Brasília Metro (Portuguese: Metrô de Brasília, commonly called Metrô) is the metro system in Brasília, the capital of Brazil. It is operated by Metro-DF or Companhia do Metropolitano do Distrito Federal, and was opened in 2001. The system has 24 stations on two lines, in operation from 06:00 AM to 11:30 PM Mondays to Saturdays, and from 07:00 AM to 7:00 PM on Sundays, and covering part of the metropolitan area. Its main problem is the sheer distance between stations, making it a small component of the transit system of Brasília. The community of Águas Claras is well served by the system, making it one of the fastest-growing areas of Brasília.
The access to Metro-DF is controlled by electronic locks entry and exit. To travel on the metro, tickets are unitary, which contains a single trip, or the magnetic card, which are inserted into the travel claims. When the credits end, there is no need to buy a new card, just recharge it.
The supervision and control of the operation, which includes subsystems of traffic, energy, telecommunications are centralized by the Operational Control Center (OCC), considered the brains of the Metro-DF. The control is fully computerized. Qualified professionals are attached, full-time, all the activity of trains. All this is done with the help of sensors installed along the tracks and a communication system in optical fiber. This structure allows reception and transmission of information between the OCC and the other units of the metro system, like trains, stations and substations. The center receives real-time information on speed routes, time spent at stations, passenger flow and energy supply routes.
The electricity used by the Metro-DF is supplied by Companhia Energética de Brasília (CEB), directly from Furnas. Arrives at 13,800 V alternating current and is transformed into power rectifier substations located along the lines of Metro-DF. These rectifier substations distribute 13,800 V for passenger stations, that turns to 380/220 V, to feed the equipment, and also makes kneeling/rectification to power the trains pull in 750 V. To move the trains, the electric current is sent to the third rail and is collected by shoes located on the sides of trains.
Any movement of trains on the lines and yards, signaling systems and auxiliary energy distribution function under the command of the Operational Control Center (OCC). There is direct communication. Between the OCC and the trains, the OCC and the seasons, the OCC and control tower of the courtyards, and between the control towers and courtyards of the trains. In exceptional situations of operation, the OCC, in touch with teams of technicians and agents in metro stations and courts, and uses this structure to command the necessary steps to determine alternative routes for trains. All this is possible thanks to the Signaling and Traffic Control and Automatic Protection System for Trains, which allow the regularity of the interval between trips, speed control and maintenance of the distance between the trains. Electrical systems, communication and signaling work in a redundant way, ie if there are flaws in the main, the second is immediately fired. The whole system takes corrective and preventive maintenance daily.