Located in the Southeast Region of Brazil, the state of Minas Gerais has the largest number of municipalities in the country, totaling 853 municipalities, representing 15.3% of the total amount in Brazil. For the supply of goods to cover all these regions, the highways and the main railroads of Minas Gerais play a fundamental role in infrastructure logistics.
This point, in fact, is essential for the productive economic activities of Brazil, such as agribusiness and industries, for example, to be able to have as many destinations as possible, including internal and external supply.
Due to the size of the state of Minas Gerais, the 4th largest in the country, with more than 580 thousand km² in length, and the 2nd most populous, with almost 20 million inhabitants, Minas is totally dependent on a logistics transport infrastructure, which it essentially passes through highways and railroads.
The mining road sector, for example, comprises 16% of all highways in Brazil. There are more than 270 thousand km of roads that run through the state.
In the railroad sector, the state of Minas Gerais is supplied by several railroads. Of the 30,000 km of the entire national railroad network, the main railroads in Minas Gerais comprise 2,500 km.
As the focus of the article is to present more details about the main railroads in Minas Gerais, we have separated the list with the 5 most important ones, and we will explain everything about them.
Before, to finalize the question of the transport logistics of the state, it is important to highlight that there is still the air sector and customs structures, also known as “dry ports”.
Due to the state's location, there are no seaports, since Minas Gerais is not bathed by seas and oceans, having only lakes, dams and other aquatic structures. However, the railroads that pass through the state supply other national ports, such as the Port of Santos.
Now, learn more about the 5 railroads that were or are part of the history of the state of Minas Gerais, being some of the main railroads in Minas Gerais.
Content Index
5 Main Railroads in Minas Gerais
MRS Logística S/A
MRS Logística S / A is an operator of railroad lines, which operates the so-called Malha Regional Sudeste, the railroad that passes through the three main states of the Southeast, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and also Minas Gerais.
Within the state of Minas Gerais, this line, which is one of the main railroads in Minas Gerais, passes through several regions, including Greater Belo Horizonte and Zona da Mata, supplying different municipalities in the state.
In addition to internal supply, the line aims to transport cargo to the Port of Santos, which is the largest and main port in the country.
According to data from the company itself, MRS Logística owns 16% of the entire national railroad fleet, containing more than 18 thousand wagons and 800 locomotives.
In total, there are 1643 km of line, which corresponds to the three main states in the Southeast, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais.
The loads transported are the most varied, the main ones being: containers, steel products, cement, bauxite, agricultural, coal and others.
Vitória-Minas railroad
The Vitória-Minas railroad is also one of the main railroads in Minas Gerais. Operated by the company VLI Logística, the railroad has been in operation since 1904, being one of the oldest railroads that continues to function.
As the name suggests, the line aims to connect the state of Minas Gerais with the city of Vitória, capital of Espírito Santo. It is 904 km long, passing through several cities in the state of Minas Gerais. The cargo transported has as main destination the Port of Tubarão, in Espírito Santo.
According to company data, approximately 135 million tons of goods are transported annually, with a variety of more than 60 different products, such as: steel, coal, limestone, granite, containers, among others.
Centro-Atlântica railroad - FCA
Another railroad operated by VLI Logística, and also one of the main railroads in Minas Gerais, the Centro-Atlântica railroad is also one of the largest railroad lines in Brazil.
There are more than 7000 km of FCA extension, passing through more than 300 municipalities in several states, such as São Paulo, Goiás, Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Sergipe and Minas Gerais.
Due to its wide extension, the railroad connects with several other railroad networks, being one of the main points of connection between the regions of Brazil, such as the Southeast, Midwest and Northeast.
Among the main cargoes transported on this line, which is one of the main railroads in Minas Gerais, are: agricultural products, oil, cement and grains.
Western Minas railroad
To start, we separated the Estrada de Ferro Oeste de Minas, which is a tourist railroad, and one of the main railroads in Minas Gerais.
The railroad has a long history, of paramount importance to the state of Minas Gerais. Currently, it is part of the operational network within the Centro-Atlântica railroad, but it is used only for tourism purposes, different from the rest of the line that plays an important role in cargo transportation.
This railroad was originally built in 1881, and opened by the still emperor Dom Pedro II. During all these years, the stretch of the Estrada de Ferro Oeste de Minas, which is 12 km long and connects the municipalities of São João del-Rei to Tiradentes, underwent several changes to consolidate itself as an important tourist spot.
The fleet consists of 4 locomotives and 12 wagon cars. In 1989, the line was declared a historical heritage by the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute.
Finally, the oldest railroad in Minas Gerais, Central railroad of Brazil
Finally, it is interesting to highlight an old railroad, which was once one of the most important national railroads and one of the main railroads in Minas Gerais.
The Central railroad of Brazil, which before the proclamation of the republic in 1899, was called the railroad of Dom Pedro II, had the purpose of connecting the state of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Minas Gerais, and at that time, the carioca state contained the capital of Brazil.
During this transition period from Brasil Império to Brasil República, the line underwent several modifications and extensions, becoming one of the main means of cargo transportation in the country.
The line was extinguished in 1969, after long years of scrapping due to the overlap of the highways in relation to the national railroads. Despite this, it was marked in the history of the state of Minas Gerais and Brazil.
The railroad was so important for the country, that it was represented in a painting, with the same name, by the famous Brazilian painter Tarsila do Amaral, which you can check below.
Conclusion on the main railroads in Minas Gerais
Several railroads were extremely important for the constitution of the Brazilian railroad sector. In the southeast, the main railroads in Minas Gerais are also part of the range of railroad lines most important for the country, helping to improve the flow of cargo to different regions of Brazil.
Searchs: https://espacoluau.wordpress.com/2012/09/14/estrada-de-ferro-central-do-brasil-de-tarsila-de-amaral/
https://www.vli-logistica.com.br/conheca-a-vli/ferrovias/ferrovia-centro-atlantica-fca/
https://www.vli-logistica.com.br/conheca-a-vli/ferrovias/efvm-concessao-vale/
https://www.mrs.com.br/empresa/ferrovia-frota/
https://massa.ind.br/ferrovias-no-brasil/
https://www.antf.org.br/mapa-ferroviario/
https://mundotop10.com/maiores-estados-do-brasil/
