THE governor of the Brazilian state of São Paulo, Mr Geraldo Alckmin, signed a 20-year public-private partnership concession with BR Mobilidade Baixada Santista consortium on June 23 to operate the new light rail line and buses in Santos.
PRESIDENT Dilma Rousseff announced ambitious plans on June 9 to revive investment in Brazil's inadequate transport infrastructure in an attempt to stop the country's slide into recession. The plan includes a new funding model aimed at addressing the previous failed concession strategy.
RIO de Janeiro's suburban operator SuperVia recently completed phase 1 of its programme to upgrade its Central do Brazil terminal and 102 outlying stations, with work including the installation of Harman's IDX Information Delivery System at key stations on the network.
With Brazil's ambitious programme of railway construction plans stalling, the government is revising its concession model for new projects to rely more on private investment while easing pressure on public debt. Kevin Smith looks at the intricacies of this new policy and how the market might receive it.
THE Greenbrier Companies has completed its acquisition of a 19.5% stake in Brazilian wagon manufacturer Amsted-Maxion Hortolândia for $US 15m.
THE Economic, Budget and Finance committee of the Legislative Council of the federal district of Brasilia has approved a bill allowing the local government to proceed with a Reais 737.1m ($US 241.1m) loan agreement to purchase 10 new metro trains and complete work on intermediate stations on the northwest section of the network.
Brado Logistics is Brazil's first dedicated intermodal railfreight operator and has reported impressive growth since it began operating in 2011. Kevin Smith visited the company's headquarters in Curitiba to find out what makes the company tick.
Brazil's railway network is entering an exciting new era: construction projects which are underway and planned promise to rebalance logistics in favour of rail over road. Initiatives are also in the works to stimulate the domestic railway manufacturing industry and its supply chain following years of inconsistent production. But with progress comes challenges, as Kevin Smith discovered during a visit to São Paulo.
THE infrastructure secretariat of the Brazilian state of Ceará says it has received proposals to resume work on adapting a freight line for a diesel light rail service in Fortaleza.
PAULISTA Metropolitan Trains Company (CPTM) has awarded a Reais 21m ($US 7m) contract to the Brazilian subsidiaries of French engineering firms Setec and Egis to provide technical assistance and project management services for the construction of a rail link to São Paulo Guarulhos International Airport.