What are the Railroad Projects in Brazil in progress?
The first Brazilian railroad, the Estrada de Ferro-Mauá, opened in 1845, was a milestone in the way of transporting cargo between Brazilian regions. From this railroad construction, which had its headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, new railroad networks were established in the country, in several regions. And this continued until the middle of the 20th century, when the main automobile industries started to establish themselves in Brazil, and the railroad sector began to be neglected by road transport. Brazilian governments began to invest heavily in the transportation of cargo and various products using trucks and, as a result, railroad networks and freight trains began to be abandoned and scrapped.
This process took place mainly under the government of Juscelino Kubitschek, who saw some advantages in the road sector, such as the increase in jobs, since each truck needed at least one driver and several trips, which is totally different from the train, which can carry many more loads on different wagons than on a single truck. Therefore, it was necessary for many trucks to move at once to reach the number transported by a railroad train.
This scenario of abandonment and scrapping of railroad networks extended strongly until the mid-1990s, when the Brazilian government created a program for the privatization of railroad lines. In this way, the railroad lines and networks were assigned to private companies through concessions, dividing the investment responsibility between the government and the private sector. This measure led the existing lines to receive new investments in their infrastructures and improvements in their equipment, in addition to allowing new railroad projects in Brazil to gain strength.
In this way, governments have been implementing some possibilities and investing in the creation of new railroad lines, which go through an auction process, in which concessions are granted to several logistics companies that operate with strength in the railroad sector. Since the implementation of the mesh privatization program, governments have been looking at this sector with new eyes and, consequently, increasing investments for the creation of new railroad projects in Brazil.
From now on, we will talk about new projects that are underway, others that are in the planning phase, we will also discuss investment forecasts, how much has already been invested and much more. Check below how are the railroad projects in Brazil!
Content Index
What are the investments in railroad projects in Brazil?
The creation of new railroad projects in Brazil is one of the ways to repair the historical error of abandoning numerous railroad lines over the past few decades. According to data pointed out by the Network of Works, a tool that brings reliable information about construction projects in progress in several areas in Brazil, there are about 77 new projects for the coming years. Of these, 50 are in the planning and development phase, while 22 are already under construction. These works range from freight trains to supply ports in several cities in the country to the creation of new lines for the transportation of people. The investments are estimated at around 64 billion reais.
According to information released by the minister of the Ministry of Infrastructure, at the beginning of this year 2020, the forecast of the next government investments for the creation of important lines, which we will talk about next, is 30 billion reais. This amount includes the elaboration of railroad projects in Brazil that include the construction of two railroad lines. Find out what these lines are!
West-East Integration railroad (FIOL)
The West-East Integration railroad (FIOL), also called EF-334, is one of the railroad projects in Brazil that is underway. The work started in 2016 and extends to the present day. This line will be more than 1500 km long, divided into three sections that are expected to be auctioned in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to the Federal Government's Investment Partnership Program (PPI). Still according to the PPI, the excerpts are like this at the moment:
- Section I: will connect Ilhéus / BA to Caetité / BA, and already has around 73% of the work completed;
- Section II: will connect Caetité / BA to Barreiras / BA, and about 36% of the construction is already finished;
- Section III: will connect Barreiras / BA to Figueirópolis / TO. This section is still under study and planning.
The objective of this project is to transport cargo received at the port of Ilhéus in Bahia, reaching the city of Figueirópolis in Tocantins. Various types of cargo will be transported on this railroad network, such as grains and ores. In addition to the importance of the line alone, this railroad project in Brazil will also have connection with other lines, such as the North-South railroad, allowing cargo to flow to several Brazilian regions.
Ferrogrão
Another part of the amount of money that is being and will be invested in the construction of railroad networks includes the creation of Ferrovia Ferrogrão. This railroad project in Brazil will interconnect the state of Mato Grosso with the state of Pará, and its main objective is to transport cargo from the central regions to the north of the country.
