Find out which railroad are active in Rio Grande do Sul
The railroad sector has always been important in the history of Brazil's industrial development, contributing to the transport of cargo and materials for at least one term. However, its importance can increase today, as certain installations, such as the active railroads in Rio Grande do Sul, can represent a significant alternative in the Brazilian and international flow of cargo.
Despite the concessions granted to the road sector, which has dominated a large part of the cargo transport sector in Brazil in the last 60 years, the government has always had an important role in the rail sector, which currently transports in a set of rail networks that combined have more than 30,000 km of routes intended solely for cargo and production. In Rio Grande do Sul, where there are networks connected in the state and in adjoining countries, the network covers 3260 km.
However, as we will see later, if the appropriate measures are not taken, the State will lose the opportunity to finally resume the railroad sector properly and in fact use it to its full capacity.
Content Index
Panorama of active railroads in Rio Grande do Sul
Currently, the active railroads in Rio Grande do Sul cover around 2000 kilometers of railroad network. However, this does not represent its entirety, as more than 1200 kilometers are not in use.
Much of the sector is dedicated to freight transport, as throughout the country, but trains are also a means of transporting people in the state, with the existence of the Wine Train, controlled by the local tourist company called Giordani.
In 2013, a project was set up with the objective of extending the networks both internationally and in the North-South direction of the country. However, as in the rest of Brazil, active railroads in Rio Grande do Sul will continue to overcome the obstacles caused by the monopoly of highways and urban expansion.
Main active railroads in Rio Grande do Sul
Responsible for 8.8% of cargo transport in 2015 in the state, the active railroads in Rio Grande do Sul have five important sections: Roca Sales – Ponta Grossa, Porto Alegre – Uruguaiana (international), Cruz Alta – Santa Maria, Cacequi – Rio Grande and Triunfo – Passo Fundo.
Among the main products transported are: soybeans, fuels, agricultural products, sugars, products from vegetable extraction, packaging, allowances, allowances and industrialized products for civil construction such as cement. In 2019, more than 22 million useful tons of cargo were transported.
Rio Grande do Sul Railroad Bridges
With bridges ranging from 200 to over 1500 meters, the active railroads in Rio Grande do Sul have stretches that cut through areas where even the highways cannot reach.
The best example is the Cacequi bridge, which for a long time held the title of the longest bridge in Latin America. It belongs to the Porto Alegre – Uruguaiana stretch, it was built in the 1930s and demonstrates the potential that these bridges have for the clean and economical transport that the railroad can be.
Other bridges of the active railroads in Rio Grande do Sul are: São Gonçalo – Pelotas Canal Bridge, Barreto Triunfo railroad Bridge, Pelotas River railroad Bridge – Bom Jesus, Brochado da Rocha – Muçum Highway Bridge, Marcelino Ramos Highway Bridge, among others.
Modernization of Railroads
For some years now, since the last decade, there have been some attempts to get the project to expand the North-South railroads off the ground, something that would be in the interest of the entire country given the possibilities of connection and modernization of cargo transported inside and outside the country. However, due to difficulties caused by urban advancement, road blockade and privatization, there is uncertainty as to when projects like this will actually have a concrete future.
Despite the privatization of sections of the active railroads in Rio Grande do Sul, acquired by ALL (América Latina Logística) and merged in 2013 with Rumo Logística, and the operation called Rumo Malha Sul, which has a concession to take place until 2027, there is still no concrete project to stabilize the deactivated sections, nor an approved expansion that could redefine the sector's infrastructure.
Future investments in active railroads in Rio Grande do Sul end up depending both on the private sector, which now organizes its situation, and on the government and the State, which need to understand the urgency of the concessions and reduce the bochornoso monopoly of the highways. The rail sector presents an increase in the transported load, without embargo, each year through cuts and obstacles. The federal concessions that supposedly would help the system actually reduce the spans.
Conclusion
The conclusion that can be drawn from the current situation of the active railroads in Rio Grande do Sul is that despite an expansion caused by the private sector, despite being the main bridge between the international and national borders of the country, despite the various projects to recover the network North-South, there is still a great disregard for the possibilities of this means of transport within the Brazilian economy.
There is still a road conflict that is harmful to the rail system, perhaps the sections of the southern state under the future projects of Rumo Malha Sul demonstrate how there is something unexplored in what today, despite being a forgotten means of transport among ordinary Brazilians, still represents approximately one-tenth of freight transport (both rural and industrial) for the state.
The unique characteristics of the active railroads in Rio Grande do Sul, such as its ports that access difficult-to-contour areas and its ancient history of heritage construction, should be sufficient examples for the existence and extension of the rail sector, but as a general rule. economy of the country highlights its problems that go from the shortage of fuels to the rise of the prices of imported products, perhaps it is time that the State finally makes peace with a devalued transport system and high flow capacity state and national production.
Searchs:
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transportes_do_Rio_Grande_do_Sul
https://atlassocioeconomico.rs.gov.br/ferrovias
http://www.al.rs.gov.br/FileRepository/repdcp_m505/CED/Ferrovias%20RS%20_%2022.04.13.pdf
