Fortaleza Metro
| Fortaleza Metro | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Native name | Metrô de Fortaleza | ||
| Locale | Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil | ||
| Transit type | |||
| Number of lines |
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| Annual ridership | 15 million (2022) | ||
| Website | Metrô de Fortaleza | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | October 24, 2012 | ||
| Operator(s) | Metrofor | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length |
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| Track gauge | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge | ||
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The Fortaleza Metro, also known popularly as the Metropolitan of Fortaleza or Metrofor, is a system of metropolitan transport that operates in the Brazilian city of Fortaleza, operated by Companhia Cearense de Transportes Metropolitanos, company of social capital, captained by the Government of the State of Ceará, in Brazil. Founded on May 2, 1997, the company is responsible for administration, construction and metro planning in the state of Ceará, Metrofor manages seven public transport lines, four of which belong to the system in the capital of Ceará, in the three main metropolitan regions of Ceará: Fortaleza, Cariri, and Sobral.
With 62 stations distributed across 84.3 kilometers of railway lines, the Ceará network is the largest metro infrastructure operated by a company in the Northeast, serving more than 56,000 passengers daily in municipalities such as Fortaleza, Caucaia, Maracanaú, Pacatuba, Sobral, Juazeiro do Norte, and Crato.
Operations of the Fortaleza Metro began on June 15, 2012, with the inauguration of part of Line 1 - Red. Currently, the system consists of one metro line, Line 1 - Red (Central–Chico da Silva ↔ Carlito Benevides), and three diesel Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) lines: Line 3 - Green (Moura Brasil ↔ Caucaia), Line 3 - Blue (Parangaba ↔ Iate) and Line 5 - Orange (Expedicionários ↔ Aeroporto). Between January and December 2025, the three lines in operation at the time transported approximately 15.2 million passengers, with a daily average of 52,800 users on weekdays.
In November 2023, the system was the fifth largest in Brazil in terms of length, with 56.8 kilometers of railway tracks and 40 stations, representing approximately 5.1% of the country's total urban rail transport network, which totaled 1,133.4 kilometers, according to data from the National Association of Rail Passenger Transport Operators (ANPTrilhos). In 2026, the system reached 59.3 kilometers and 41 stations with the inauguration of the first section of Line 5 - Orange (Expedicionários ↔ Aeroporto). The network is expected to expand until 2028, when it should reach 71.7 kilometers in length with the inauguration of the first 7.3-kilometer section of Line 4 - Yellow (Central–Chico da Silva ↔ Papicu) and the 5.1 kilometers of the second section of Line 5 - Orange (Aeroporto ↔ Castelão).