Do you know which was the first railroad in Brazil? Well, we are here exactly to elucidate you about this historical doubt, bringing a totally dynamic article about how the first Brazilian railroad came into being, how it developed, why it was necessary, how it is today and much more. Stay with us and check it out!
Content Index
Historical context
Like the Industrial Revolution, which brought a new dynamic to production in the countries and which occurred primarily in England, the railroads also had their first constructions carried out on English soil.
With the success of the English railroads, both for cargo and passenger transport, in the middle of 1830, other countries realized in this model an important solution that could modify the way of supplying goods, in addition to providing faster locomotion of people between cities.
Before trains, which moved on railroads, transport was powered by animal traction. With the creation of the first steam locomotives, transportation became more agile, improving the logistics for moving products and people.
Estrada de Ferro Mauá
Brazil's first railroad was built in the 19th century, when the country was under the imperial regime. During this period, the project that was successful was the one responsible for the construction of the Estrada de Ferro Mauá, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, which, at the time, was the capital of the country.
The main person responsible for the construction of the first railroad in Brazil was Irineu Evangelista de Sousa, also known as Barão de Mauá. He was a great businessman, industrialist, banker and Brazilian investor, and had a pivotal role in investing and exploring the idea of the construction of the Mauá railroad, which even bears the nickname subsequently granted to him, in the name of the railroad.
Thus, the Mauá railroad, the first railroad in Brazil, was inaugurated by Irineu, together with the support of Emperor Dom Pedro II, on April 30, 1854.
Motivations
There was no lack of reasons for the first railroad in Brazil to be built in the 19th century. Soon after the first buildings spread to the main nations of the world, mainly Europe, Brazil needed to adapt to these new changes to reach levels similar to those of the first world countries.
Of course, a country like Brazil, of continental dimensions, needed, at the time, numerous railroads to occupy the entire national territory, but it was essential to take the first step and, therefore, the construction of the Mauá railroad, the first railroad in Brazil, was so important.
In the 19th century, when the country was still experiencing an imperial regime, which was beginning to lose some important forces, internal productive development, exports and imports were essential for maintaining the basis of the system.
At the time, Brazil was one of the main coffee producers in the world. In addition, it exported and imported items frequently, through the large fleet of ships that embarked constantly, mainly coming from Portugal.
In order to further explore and improve coffee production, it was necessary for the country to adapt to modern demands, and the best way to improve the supply of this product, as well as increase the flow of people between municipalities, was through construction of the first railroad in Brazil, the Estrada de Ferro Mauá.
Subsequently, new railroads appeared, since the Rio railroad proved to be very effective in increasing productivity and the commercialization of coffee and other products.
Route of the first railroad in Brazil
Inaugurated on April 30, 1854, the first railroad in Brazil had a length of approximately 14.5 km in length.
Its initial stretch connected the Port of Mauá to Fragoso (RJ), which is currently a neighborhood in the municipality of Magé.
The main function of the railroad, with this main route, was to supply the trains with the cargoes coming from the vessels, taking them to the municipalities that covered the railroad path.
Sometime later, the initial route increased, exceeding 15 km in length.
Importance of Brazil's first railroad
Every kind of novelty that appears in a certain region or country, always has a great importance, essentially when it presents important solutions for local development. In the case of the Mauá railroad, the first railroad in Brazil, this was no different.
Building the first railroad in Brazil was a fundamental step for the country to expand the ways of transporting goods, improving the quality of deliveries, exports and supply through imports.
With the Mauá railroad presenting itself as an interesting novelty and giving satisfactory results, new companies and entrepreneurs began to invest in this sector, taking new railroads to several municipalities, states and regions of Brazil, expanding the connection between the municipalities, improving the flow of products and increasing the flow of people.
Decline of the first railroad in Brazil
For just over 30 years, the Mauá railroad, the first railroad in Brazil, was an important railroad in the country, mainly because it is located in the country's capital.
With the passage of time, the business domains that controlled this railroad lost strength, along with the decline of the great creator of the railroad, Irineu Evangelista de Souza, Barão de Mauá. With that, in 1883, the command of the Mauá railroad left Irineu's company, Imperial Companhia de Navegação a Vapor and Estrada de Ferro de Petrópolis, and the assets started to be controlled by the Estrada de Ferro Príncipe do Grão Pará.
With this process, the Estrada de Ferro Mauá lost its name. In the following years it underwent other changes and passed through the hands of other companies. In this way, the railroad tradition lost strength and caused it to decline.
In the 20th century, several stretches of the old Estrada de Ferro Mauá, the first railroad in Brazil, began to be suppressed or deactivated. In addition, the railroad did not receive any more investments so that it was possible to carry out a revitalization, causing it to be forgotten.
Current situation
Like a large part of the national railroad network, Brazil's first railroad did not have peaceful times in the 20th century, culminating in the current situation.
With the large investment made on the highways, the railroads ended up losing strength, and many lines were scrapped and abandoned. The Mauá railroad, which no longer had that name, was one of the lines that ended up being abandoned.
Currently, a large part of the line is completely abandoned, making it practically impossible to move around the stations, as the bush and the large amount of asphalt cover the historical remains of the line.
Only in the municipality of Magé, which was where the line started, is there still an interesting historical preservation, the station being one of the main tourist points of the municipality.
Among all the stretches and paths of the line, only one is active, the Vila Inhomirim Line, which is part of the passenger train fleet in Rio de Janeiro, controlled by the company Supervia.
In recent years, state officials have come into discussion to discuss a possible revitalization of the Mauá railroad, whether for a possible tourist spot or for short passenger journeys. So far, nothing has actually been done in this regard.
Conclusion
The first railroad in Brazil, the Estrada de Ferro Mauá, was extremely important for the railroad sector to gain prominence in the country, encouraging companies to invest in the construction of new railroads. In addition, it played a prominent role in the middle of the 19th century, helping to develop small municipalities in Rio de Janeiro and expanding the country's economy, as it facilitated access to ports and improved the export and import of inputs. Unfortunately, as well as a good part of the national railroad line, the Estrada de Ferro Mauá went into decline and, currently, few historical points of this railroad still have a practical function where they are inserted.
Searchs:
https://mundoeducacao.uol.com.br/geografia/ferrovia.htm
http://estradas-ferro.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html
https://www.preparaenem.com/historia-do-brasil/a-primeira-estrada-ferro-brasil.htm
https://noticiando.net/primeira-estrada-de-ferro-do-brasil/
https://www.preparaenem.com/historia-do-brasil/a-primeira-estrada-ferro-brasil.htm
