The July 2025 inauguration of the East Line added a new underground line to the Metro network in Fortaleza, Brazil. The Penetron System was specified to ensure the durability of the underground Chico da Silva Station and tunnel structures.
Located in northeastern Brazil, Fortaleza is Brazil's 4th largest city (>2.4 million residents) and an important industrial and commercial center. Facing the Atlantic Ocean, it is also a vital trade port, as it is the closest shipping port to Europe, only 3,485 miles (5,608 km) from Portugal. The city is also a popular domestic and international tourist destination, with about 16 miles (25 km) of beaches, the Avenida Beira Mar district filled with bars, restaurants and clubs, the Beach Park theme park, and world-class scuba diving in the Pedra da Risca do Meio Marine State Park.
The Metro of Fortaleza – known popularly as Metrofor – operates a light rail network comprising 4 rail lines and 53 stations, and bus transit lines, all serving the cities of Fortaleza, Ceará, and the surrounding suburbs. The new Fortaleza Metro East Line (Linha Leste) is 7.3 km (4.5 miles) long and has five stations, one aboveground (Tirol-Moura Brasil) and four underground (Chico da Silva Leste, Colégio Militar, Nunes Valente and Papicu). The new line connects the Metro network with the South and West lines, as well as the Parangaba-Mucuripe tramway and the Papicu bus terminal.
“The existing underground Chico da Silva station needed to be expanded to accommodate the new rail line,” explains Cláudio Neves Ourives, CEO and Managing Partner of Penetron Brazil. “After review of the site plans, it turned out that the Penetron System was the best concrete waterproofing solution to ensure protection from the high groundwater levels.”
A key part of the expansion of the Chico da Silva station was the construction of the 1-km long (0.62 miles) twin tunnels using a cut-and-cover method and cast in-situ concrete for the foundation slab, retaining walls, and tunnel roof. Supermix, the project’s ready-mix concrete supplier, added PENETRON ADMIX, a crystalline waterproofing admixture, to the concrete mix for all new concrete structures. The resulting construction joints of the base and roof slab were sealed with PENEBAR SW-55 swellable waterstop strips. All tie holes were repaired and sealed with a topical application of PENETRON, a cementitious integral crystalline waterproofing slurry, and PENECRETE MORTAR, a crystalline repair grout.
Once applied, the active ingredients in Penetron's crystalline products generate a non-soluble crystalline formation throughout the pores and capillary tracts of the concrete to optimize waterproofing protection, making the tunnel walls impermeable to the hydrostatic pressure of the surrounding high groundwater.
“The Penetron System has been proven across Brazil in many similar municipal projects,” adds Cláudio Neves Ourives. “That’s the reason why we enjoy a reputation for durable waterproofing solutions – along with expert technical support.”
Built with a cut-and-cover method: The new Fortaleza Metro East Line (Linha Leste) is 7.3 km (4½ miles) long and has five stations, one aboveground (Tirol-Moura Brasil) and four underground.
Waterproofed with PENETRON ADMIX: The cast in-situ concrete for the foundation slab, retaining walls and roof of the twin tunnels at the Chico da Silva station are now impermeable to groundwater.
