be fully served by Paese.

The railway workers' strike was triggered last night (12), after CPTM rejected the proposal presented by the Regional Labor Court (TRT) which provided, among other points, an 8,56% readjustment. The court even appealed to the workers to avoid the strike before the TRT announced a decision on the impasse.

The work stoppages affect lines operated by employees represented by the unions of Passenger Rail Transport Workers in the Sorocabana Zone and Railway Workers in the Central do Brasil Zone. Therefore, the strike affects three of the company's six train lines.

Edition: Adjutant Grace