BRAZIL’s Ministry of Infrastructure (MInfra) reports that it has received a total of 48 applications from the private sector to build a total of 15,013.42km of new railway.
The freight projects would be entirely financed by the private sector, and represent total investment of Reais 186.94bn ($US 36.96bn), according to the ministry.
The applications have been filed under the Pro Rail law, which introduced a more streamlined legal framework for approving new rail projects in Brazil in September 2021, enabling the private sector to develop projects that they would finance in their entirety.
The Pro Rail programme was launched by Brazil’s then president, Mr Jair Bolsonaro, who last month was defeated in his re-election attempt by Mr Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, marking a pronounced shift to the left in federal politics.
According to the MInfra, the applications have been filed by a total of 22 companies, including freight concessionaires MRS, Rumo and VLI, and cover the construction of new lines in 16 states: Minas Gerais (MG); Espírito Santo (ES); São Paulo (SP); Paraná (PR); Santa Catarina (SC); Mato Grosso (MT); Mato Grosso do Sul (MS); Distrito Federal (DF); Goiás (GO); Maranhão (MA); Pernambuco (PE); Piauí (PI); Bahia (BA); Tocantins (TO); Pará (PA); and Roraima (RR).
Applications are first assessed by the National Secretariat for Ground Transport (SNTT), and then by the National Agency for Ground Transport (ANTT) to ensure that they complement the national railway network, including projects that have already been approved.
SNTT also determines if the proposal meets the guidelines of national transport and railway policy, and the federal government may then grant its approval for the applicant to build the new line in question.
MInfra says that the federal government has so far authorised nine projects, representing investment of Reais 50.3bn to build 3506.79 km of new railway. A further eight applications have already been approved by ANTT and are awaiting a final decision from SNTT.
The 48 applications now being considered have been submitted by the following companies and are:
Petrocity
São Mateus (ES) - Ipatinga (MG), 410km
Barra de São Francisco (ES) - Brasília (DF), 1108km
Campos Verdes (GO) - Unaí (MG), 530km
Corumbá de Goiás (GO) - Anápolis (GO), 42.3km
VLI
Lucas do Rio Verde (MT) - Água Boa (MT), 557km
Uberlândia (MG) - Chaveslândia (MG), 235km
Porto Franco (MA) - Balsas (MA), 230km
Cubatão (SP) - Santos (SP), 8km
Ferroeste
Maracaju (MS) - Dourados (MS), 76km
Guarapuava (PR) - Paranaguá (PR), 405.2km
Cascavel (PR) - Foz do Iguaçu (PR), 166km
Cascavel (PR) - Chapecó (SC), 286km
Grão Pará
Alcântara (MA) - Açailândia (MA), 520km
Planalto Piauí Participações
Suape (PE) - Curral Novo (PI), 717km
Fazenda Campo Grande
Intermodal Terminal in Santo André (SP), 7km
Macro Desenvolvimento
Presidente Kennedy (ES) - Conceição do Mato Dentro (MG) - Sete Lagoas (MG), 610km
Sete Lagoas (MG) - Anápolis (GO), 716km
Bracell
Santos (SP) - Cubatão (SP) - Guarujá (SP), 37km
Água Boa (MT) - Lucas do Rio Verde (MT), 508km
Lençóis Paulistas (SP), 4.29km
Lençóis Paulistas (SP) - Pederneiras (SP), 19.5km
Morro do Pilar
Colatina (ES) - Linhares (ES), 100km
Morro do Pilar (MG) - Nova Era (MG), 100km
Brazil Iron Mineração
Abaíra (BA) - Brumado (BA) - Fiol - FCA, 120km
Minerva
Açailândia (MA) - Barcarena (PA), 571.3km
Eldorado Brasil Celulose
Três Lagoas (MS) - Aparecida do Taboado (MS), 88.9km
Zion Real Estate
Lucas do Rio Verde (MT) - Sinop (MT), 153km
Cedro Participações
São Brás do Suaçuí (MG), 4.52km
Ultracargo Logística
Port of Santos (SP), 2.3km
3G Empreendimentos e Logística
Barcarena (PA) - Santana do Araguaia (PA), with connections in Rondon do Pará (PA) and Açailândia (MA), 1370km
MTC - Multimodal Caravelas
Caravelas (BA) - Araçuaí (MG), with branch to Teixeira de Freitas (BA) and Mucur (BA), 491km
MRS
Três Lagoas (MS) - Panorama (SP), 100km
Unaí (MG) - Pirapora (MG), 302km
Varginha (MG) - Andrelândia (MG), 143km
Ouro Preto (MG) - Conceição do Mato Dentro (MG), 213km
Rio Acima (MG) - Belo Horizonte (MG), 42km
Rail-in Engenharia Eirelli
Santa Vitória (MG) - Uberlândia (MG), 266km
Água Boa (MT) - Lucas do Rio Verde (MT), 635km
Rumo
Uberlândia (MG) - Chaveslândia (MG), 276.5km
Santa Rita do Trivelato (MT) - Sinop (MT), 250.7km
Figueirópolis (TO) - Barreiras (BA), 522.1km
Nova Mutum (MT) - Campo Novo dos Parecis (MT), 230km
Bom Jesus do Araguaia (MT) - Água Boa (MT), 249.2km
Ribeirão do Cascalheira (MT) - Figueirópolis (TO), 560.8km
Primavera do Leste (MT) - Ribeirão Cascalheira (MT), 498km
Garin Infraestrutura
Uberlândia (MG) - Chaveslândia (MG), 276.5km
Lucas do Rio Verde (MT) - Sinop (MT), 146.8km
Enefer Consultoria
Boa Vista (RR) - Bonfim (RR), 108.5km
An in-depth report on prospects for rail in Brazil will appear in the January issue of IRJ.
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