EMBARQ Brazil helps the city of Belo Horizonte prepare for BRT
The Day One Workshop, organized by EMBARQ Brazil, provided training to technicians from the Transportation and Traffic Agency of Belo Horizonte (BHTRANS) who will be directly involved in the management of MOVE – Belo Horizonte's new bus rapid transit (BRT) system. The workshop included a tour of several MOVE stations currently under construction (pictured above). Photo by Mariana Gil/EMBARQ Brazil.
The final adjustments to MOVE, Belo Horizonte’s new bus rapid transit (BRT) system, have been made in preparation for its launch in 2014. Recognizing the strategic importance of the system’s first day of operations and the week that follows, the Transportation and Traffic Agency of Belo Horizonte (BHTRANS) partnered with EMBARQ Brazil to provide a week of training and assessment practice for its technicians. The training program – the Day One Workshop – focused on the first days of the new BRT and was supported by FedEx.
EMBARQ Brazil organizes technical training for MOVE technicians
The Day One Workshop took place between October 27 and November 1, 2013. Colombian experts from Transconsult, a Mexican consultancy firm that has overseen the implementation of a number of other BRT corridors in Latin America, participated in the workshop. At the invitation of EMBARQ Brazil, the experts shared international experiences, challenges, and best practices to be followed with 50 BHTRANS technicians directly involved in the management and operations of MOVE. As part of the program, the experts and technicians also visited future BRT stations along many of the system's corridors.
Day One Workshop offers strategic assistance for smooth BRT launch
BHTRANS’ President, Ramon Victor Cesar, highlighted the strategic importance of the training: “The system's inauguration is crucial to its success and we are very aware of that,” he stated. “The technical training organized by EMBARQ Brazil gives us an idea of the dimension of the challenges faced by other cities, which is essential to our preparation."
Daniela Facchini, EMBARQ Brazil's Director of Projects and Operations, and Guillermo Petzhold, Transportation Engineer for EMBARQ Brazil, also participated in the Day One Workshop. The result of this collaboration between BHTRANS, EMBARQ Brazil, and the international team of experts present at the workshop will serve as the basis for MOVE procedure manuals and contingencies for the first day of operation – a significant contribution to ensuring the success of Belo Horizonte’s new BRT.
MOVE to expand urban mobility options in Belo Horizonte
By 2014, the MOVE system will be composed of three BRT corridors – Antônio Carlos, Cristiano Machado, and Hipercentro – which will connect the city’s center to its major districts. The system will total 23 kilometers (14.3 miles) of dedicated lanes for express buses that will benefit 700,000 people daily in Belo Horizonte.
