Vila Sônia (São Paulo Metro)


Vila Sônia is a future station of São Paulo Metro. It will belong to Line 4-Yellow, operated by ViaQuatro, which is currently in expansion, and should have this station as a terminus. It will be located in the crossing of Avenida Professor Francisco Morato and Rua Heitor dos Prazeres.
It is scheduled, according to the Government of São Paulo and the State Secretariat of Metropolitan Transports, to be opened in the beginning of 2021.

History

In 1995, São Paulo Metro hired the company Figueiredo Ferraz Consultoria e Engenharia de Projeto S.A. to make a functional project of Line 4-Yellow. Unlike the previous project, which planned a depot in the Ferreira district, the project presented in 1997 by Figueiredo Ferraz suggested the construction of the rail yard and depot in a large area located in the block surrounded by avenues Professor Francisco Morato, Imigrante Japonês and Eliseu de Almeida and Rua Heitor dos Prazeiros, in the district of Vila Sônia.
Line 4-Yellow was planned to be bidded in 1999, but the Four Asian Tigers crisis caused an escape of credit from development banks which financed the construction, and project was paralyzed until the beginning of the 2000s. After being resumed, in 2003, it went through many changes, like the cut of stations, but Vila Sônia rail yard was kept from the original project.
The cancelling, due to pressure of local residents, of Três Poderes station made São Paulo Metro to suggest a future expansion of Line 4 to Taboão da Serra and include, for the first time, Vila Sônia station, located next to the rail yard. Construction of the line began in March 2004, but 3 phases were conceived. In Phase 1, only part of the yard had its construction started and concluded in 2010. In Phase 2, the rest of the yard and the station had its construction started. The future Phase 3 expect to attend the city of Taboão da Serra.

Characteristics

Buried station with side platforms, structure in apparent concrete and distribution catwalk in metallic structure, fixed with braces over the platform. It has access for people with disabilities.

Station layout

Vila Sônia rail yard and Control Center

Projected in 1997 by architect João Toscano, in partnership with architects Massayoshi Kamimura, Monique Alonso Gonzalez and Odiléa Helena Setti Toscano, the construction of Vila Sônia rail yard began in March 2004 and divided in two phases. Phase 1 was opened in 2010, and Phase 2 is estimated to be concluded in mid-2020.