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The Brazilian state is close to gaining a revolutionary railway, with the potential for 68 thousand jobs and a significant economic impact.
The new promise of transformation for the development of Rio de Janeiro is coming to life – a railway work which has everything to revolutionize the state and the country with unprecedented economic and social impact.
In addition to its potential to create jobs and generate billions in GDP, the construction of Railway 118 (EF-118) raises the issue of the fairness of investments in Brazil, especially for a region that was severely affected by the abandonment of railways.
According to experts, the EF-118 project promises to make a difference on multiple fronts: 68 thousand direct and indirect jobs would be generated and $ 2,5 billion added to the region's GDP.
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The plan, which aims to connect the Port of Açu, in São João da Barra, to the national railway network, is considered the most important for the railway infrastructure of Rio de Janeiro and, for many, also for Brazil.
According to the Federation of Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Firjan), just the initial construction phase would already provide a movement of R$ 457 million in state and federal taxes and would add R$ 1 billion in salaries to workers in the region.
Fight for resources and joining forces
For this work to become a reality, a broad mobilization was initiated.
Francisco Roberto de Siqueira, president of Firjan Norte, highlights the importance of the union of forces between authorities in Rio de Janeiro and civil society to make the construction of EF-118 viable.
In a recent meeting, leaders and representatives signed a document to be sent to the National Land Transportation Agency (ANTT), reinforcing support and demanding the use of resources from the return of railway sections previously granted to Ferrovia Central Atlântica (FCA).
According to Diogo Martins, infrastructure specialist at Firjan, the new route between Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo was carefully planned and considers the use of sections returned by FCA, totaling more than 1.751 kilometers, being 640 kilometers in the state of Rio.
The long history of abandonment and return of sections
The railway in Rio de Janeiro faces a history of neglect that, according to Siqueira, will only be reversed with consistent investments and collective mobilization.
FCA, the company that operates the railway sections, returned 2013 kilometers of railway in 153, resulting in a loss of 62 kilometers of the state railway network.
Today less than 5% of the mesh originally granted by the federal government is active.
In September, Campos Mayor Wladimir Garotinho participated in an online public hearing to present the growing demands of the Port of Açu and other logistics sectors in the region.
At the hearing, the Undersecretary of Mobility of Campos, Sérgio Mansur, defended the allocation of resources from fines and agreements to the construction of EF-118 as a matter of justice for the region, compensating for historical losses.
Union of municipalities of Rio de Janeiro and vision of the future
The EF-118 project has mobilized not only industry and infrastructure representatives, but also mayors of cities in the north of Rio de Janeiro, who see the railway as an opportunity for regional development.
The mayor of Quissamã and president of the Intermunicipal Consortium for the Development of the North and Northwest of Rio de Janeiro (Cidennf), Fatima Pacheco, is one of the main voices in defense of investments in the railway project, arguing that the region deserves attention equivalent to other states.
Pacheco has advocated the creation of sustainable tourism, capable of generating income and integrating the local community, and she believes that the railway could be the first step in that direction.
The importance of eco-tourism and the support of civil society
For municipalities close to Porto do Açu and the EF-118 route, the railway could open doors to ecological and sustainable tourism.
The mayor of São João da Barra, Carla Caputi, is committed to ensuring the project is completed, highlighting the importance of involving all sectors of society so that the work can truly move forward.
Caputi and other mayors, such as those of Macaé, Cardoso Moreira and São Fidélis, joined forces to demand that fines and agreements arising from the return of railway sections are intended for the construction of the railway.
According to these leaders, the railway will bring not only economic development, but also a significant advance in ecotourism and environmental preservation., contributing to a more sustainable growth model.
The future of Railway 118
If implemented, EF-118 will represent a victory for the state's economy and for environmental preservation, bringing a balance between development and sustainability. However, the project still depends on many political negotiations and the effective allocation of resources.
And you, do you believe that Rio de Janeiro will finally have a railway that will boost its economy and promote sustainable tourism, or will it be just another promise that gets lost in bureaucracy?
68 thousand jobs. Whoever writes such nonsense is smelling ****.
What a perfect attitude, and we can't let this end, congratulations on the project.
The federal government has forgotten that Minas Gerais exists. The works are always being fried on the Rio/São Paulo axis. Our politicians are rotten bananas.
It's not quite like that, the BR40 renovation started in MG, to the detriment of the work in the mountains in RJ, for example.
They scrapped the country's entire railway network, now they're going to rebuild it, why would that be?
Brazil will become great by activating a railway network from north to south, it would be a dream, freight trains, passengers, etc.