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The Line 17-Gold of the monorail and the People Mover of Guarulhos began operations in 2026, but with such limited schedules that the chance of making the complete journey is minimal, and the route includes changing trains at Campo Belo, Santa Cruz, Luz, and at the Guarulhos Airport station
After more than a decade of promises, stalled works, and delays that became a joke, São Paulo finally has a train connection between Congonhas Airport and Guarulhos International Airport. For the first time in the city’s history, it is possible to make the entire journey between the two airports using only rail transport, without needing a taxi, Uber, or bus.
The cost? R$ 5.40 with the Bilhete Único, integrating everything into a single ticket. It is probably one of the cheapest airport connections on the planet.
But before celebrating, there is one detail that changes everything.
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What is the complete route from Congonhas to Guarulhos by rail?
The route from Congonhas to Guarulhos works like this, as mapped by the Metrô CPTM portal:
You board the monorail of Line 17-Gold at Congonhas Airport. You go to the Campo Belo station, where you make the first transfer to the Line 5-Purple. You get off at the Santa Cruz station and make the second transfer to the Line 1-Blue towards Tucuruvi. You continue to the Luz station, where you make the third transfer to the CPTM Airport Express (Line 13-Jade), which takes you to the Guarulhos Airport station. There, you exit through the turnstiles, turn right, and board the People Mover (Aeromóvel), which travels the 2.7 km to the airport terminals in about 6 minutes. This last stage is free.
There are four transfers in total, going up and down stairs, walking through connection corridors, and changing platforms. With luggage, the experience can be tiring.
The Metrô CPTM portal compared this reality to Paris and London, where it is possible to go from one airport to another with just one transfer and a little over an hour of travel. In São Paulo, even with all the new infrastructure, the journey takes approximately two hours when everything works without delays.
But the most serious problem is not the time.
Why can almost no one complete the entire route?
Here is the frustrating part. Line 17-Gold operates in assisted mode, only from Monday to Friday, from 10 AM to 3 PM. The People Mover of Guarulhos, on the other hand, only starts operating from 4 PM. This means there is a window of only 30 minutes in the late afternoon when both systems operate at the same time.
In practice, as explained by Metrô CPTM, you would need to board Line 17-Gold in Congonhas around 2:30 PM to have time to make the entire journey to Guarulhos and arrive at the Guarulhos Airport station after 4 PM, when the People Mover will already be operating.
And this scenario only works in one direction. From Guarulhos to Congonhas, for now, it is not possible to complete the entire route by rail, because when the People Mover is operating, Line 17-Gold has already closed.
This limitation is expected to improve throughout 2026, when both systems will expand their operating hours. But for now, the connection is more symbolic than practical for most passengers.
How much does each alternative between the airports cost?
The price is where the train wins hands down. With the Bilhete Único, the complete journey between the two airports costs R$ 5.40, regardless of how many lines and transfers you use. It is a price that practically does not exist at any other major airport in the world.
To compare, according to the Melhores Destinos portal, the alternatives are much more expensive. The executive bus from Airport Bus Service costs R$ 39.90 and takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes. An Uber ride varies between R$ 75 and R$ 150, depending on the time. And a taxi can exceed R$ 200.
The price difference is brutal, but the difference in practicality is also significant. The executive bus is direct, without transfers and with a luggage compartment. The train requires four changes, stairs, and scheduling.
What is Line 17-Gold and why did it take so long?
Line 17-Gold is a 6.7 km monorail that connects Congonhas Airport to the Morumbi station, integrating with Lines 5-Purple and 9-Emerald. It was inaugurated on March 31, 2026, more than 12 years after the original promise of delivery for the 2014 World Cup.
The total investment reached R$ 5.97 billion, almost triple the initial budget. The project faced contract terminations, investigations, audits from the Court of Accounts, and consortium changes over the last decade. When fully operational, expected in the second half of 2026, the line is expected to transport around 100,000 passengers per day, according to the Government of the State of São Paulo.
And the People Mover of Guarulhos?
On the Guarulhos side, the People Mover (Aeromóvel) is an automated, driverless system powered by compressed air, connecting the CPTM Guarulhos Airport station directly to the boarding terminals. The 2.7 km journey takes 6 minutes and the fare is free, according to Revista Ferroviária.
The system replaces buses that made this route in about 20 minutes and represents the largest People Mover in Latin America. Like Line 17-Gold, the Aeromóvel also faced delays: the contract was signed in 2021 with a delivery forecast for 2024, but the inauguration only took place in April 2026.
What changes in practice for those traveling in São Paulo?
When both systems are operating during full commercial hours, São Paulo will finally have a viable and cheap alternative to connect its two airports by public rail transport. It won’t be perfect. Four transfers are a lot. Two hours is a long time. But R$ 5.40 changes the game for those who cannot or do not want to spend R$ 150 on an Uber between airports.
For the city, the milestone is both symbolic and practical. For decades, São Paulo was the largest metropolis in the southern hemisphere without a direct rail connection between its main airports. Now this connection exists, even if still with limitations that reflect the real Brazil: it works, but it is complicated, requires patience, and depends on a time window that almost seems like a joke.
The expectation is that by the end of 2026, the schedules will be expanded and the experience will improve. Until then, those who want to try it need to plan well, leave Congonhas around 2:30 PM, carry little luggage, and be prepared for four transfers. It is an urban adventure for R$ 5.40. And, let’s face it, for that price, few places in the world offer something similar.
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