What are the points of the socioeconomic and environmental feasibility study in the construction of new railroads

Brazil is currently facing a major consequence of the weak investment in the rail sector over the last few decades. In this way, the country seeks to recover the sector and invests heavily in this area. With road networks that carry more than 60% of all products and goods involved in the country's logistics system, the Federal Government seeks to increase the incentive for alternatives to this problem.

After all, the costs and low performance of the road sector are seen as a current problem in all logistics, as Brazil is on a troubled route within this sector.

With this, the Federal Government expanded a bill that enables and encourages private actions within the reformulation and construction of new railroad networks within the country. However, this project has encountered some socioeconomic and environmental difficulties that may be unfavorable for the development of this new alternative for Brazilian logistics.

It is therefore essential to carry out a socio-economic feasibility study of the country in order to fit rail projects in the near future. For this reason, evaluating relevant issues indicates the first steps to make these projects viable. Understanding the difficulties faced within the country through a socio-economic feasibility study is, above all, designing a new future for investments that promise to bring great results to Brazil.

What is the need for a socioeconomic feasibility study?

Analyzing the possibilities before building a railroad network is the best alternative to ensure the success of all the processes involved in the work.

To build a railway network, it is essential, first of all, to understand the impacts that the construction will have on local inhabitants. It is essential to have an understanding of the life dynamics of the inhabitants of the regions through which the railroad crosses. This first point is more complex than one might imagine, as Brazil is an extensive and complex country. Each region comprises a different reality, which must be analyzed as material for a socioeconomic feasibility study. 

Thus, for each private initiative to obtain the concession of an area that it wishes to invest in the construction of a railroad network, a series of documents required by law is necessary to ensure that the population has little damage. Even with the flexibility on the part of the Ministry of Infrastructure, which invests heavily in the Pró-Trilhosproject, there are other supervisory bodies responsible for sectors that do not only encompass civil construction.

Another very important and decisive point for investment and the guarantee of good results within the construction of railways is in relation to nature. These are factors such as the local biome and wildlife life in the regions. In these areas, for example, it is possible to find environmental legislation that protects conservation areas within the country. Thus, it is essential, before investing in future constructions, to have a socio-economic feasibility study so as not to face these problems in the future.

Socioeconomic feasibility study

With the increasing growth of investments within the railway sector in Brazil, it is important to highlight some points that are fundamental for the development of these projects. First of all, the investment and the revenues need to be greater than the costs. This is, therefore, the formula that guarantees success for investment groups through the profits generated by the networks.

To achieve this result, however, it is essential to carry out a socioeconomic feasibility study in each structured region. Understanding the situation in which the construction areas are included is essential. A detailed study of the geography of the places where the new networks will be structured is part of the construction project that should enable a well-elaborated construction of a railroad. 

Therefore, understanding the local drainage, the type of material to be used during constructions and the calculations that encompass engineering, in general, are essential steps in this scenario.

environmental studies

During the process of building a railway, it is essential to understand the areas that will be used. In this way, it is possible to foresee situations that could become major problems in the future.

In a country with several biomes and a vast territory of possibilities like Brazil, a detailed analysis of all geographic characteristics for this type of project becomes even more necessary. After all, it is worth mentioning that the country has a system of environmental laws that encourage the preservation of natural space. Thus, it is unlikely that a project will not run into some legal issue that involves this type of power.

Therefore, understanding the geographical forms and, in addition, studying in detail all legal possibilities within the spaces that can be used for railway construction is an important step in this process. That is, in addition to having a socio-economic feasibility study of each region that encompasses a possible railway structure, it is necessary to have a range of possibilities worked on based on geographical issues of the places.

traffic studies

Another fundamental point within the socioeconomic feasibility study for the construction of railway networks is the traffic studies. They are responsible for the possible results arising from new implementations. The objective of the studies is, in general terms, to understand what are the levels of interference of the railways in the traffic of cities that comprise them, in addition to the calculation of benefits resulting from the reductions in the time of their trips.

Time is, without a doubt, one of the decisive factors for Brazil's high investment in the railroad sector. In the country's logistics, the road networks end up harming the efficiency and development of this area.

But, when talking about traffic studies, there are generic definitions of similar flows in urban traffic, with the predominance of light vehicles, buses and motorcycles throughout the territory. With these data and statistics formulated within the cities, calculations are performed that seek to effectively understand the impact that the implementation of a railroad will have on cities.

The socioeconomic feasibility study in the implementation of railways is, therefore, an effective way to analyze all the conditions provided by the areas that will benefit from the railway network.