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ANTT approved the construction of the Serra Azul Railway Branch, which promises to revolutionize the transportation of minerals and relieve the dangerous BR.
The promise of a new logistical horizon for Minas Gerais and Brazil is closer to reality.
With the approval of the National Land Transport Agency (ANTT), the construction of a new railway branch, designed to transport tons of iron ore, promises to transform the transport scenario on one of the busiest and most dangerous highways in the country: BR-381.
The proposal is bold: to replace the daily flow of heavy trucks that cross the road, reduce fatal accidents and even cut carbon emissions.
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The project, called Railway Branch Serra Azul is an initiative by Cedro Participações, which, after approval by ANTT, plans to install a 26 km long branch line between Mateus Leme and São Joaquim de Bicas, in Greater Belo Horizonte.
railway line could absorb the transportation of up to 25 million tons of iron ore per year, removing around 5 thousand trucks from the highway per day, according to information from Cedro Participações.
Export opportunity and risk reduction
According to data from ANTT, the branch will connect to the Southeast Regional Network, the main railway line that runs through Minas Gerais towards Rio de Janeiro, ensuring the export of the ore.
The expectation is that the project, in addition to relieving heavy traffic on BR-381, can generate thousands of jobs during the construction and operation phases.
BR-381, known as the “Highway of Death” due to the high number of fatal accidents, is one of the most dangerous stretches of road in the country.
In the last three years, around 400 deaths were recorded on the route that cuts through Serra Azul, in the metropolitan region of BH.
For Cedro's Legal and Institutional Vice President, Eduardo Couto, the branch will not only transform the logistics of transporting iron ore as it will also be an important step towards a more sustainable and safe economy.
“The infrastructure will help reduce emissions of up to 40 million tons of carbon per year and will reduce costs, benefiting the sector’s production chain,” explained Couto.
Structure and capacity: what the railway branch will be like
According to Cedro's plans, the branch will be operated by five trains with the capacity to carry up to 130 tons in 132 wagons.
Each of these trains represents a replacement of approximately 570 trucks, which will result in a drastic reduction in heavy traffic on BR-381, improving flow and increasing safety for drivers and local communities.
However, the proposal did not go forward without resistance. MRS Logística, the concessionaire responsible for the Southeast Regional Network, questioned the project with ANTT, stating that the decision was made hastily.
MRS sought to exercise its right of preference for the section, but its requests for an extension of the deadline were rejected by the agency.
Even with the approval, the dispute was taken to the Federal Regional Court, where MRS obtained an injunction to suspend the decision, in an attempt to reverse the authorization.
Impasse between companies and legal action
This disagreement between Cedro and MRS creates an impasse regarding the continuity of the project.
Cedro stated that the suspension obtained by MRS does not have a direct impact on ANTT's approval, since the decision was officially published in the Official Gazette of the Union.
While the court decision is in force, the infrastructure sector awaits an outcome that can guarantee the execution of the branch and the achievement of the proposed benefits.
For Felipe Fernandes Queiroz, director of ANTT, the measure is crucial for the advancement of Brazil's railway infrastructure.
In his words, “the objective is to encourage the expansion of the railway system in the country, without allowing the procrastination of a project with the potential to transform security and the regional economy”.
Promise to reduce accidents and environmental impact
The project has the potential to reduce accidents, improve road safety and contribute to a more sustainable Brazil.
With the replacement of trucks by trains, there will be a significant reduction in the emission of polluting gases, according to Cedro.
This means that the impact will not only be economic, but also environmental, in line with sustainability guidelines that are increasingly demanded by society today.
For residents of regions such as Mateus Leme and São Joaquim de Bicas, the branch line could mean more peace of mind, with less heavy vehicle traffic on the roads, fewer accidents and, consequently, a better quality of life.
But, with the clashes between companies and the judicial suspension, will this project ever come to fruition? The impasse leaves the future of this megastructure and the impacts it could have on Minas Gerais and Brazil open.
MRS could also make another mega project viable that would also ease traffic on the 381, reducing gas emissions from trucks, building a coffee export corridor on the planet, connecting the Porto Seco de Varginha to Andrelândia in the south of Minas Gerais, where there would be a large junction yard, with the construction of a road-rail terminal, where trucks would transport all grain and wood production from the region to the ports of Rio de Janeiro for the Steel Railway.
There is already a railway in Varginha that goes to Porto Seco, and connects to the “limestone route” in Lavras and eventually Andrelândia. It has been abandoned due to VLI’s petty squabbles. Building a new line is a waste and money laundering.
MRS could also make another mega project viable that would also ease traffic on the 381, reducing gas emissions from trucks, building the largest coffee export corridor on the planet, connecting the Porto Seco de Varginha to Andrelândia 148km in the South of Minas Gerais, it would have a large junction yard, with the construction of a road-rail terminal, where trucks would transport all grain and wood production from the region to the Steel Railway, to the ports of Rio de Janeiro.
There is something wrong with this text: 132 wagons only transporting 130 tons?
No, each of the wagons has the capacity to carry 130 tons, which adds up to approximately 17000 tons.
I am a locomotive mechanic, each wagon carries 130 tons and some even 140
I hope it's not another Steel Railway, where I worked at Gutierrez in the 70s, in Itabirito MG. Tunnels and viaducts thrown away. It was a time of military government, and fraud around here is old news.
They are operating again
Then this **** of military men say that there was no theft during the military era. It was even worse because the theft was hidden because the media couldn't say anything about people being arrested or killed.
There has always been theft, but now with this nine-fingered **** it's even worse.
But I am unconditionally in favor of investing in Railways. In a country with our size, such investment is of utmost importance. It relieves congestion on the highways. We can even create a depot to make life easier for truck drivers. Less time on the road and more time with family.