Government studies how to speed up infrastructure investment

The federal government is considering how to speed up investment in infrastructure. Extend and integrate roads, railways and ports to private investment is the dream of the productive sector and also a plan of the federal government.

In 2012, the Logistics Investment Program was launched, designed to make 7.5 kilometer concessions of roads and 10 thousand kilometers of railways. Nothing has been done related to the railways yet. However, the roads program is ongoing.

There are currently studies for the concession of four federal roads sections. One of them in the South region, two in the Midwest and another from the Midwest to the North region. All to help the flow of agricultural production.

Auctions should take place in the second semester this year, but before the auctions, the Government will begin to analyze 17 new roads sections to be granted to the private sector in the next month.

Privatization of eight railways with private sector participation is being studied as well, however, there is no fixed date for auction.
As for the railroads, the economy team says there will be a reassessment of the model to make works more attractive to the market.
“Today, the purpose is, as far as I am concerned and interpret from the Government, to make the private sector to invest and provide more funds,” declared the consultant Cláudio Frischtak.

To Professor Paulo Resende, expert in logistics and transport planning, foreign investors are careful and considering the current unstable situation in Brazil.

“I have always defended that, if we created an environment where market rules were played to the maximum possible transparency, I believe that tariffs would even be lower than they are today,” says Paulo Resende, PhD in transportation planning.