Para os paulistanos: texto com fotos da fase experimental do Fura-Fila

Depois que o Fabius postou as fotos do bonde de Campinas, decidi revisitar o site do Allen Morrison e encontrei um texto sobre o projeto do Fura Fila. Para minha surpresa, descobri que o projeto teve uma fase experimental e que parte do terminal Parque Dom Pedro II já estava sendo construído. O texto é em inglês, mas só as fotos já valem a pena:

T H E F U R A - F I L A​

The city of São Paulo, Brazil, is building an unusual reserved-lane trolleybus system which will use double-articulated 4-axle vehicles with high-level doors on both sides for platform loading. Most of the line will run in "canals" on structures above the street; small side wheels will keep the vehicles in place. Both the line and the "Veículo Leve sobre Pneus" (Light Vehicle on Tires) have been nicknamed "fura-fila" - a term that means bottleneck-breaker, a person that cuts ahead in line, a vehicle that gets around traffic.

Construction began in 1997 and experimental operation of the first 2.8 km of Route 1 finally began on 30 September 2000. The photographs below were taken in October 2000 by Sergio Martire of São Paulo. The first view shows the terminal under construction at Parque Dom Pedro II - at the north end of the line. At this point the vehicles run on the surface.



Here is another view of the terminal under construction at Parque Dom Pedro II. The vehicle in this photograph is a conventional articulated trolleybus borrowed from the city system; it is not a VLP.



The temporary shelter set up at Parque Dom Pedro II for experimental operation of the line. The structure just beyond will be the new terminal. Note the high-level loading and "canal" for the VLP.



This photograph shows a genuine Veículo Leve sobre Pneus - a VLP or "fura-fila". It is 25 meters / 82 feet long, has a Volvo chassis, Marcopolo body, two articulations, four doors on each side, and 11 television cameras for surveillance of its 266 passengers.



Another view of the VLP that shows the high-level doors. Next to the front axle one can (almost) see the little guide-wheels that keep the vehicle in place.



A nice view of Avenida do Estado, south of Parque Dom Pedro II, where the line begins its climb to the elevated structure. The aerial sections of the line are not yet in operation.



Fonte: http://www.tramz.com/br/sp/ff/00.html