Brazil to invest USD 22bn in transit
27 June 2013Brazil will spend USD 22bn to upgrade its public transit systems, the president announced on Monday. The spending would largely be invested in metro work.
Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff promised the funding alongside proposals to reduce corruption in the country's political system.
The announcements come amid millions-strong protests that sprang last week from public anger at high transport fares, poor public services, state corruption and the cost of hosting the 2014 Fifa World Cup.
Local media-owned polling institute Datafolha reported 27 per cent of protestors were marching for a better transport system.
Prior to the protests, former president of the Brazilian Tunnelling Committee Tarcisio Celestino told Tunnels and Tunnelling that annual metro ridership figure increases have been artificially low, as they are constrained firstly by the pace of capacity expansion.
