Projects for regional trains to be unveiled in two months

Two months from now, the federal government shall put forward, at public hearing, the first two projects for regional passenger trains, currently being studied by the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social – BNDES).  The trains shall connect the municipalities of Londrina and Maringá, in Paraná, and Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, in Rio Grande do Sul, and are now nearing the end of their feasibility studies.

According to the director of the Department of Institutional Relations of the Ministry of Transport, Afonso Carneiro Filho, the investments should be made through a concession to private enterprise. We also need to have discussions with the city halls to make the projects feasible, says the director, who yesterday participated in an event on logistics and transport executed by the Federation of Industry of the State of São Paulo (Federação das Indústrias do Estado de São Paulo – Fiesp).

In the case of the section in Rio Grande do Sul, the railway shall use some track already in place and currently disused. In Paraná, the line shall be constructed alongside another line used for goods transport.

According to Bernardo Figueiredo, the General Director of the National Land Transport Agency (Agência Nacional de Transportes Terrestres – ANTT), another stretch which shall soon be made feasible is that connecting the national capital Brasília and the city of Luziânia in the State of Goiás. There is a strong demand in this region, and there is also a disused railway in the area. This development depends on a marginal investment, and we intend to turn this into a pilot project for the remaining lines, he said.

These stretches shall be part of a package of 14 new railway services currently being considered in the whole country, which shall require an investment of approximately R$ 5 billion (US$ 3.13 billion). The intention is to have all the studies in place by the end of 2012, according to Mr. Carneiro Filho. The 14 railway projects, with a total track length of 1,865 kilometers, shall serve 112 different cities and a demand of 70 million passengers per year. Brazil currently has 10,930 kilometers of regional passenger railway network, concentrated in the South and Southeast regions. Regional passenger trains are services that cover stretches of up to 200 kilometers and pass through at least one city with 100 thousand people or more.