Central Railroad of Piauí: understand everything about this railroad
The Brazilian rail system has existed since the 19th century, and the first railroad was built in the pre-republic period. Thus, with this sector existing for almost 200 years, there are several historic railways present in the Brazilian rail system. Among them we have, for example, the Estrada de Ferro Central do Piauí.
The Estrada de Ferro Central do Piauí is the former name of the Parnaíba-Teresina railway, which is currently abandoned. As we will see below, despite being abandoned at the moment, this railroad has a history of economic, tourist and transformational importance for the region in which it operated.
At the same time that it has already had an important impact on the transport of inputs and people in Piauí, the revitalization of this, as well as other Brazilian railroads, would be fundamental for the logistics of the state, which lacks efficient transport for the flow of loads and variation. in modes, prioritizing the road sector.
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History of the Central Railway of Piauí
Unlike other Brazilian regions, which began the process of implementing railroads in the 19th century, railroads in the state of Piauí took a long time to be implemented. The first railway branch in Piauí, connecting Portinho to Cacimbão, in the northern region of the state, was inaugurated only in 1916.
On the other hand, the works on the Central do Piauí Railroad began in 1913. This process only started after long claims by the people of Piauí. At the time, politicians and businessmen in the region considered that the construction would be “useless”, since it would compete in parallel with the Parnaíba River.
The railroad was inaugurated only in 1922, connecting the port of Luiz Correia to the station of Cocal. Despite this, the total work of the railroad was only completed in the 60s.
The population of the region had a strong influence on the construction of the work. Due to the severe droughts and drought that ravaged the North and Northeast states at the time, the population yearned for innovations and the possibility of a “new life”.
The trains, which at the time were the main means of transporting cargo and people, would be an important novelty for the people, who started to travel to meet close relatives in other municipalities, or who just hopped on the trains for a ride, contemplating the landscapes. locations.
The drought ended up having a strong impact on the construction of the Estrada de Ferro Central do Piauí. The railroad was built thanks to the work of fugitive operators from their local lands, essentially from Ceará, who left their home state in search of new job opportunities.
During its time of operation, the Estrada de Ferro Central do Piauí was responsible for transporting passengers and goods for flow in this region. In addition, as it is a novelty, the stations of this railway served as a meeting space between people, who shared different stories of everyday life.
Railway revitalization initiative
The Estrada de Ferro Central do Piauí ended its operations in 1957, when it was annexed to Rede Ferroviária Federal S/A (RFFSA), which began to manage a large part of the Brazilian rail system. Since then, the railroad was renamed Teresina-Parnaíba Railroad.
As it was a project that already had strong resistance from the political and business class in the region, there were not many efforts to keep the line active during this period. Despite this, the works on the Estrada de Ferro Central do Piauí were completed in 1969. Passenger operations ended 10 years later, in 1979.
Effectively, the line was never eradicated. However, since that period, the railway has suffered from the precariousness, abandonment and even vandalization of the rails, which makes it difficult to develop a project to reuse the line. However, in certain stretches, there is an initiative to revitalize the railroad, as in the Parnaiba/Luís Correia stretch.
This stretch, for example, is being revitalized to serve tourism, due to the initiative of local bodies. This project has been ongoing since 2019. The initiative essentially comes from the Federation of Trade in Goods, Services and Tourism of Piauí.
In early 2020, even, a convoy of trucks with locomotives and wagons acquired in Rio de Janeiro arrived in Parnaíba to start work on the revitalization of the railroad, but the works were interrupted due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Railway projects in the state of Piauí
In addition to the Estrada de Ferro Central do Piauí, or Railway Teresina-Parnaíba, there are also other railways that pass through the state, which are currently more relevant. The Transnordestina Railroad; is the main example.
The Transnordestina Railway was designed to be the main railway network in the Northeast, passing through the states of Ceará, Pernambuco and Piauí, for example. The projection was for the construction of more than 1,700 km of railway extension. However, the road suffers from constant delays in its works, with only 600 km of works completed.
There are still other investment projects in railroads that connect Piauí to Pernambuco. In early 2020, the work, which aims to connect Suape, in Pernambuco, to Curral Novo, in Piauí, received approval so that the works could begin.
The construction of the railway will be in charge of the company Planalto Piauí Participações e Empreendimentos, which will be able to start a project to make the stretch viable. The idea for the development of this new railroad was presented within the Pró Trilhos project, benefited by the Marco Legal das Ferrovias.
The railroad will be 717 km long, helping to transport passengers in the region and transport important goods for the economy of these states, essentially iron ore,. The total investment for the project is around R$5.7 billion.
This amount must be used not only in the construction of rails, terminals and trains, but also in the implementation of appropriate technologies, which must be added to increase the efficiency of the railways. In this regard, Massa is a pioneer, developing fundamental technologies, such as dynamic railway scales, for several national railways.
Conclusion: Estrada de Ferro Central do Piauí
As we have seen, the Estrada de Ferro Central do Piauí was an important railway for the state of Piauí, helping to transport passengers and transport cargo in the region. However, it was one of several Brazilian railroads that suffered from precariousness and lack of investment to continue operating and, therefore, is abandoned today. But, in addition to the Estrada de Ferro Central do Piauí, there are other railways and also projects of railway lines in the state of Piauí, such as the Transnordestina Railway and projects of lines to connect Piauí to Pernambuco, benefited by the Legal Framework of Railways.
Searchs:
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrovia_Teresina-Parna%C3%ADba
http://www.belgianclub.com.br/pt-br/ef/estrada-de-ferro-central-do-piau%C3%AD
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estrada_de_Ferro_Central_do_Piau%C3%AD
