Rumo delivers first phase of Ferrovia de Mato Grosso and puts 162 kilometers of track into operation

Rumo delivered, on June 20th, the first phase of the Ferrovia de Mato Grosso (FMT), considered the country’s first railway implemented under the state authorization model. The phase marks the entry into operational commissioning of the first 162 kilometers of the project and of the new intermodal terminal on BR-070, in Dom Aquino (MT), expanding the connection between the country’s leading grain-producing state and the Port of Santos.

The ceremony was attended by the Vice-President of the Republic, Geraldo Alckmin, as well as federal and state authorities and representatives of the productive sector.

According to the company, more than R$ 5 billion were invested in this first phase of the project. The delivered section connects the Rondonópolis Terminal to the new BR-070 terminal in Dom Aquino, designed to handle up to 10 million tons of grain per year. According to the company, the projects bring the railway closer to producing regions and expand the cargo capacity of one of the most relevant areas for Brazilian agribusiness.

During the ceremony, Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin highlighted the impacts of expanding railway infrastructure. “We need to reach the ports, and for that, the railway is essential. It will connect Mato Grosso to the Port of Santos, reducing logistics costs and boosting Brazilian development. There is nothing more environmentally correct than railways, which reduce carbon emissions, decrease accidents, and generate more jobs and income,” he stated.

The governor of Mato Grosso, Otaviano Pivetta, also commented on the project’s importance for the state. “The Ferrovia de Mato Grosso is a dream that became reality, in a meeting between entrepreneurship and hard work. We continue to invest in a state that is an example of what Brazil can be,” he declared.

For Rumo’s CEO, Pedro Palma, the delivery represents an advance in the company’s expansion strategy. “The Ferrovia de Mato Grosso was conceived to accompany the growth of one of the most productive regions in the world. The delivery of this first phase reinforces our long-term vision of investing in infrastructure capable of supporting the increase in Brazilian production with efficiency, predictability, and capacity to meet demand for the coming decades,” he said.

Railway expansion model

Included in the Federal Government’s New PAC, the Ferrovia de Mato Grosso, officially named Ferrovia Estadual Senador Vicente Emílio Vuolo, was developed through a model based on state authorization and private investment.

When completed, the railway will have more than 700 kilometers in length, crossing 16 municipalities between Rondonópolis and Lucas do Rio Verde, in addition to having a branch to Cuiabá. The project was planned to bring railway infrastructure closer to the state’s main producing regions and expand the logistics capacity of the Midwest.

The first phase also includes the new BR-070 terminal, installed on an area of 200 hectares. The complex has the capacity to unload up to 35 trucks per hour, load up to 16 wagons per hour, and store up to 42 thousand tons of grain. The terminal also features driver support facilities and parking for up to 250 trucks.