São Paulo – The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said this Thursday (14) that some 100 refugees, immigrants and São Paulo temporary shelter Centro de Acolhimento Temporário (CTA) dwellers will give directions to passengers taking local train company CPTM’s Line 9 – Emerald to get to the|Interlagos Race Track for the Brazilian Formula 1 Grand Prix.
The event opens on Friday (15) with two practice sessions; Saturday (16) will see a third practice and qualifying for the race; and the actual race takes place on Sunday (17).
The railway along River Pinheiros is one of the primary routes to the race venue. Estação Autódromo (the ‘Race Track Station’) sits near the gates to the stands facing Interlagos’ back straight. CPTM’s Line 9-Emerald connects with the Metro at stations Pinheiros (Line 4-Yellow) and Santo Amaro (Line 5-Lilac).
The crew assisting the train riders will comprise bilingual or multilingual people from 34 different countries, under CPTM’s “The world inhabits São Paulo” project. The initiative relies on support from the State Secretariat for Justice and Citizenship, the Municipal Secretariat for Tourism, the São Paulo Solidarity Fund, and private enterprises.
Apart from Line 9, they will be at strategic stations like Luz (pictured) – São Paulo’s central station – and Aeroporto-Guarulhos, near GRU international airport.
At Estação Autódromo, from 10am to 7pm on Saturday and Sunday, the Open Taste culinary fair will feature food from different nationalities, in an event organized by Syrian refugee Joanna Ibrahim.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
