Representatives of the Brasília’s state government, bus service providers, construction companies and other stakeholders involved in the bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor of the Brazilian capital are meeting until tomorrow in a Strategic Alignment Workshop, coordinated by EMBARQ Brasil. The project will have great benefits for the city and its inhabitants, with travel time on the public transportation Axis South to be halved and CO2 emissions to be significantly reduced.

“A modern, safe system by December 2013”

“Our goal is not only to inspire new projects in the State, but also to influence how to the city is organized, and to revitalize surrounding areas with the BRT. The capital can show the way. Brasília, as an iconic city, is always considered a reference for other cities in the country”, said the deputy governor of the Federal District, Tadeu Filippelli, at the opening ceremony this morning. The secretary of transportation of the Federal District, José Walter Vazquez Filho, highlighted the importance of the project: “In December 2013 we hope that Brasília will have achieved what we consider a modern transportation system, safe, that respects its users. We have a great expectations that the BRT will become an inspiring example for the modernization of the public transportation sector.”

Mapping responsibilities and giving both a macro and micro view of the project

The goal of the workshop is to map responsibilities of those involved and deadlines for the tasks of each one in the multiple stages of the project implementation, so that operations stay on schedule. The strategic alignment exercise also helps decision-makers, technicians, bus service providers and other stakeholders to both have the macro and micro views of the project necessary for success. The methodology applied by EMBARQ Brasil also helps with showing the general direction, identifying additional opportunities, risks, and mitigation options. “We are working for a successful implementation of a transportation system that involves many players, where each one plays an important role. Each one of the participants is a key piece of the puzzle. We are discussing more than an infrastructure project. The quality of a BRT system depends on a consistent project and conception,” said Luis Antonio Lindau, president of EMBARQ Brasil and mediator of the discussions throughout the workshop.

“Deliver to the citizens the transportation system they deserve”

The methodology of strategic alignment was developed by Shell and has already been applied by EMBARQ Brasil during the planning of the BRT systems in the cities of Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre. “I am very happy to have EMBARQ Brasil as a partner in the application of this methodology. This project depends on everyone – bus service providers, construction companies, government – so that we can deliver to the citizens the transportation system they deserve “said Transportation Secretary José Walter Vazquez Filho.

The South Axis is the first of three corridors that will form the BRT system of Brasília, with an estimated capacity of 600,000 passengers. Conventional and articulated buses, dedicated bus lanes, bus stations with pre-payment and level boarding, centralized operations control, and integration with the conventional buses network and with the subway of the characteristics of the project.