The railroads are fundamental for the transportation of goods throughout the Brazilian territory, including the state of Paraná. Located in the south of the country, Paraná is an important producer in Brazil and, for that, it needs that Paraná's railroads are in excellent conditions for the work of transporting this production.
Currently, as in every country, Paraná's railroads suffer from a long process of stagnation, which has lasted since the middle of the 20th century, when the government began to invest more heavily in the road sector,leaving several railroads scrapped or abandoned.
At the moment, there are 3 railroads that operate effectively in the state of Paraná, one of which is Ferroeste, with a main stretch that runs from Guarapuava to Cascavel. In addition to it and more importantly, Rumo Logística connects the interior of Paraná to Londrina, Maringá Ponta Grossa to Curitiba and then to Paranaguá. Throughout the text, we will talk in more detail about the important work of these railroads.
Content Index
Companies operating on Paraná's railroads
Until the mid-90s, all railroads were managed by the federal government, which ended up making it difficult to increase investments, as the current governments prioritized the expansion of road networks.
At the end of the decade, the National Privatization Plan, implemented during the Fernando Henrique Cardoso government, led the railroads to be managed by private companies, through concessions granted at auctions.
With this, the railroads started to have a new perspective, as it enabled the private sector to invest more in the sector. Thus, this was an important milestone for the railroad sector, including the Paraná railroads.
As we mentioned earlier, there are some lines that pass through the state of Paraná, working for the flow of different items. The main lines, such as those mentioned above, are managed by mainly 2 companies.
Ferroeste is a state-owned railroad line that bears the name of the company itself, and has been in operation since 1996. Its line connects the city of Cascavel to Guarapuava, interconnecting with the & nbsp; Rumo, arriving at the Port of Paranaguá.
In total, there are 426 wagons within 15 locomotives, working intensively for cargo handling in the state, being one of the main companies operating on Paraná's railroads.
Rumo, on the other hand, is the largest company in the railroad sector, with the largest railroad network in the country. Of the little more than 29 thousand km of railroad lines that Brazil has, more than 14 thousand km belong to RUMO, including the Paraná railroads.
In the state, Rumo operates the Curitiba Paranaguá railroad and the stretches that cut Paraná from the old ALL lines - & nbsp; América Latina Logística, currently fully incorporated by RUMO.
Goods
Paraná is an important state for the country's economy, representing around 6.2% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In the Paraná production division, we have:
- Agriculture: 18.4%
- Industry: 40%
- Provision of services: 41.6%
Annually, around US$ 10 billion are exported abroad. Much of this export is due to Paraná's railroads, which are important modes of transport for the goods produced and extracted.
In relation to agriculture, which is a very important productive sector for the economy of the country and of Brazil in general, the state has been increasing its production and presenting very interesting numbers. In 2019, for example, production totaled more than US$ 97 billion, breaking a historic record.
Among the main agricultural commodities worked, according to the Department of Rural Economy (DERAL), we have soybeans, chicken, corn, milk, pork, among others. Soy, for example, represents 20% of the share of local agriculture, with a productive value of almost R$ 20 billion.
In addition to the importance of this production for the growth of the state, agriculture plays a fundamental role for the whole country. The soybean processed in Paraná, for example, represents 33% of all the soy produced nationally. Others that stand out are chicken meat, which represents 25% of all production, and pork, with 16%.
Investments in the Paraná railroads
With the production of Paraná growing, mainly agriculture, it is essential that there is enough transport demand to meet these needs. Precisely for this reason, there is a perspective of growth for the railroads of Paraná, both in improving the infrastructure of the existing lines, as well as in the emergence of new networks.
With the production of Paraná growing, mainly agriculture, it is essential that there is enough transport demand to meet these needs. Precisely for this reason, there is a perspective of growth for the railroads of Paraná, both in improving the infrastructure of the existing lines, as well as in the emergence of new networks.
In addition, the federal government is aware of these issues. That year, the government announced that it would seek to attract investments from the private sector to improve the quality of Brazilian railways by more than R $ 40 billion.
Another important issue is the emergence of new railroad sections, which can bring new solutions for the flow of goods through the Paraná railroads. An extension, which links Dourados-MS to Cascavel and Guarapuava to the Port of Paranaguá, belonging to Ferroeste, is already being worked on.
Logistics
The future of Paraná's industrial and agricultural production depends heavily on new investments in Paraná's railroads. Many of the commodities transported pass through the railroads, and it is essential that this sector be expanded to facilitate transport logistics.
At the moment, Brazil is still very dependent on highways, since more than 60% of all cargo transported goes through this mode of transport. While highways are essential, they also have logistical problems, which make operations expensive and disadvantageous.
Highways, for example, suffer from a lack of infrastructure, unpaved lanes, a high number of tolls and very long routes. All of these factors, including in the state of Paraná, make logistical transportation difficult, costs become more expensive and the quality of travel is impaired.
With this, investing in railroads in Paraná can be a very smart solution, bringing more diversity to the transportation of cargo and improving the logistics of this movement so important for the production of the state.
Conclusion
We can conclude with the article that Paraná is a fundamental state for the country's economy, and it is important that it improves transport conditions to be in line with the level of production. Investing more in solutions to expand Paraná's railroads is a great idea, and the government and the private sector are aware of this issue and may, in the coming years, further improve the region's transportation sector.
http://www.aen.pr.gov.br/modules/noticias/article.php?storyid=107423
https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/brasil/economia-parana.htm
http://www.ferroeste.pr.gov.br/modules/conteudo/conteudo.php?conteudo=132