Ferrogrão, also called EF-170, was part of one of the PPI proposals through meetings and planning carried out by state governments in 2016. The line is over 900 km long and will be very beneficial for the creation of new ones. routes for the transportation of commodities, such as corn and soybeans, which are very present in the Brazilian Midwest region. Currently, this movement is made only to the Southeast region, bound for the port of Santos.
According to the Federal Government's PPI, the auction for the concession of the Ferrogrão line is expected to be completed in 2021. The total capacity of the track will be 42 million tons, at least initially.
FERROESTE
In June 2020, the new railroad, called Ferroeste, was qualified to enter the Government Investment Partnership Program projects. This railroad project in Brazil will connect the city of Dourados (MS) to the Port of Paranaguá / Pontal do Paraná (PR).
The projection is that the line is 1370 km long and that it is an important route for the flow of products from the south to the central-west region. Currently, the state of Paraná is an important hub for the production of corn, soybeans and meat, chicken and pork. Creating new possibilities for the flow of production is always a good way to supply other regions.
North-South Railroad
Brazilian North-South Railroad is one of the railroad projects in Brazil that aims to connect several railroad networks. The forecast for the project is that the road will reach the mark of over 4100 km in length, passing through several states such as Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, Goiás, Maranhão and Tocantins. The railroad is called precisely because this line covers states from the north to the south of the country.
It is worth mentioning that this line already has a 1550 km route in operation, which runs from Açailândia / MA to Anápolis / GO. However, the intention of the current project is to expand and improve the movement of cargo on the track, crossing other several railroad lines throughout Brazil.
Conclusion of Railroad Projects in Brazil
Despite the abandonment of the railroad sector in the last century, due to the broad expansion of the road sector, we can see that new investments are beginning to emerge and an attempt to resume the use of railroads for the movement of cargo in the country. New lines are emerging, some are already under construction and others have already been planned. The growing investment in the railroad sector can be a great solution for the development of regions and, consequently, for the country as a whole.
Complementary sources:
http://www.ferroeste.pr.gov.br/modules/conteudo/conteudo.php?conteudo=132
https://www.ppi.gov.br/ferroeste1
https://www.ppi.gov.br/ef-170-mt-pa-ferrograo
https://www.ppi.gov.br/ferrovia-ef-334ba-ferrovia-de-integracao-oeste-lest-fiol
https://jornalggn.com.br/historia/o-historico-do-desmonte-das-ferrovias-no-brasil/
https://www.rfi.fr/br/brasil/20180606-por-que-o-brasil-abandonou-os-trens-e-ferrovias
https://noticias.r7.com/brasil/brasil-acumula-prejuizos-com-o-abandono-de-ferrovias-08102019
https://www.valec.gov.br/ferrovias/ferrovia-norte-sul/a-ferrovia-norte-sul
Related articles
Comments are closed.
4 comments
Sempre fui a favor das ferrovias como meio de transporte, pois é mais eficiente e mais barato
Olá boa tarde, lendo esses informativos sobre os avanços da malha férrea no Brasil, sinto um alívio. Sabemos que o transporte férreo no mundo é uma realidade viável e com baixo custo de manutenção. Espero agora ver em breve não só muito mais investimentos em construções e projetos de linhas férreas para carga, mas também para transporte de passageiros. Creio que essa última alternativa, fará com que o polo turístico no Brasil de um modo geral crescerá substancialmente. Além é claro de promover uma concorrência saudável nos meios transportes.
Obrigado.
Uma notícia maravilhosa para o país, um transporte com um custo muito em relação ao rodoviário pois possui uma capacidade de levar muito mais carga em uma só viagem e temos também a oportunidade de criar mais opções no transporte de passageiros haja visto que uma viagem de trem é uma viagem muito mais charmosa, confortável e agradável do que uma viagem dentro de um ônibus. Espero que o Brasil cresça e muito suas malhas ferroviárias.
Em todos países com auto desenvolvimento que conheci, Estados Unidos, Canadá e países da Europa usam a ferrovia como o principal meio de transporte, demonstrando desta forma sua eficácia. Com certeza o aprimoramento ferroviário no Brasil será de alta relevância para nossas finanças.