BRAZIL’s interim federal government led by president Michel Temer is investigating how to revive the country’s ambitious new line construction programme at a time of financial austerity by involving the country’s concessionaire rail freight operators.

BRAZIL's National Bank for Social and Economic Development (BNDES) has announced that it will provide loans totalling Reais 70.5m ($US 21.9m) to finance 19 diesel locomotives ordered by freight operators VLI and Rumo Logistics from GE Transportation.

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.

COSAN Logistics has been granted approval by Brazil's anti-trust regulator Cade to proceed with a takeover of the country's largest railway operator Latin American Logistics (ALL) through its Rumo Logistics subsidiary, which is expected to create a logistics company worth Reais 11bn ($US 3.85bn).

BRAZIL's largest railfreight operator Latin American Logistics (ALL) and Rumo Logistics, a subsidiary of Cosan Group which specialises in the transport of ethanol and sugar, have announced plans to merge.

BRAZILIAN President Mrs Dilma Rousseff and transport minister Mr César Borges inaugurated Latin American Logistics' (ALL) new Reais 150m ($US 68m) intermodal freight facility near Rondonópolis in the state of Mato Grosso on September 19.

BRAZILIAN freight operator Latin American Logistics (ALL) has signed an agreement with Progress Rail to lease 18 EMD SD40-2 diesel locomotives, which will be used on petroleum and ethanol trains in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.

THE Argentine government announced on June 3 that it will revoke the two 30-year concessions held by Latin American Logistics (ALL) to operate the former San Martin and Mesopotámico freight networks, which cover a total route length of more than 10,000km.

LATIN American Logistics' (ALL) intermodal subsidiary Brado Logistics has placed an order for 600 additional Spine Car 80 wagons from AmstedMaxion, which will take its total wagon fleet to 2300 vehicles.