Forecasted to be in operation for the 2014 World Cup, the VLT (light rail vehicle) that would connect Cuiabá to the neighboring city Várzea Grande began to be dismantled by the government of Mato Grosso. Six kilometers of tracks that had already been installed were taken out.
One of the biggest scandals among undelivered public civil construction projects in the country, construction has so far cost R$ 1.066 billion ($ 195 million), all in federal funds.
The trains that should be carrying passengers today share space with mountains of concrete, rebar, and rubber. Just the rails, there are 24 kilometers of steel imported from Poland.
According to Governor Mauro Mendes, another R$ 760 million ($148 million) would be needed to finish the project and put the VLT in operation.
Therefore, management stated that it decided to transform the site into a bus corridor, the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), which will cost R$ 480.5 million ($93 million) to state coffers, not counting the R$ 200 million ($39 million) needed for the purchase of 54 articulated buses.
"It is a cheap, modern, and sustainable form of transport, with lower fares for users. The VLT is a child of the corruption system. This matter is already closed", said the governor.
Translated by Cassy Dias