Waiting for the Bondinho
The Bondinho (sounds like bon-JEEN-yo) is the name used by the people of Rio for the little yellow trams that used to trundle along the steep and winding streets of Santa Teresa (the neighbourhood that I currently call home). They would make their way from the hills of Santa, across the amazing arches of Arcos da Lapa and end up in Centro (downtown Rio). They were sweet, rickety old things, clanking and shaking as they made their way up and down the hills, almost always full to overflowing with a mix of locals and tourists – it was common to see people hanging off the edges as the street-cars went by.
Quintessential image of Santa Teresa in happier days.
I rode the Bondinho a couple of times – it was one of those things to do when you’re in Rio (you know, alongside the Sugarloaf Mountain, Cristo, etc). Then, just over a year ago, a 24 year old French tourist died when he slipped out of the open carriage, through a poorly maintained ‘safety’ net and and fell 15 metres to his death.
The Bondinho crossing the spectacular Arcos da Lapa. You can just make out the safety nets running along the edge of the viaduct.
Then, in August last year, an even greater tragedy thrust these trams into the international spotlight. We were out of town that weekend, but the news spread quickly – a tram had come off its rails, careered down a steep hill and smashed into a wall. Six people died and more than 50 were injured.
The shocking aftermath of the crash.
The feelings of the tight-knit local community went quickly from shock and grief to outrage and anger. Residents had made countless complaints and warnings that the poor state of the tracks and vehicles meant that a serious accident was just a matter of time.
To their shame, the authorities initially suggested that the accident was caused by the driver (the driver was one of the dead and so wasn’t around to defend himself). Later on it became apparent that the poorly maintained brakes (held together using wire instead of screws) had failed, causing the overloaded tram to crash catastrophically. The entire network was taken out of service for (long overdue) maintenance.
Well, that was 10 months ago and still we wait. A symbol of the sadness surrounding the situation is seen all over Santa Teresa:
This image is all over Santa Teresa – in bars, homes, posted on walls. Many residents feel that while the Bondinho is missing, Santa Teresa is incomplete. Photo: André Mantelli.
It is a sad reflection of the shambolic nature of the government department responsible that they let this happen in the first place. We don’t always expect compassion from local government, but even from a cold, financial point of view, doesn’t it make sense to ensure that your top tourist attractions are maintained in good working order? I don’t have any statistics to prove it, but it feels to me like the streets of Santa Teresa area are quieter nowadays. Truly a sorry state of affairs.
So, until the tracks are fixed and the trams are replaced, we will have to make do with the local artists’ placeholders…
The now unused station stop for the Bonde in Largo do Curvelo.
Even at night, it looks great don’t you think? Santa Teresa is famous for its arty, bohemian crowd and someone has done a great job here.
You live in Santa Teresa?! Sweet! You can expect me at your house sometime next year….
Anyway, a tragedy this bondinho is. I hope that they get it back in service soon, and keep it in repair the way it should be kept in repair. Unfortunately, stuff like this happens all the time, all over the world. Do you remember the big train crash that happened in Buenos Aires a few months ago? Sad!
Abraço
Hey Alex – you’re right, crashes happen, systems fail, sometimes with tragic results. I think the frustration that is felt by so many residents of Rio (and Santa Teresa in particular) is that this seemed to many people like an accident just waiting to happen. And they had warned the authorities before.
When some hugely complex array of signals and electronics fails, there is a lengthy technical investigation and maybe they end up finding that some transistor component or something like that failed. But in the case of the Bonde, the findings where that there had been massively inadequate maintenance of the tracks, cars, brakes (i.e. the whole system). Fundamental stuff. And, big surprise, there was talk that significant quantities of the money that had been allocated for said maintenance mysteriously disappeared…
Hey, you’d better hurry up if you wanna hang in Santa Teresa – we’re moving! :)
I hope the whole thing is privatized: this way if something goes wrong in the future it will be easier for victims to gain compensation. As is remains today it is up tp the state to investigative an occurrence in which the main suspect is, well, the state. I would rather have a state agency regulating the service, instead of running it.
The sad thing is that it was just a question of basic maintenance, as you pointed out.
One day this country will finally wise up and start practicing the obvious. I have a feeling though that many, many people will perish in similar catastrophes before said day arrives: the kind of tragedies that could have so easily been avoided.