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What happened to Brazilian railways?
Around 1960, the Brazilian railways reached their peak, with thousands of kilometers of tracks spread across the country. It seemed that trains would dominate the future of national transportation, but believe it or not, the fate of our railways is more like an action movie without a happy ending. Today, about a third of the railway network is practically abandoned. But what happened to the Brazilian railways?
The stagnation of Brazilian railways
Brazil, with its 8,5 million square kilometers, faces the constant challenge of maintaining an adequate railway network. Brazilian railways, which could be the solution for transporting large loads and helping with urban mobility, have been neglected. Despite their efficiency and lower environmental impact, today less than a quarter of national production passes through rails. Most railways are corroded by time and lack adequate maintenance, mainly because the focus has always been on highways.
The lack of continuous investment has left the country heavily dependent on road transport, a more expensive and polluting alternative. To give you an idea, the passenger rail system is almost non-existent outside of large cities, such as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and even in these regions, the train lines are far from meeting demand. With only 21,5% of national transport carried out by rail, the outdated infrastructure and overcrowded trains at peak times illustrate the situation well.
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The decline and abandonment of Brazilian railways
Brazil lived its golden age of railways until the 1950s, when the country's railway network reached approximately 30 thousand kilometers in length. However, From 1960 onwards, the government and investors began to shift their focus. Industrialization, driven by the expansion of highways, made trains less profitable. While the road sector grew rapidly, the railway sector stagnated. Today, part of Brazil's railways remain idle, and the lack of an efficient integration policy between transport modes only worsens the problem.
Dependence on road transport brings both economic and environmental losses. With only 12% of roads paved, Brazil faces constant traffic congestion and high maintenance costs. While rail transport can be up to 20% cheaper for long distances, the country still relies on highways to transport production.
Why don't they move forward?
The lack of progress in Brazilian railways is directly linked to the lack of investment. While countries like Russia use trains to transport up to 88% of their goods, Brazil barely manages to reach 25%. The railway network has not expanded significantly since the government of Juscelino Kubitschek, which prioritized the construction of highways and the development of the automobile industry.
Despite this, in recent years, rail freight transport has shown signs of growth, driven by the export of soybeans and iron ore. In 2016, rail transport reached a record 503 million tons transported, representing an increase of almost 30% compared to the previous decade. However, this growth is still not enough to transform Brazil into a country with an efficient rail network.
The future of the Brazilian railway network
For Brazilian railways to regain prominence, massive investment in infrastructure is needed, especially in the modernization and electrification of tracks. Integration between road and rail transport is essential to ensure that cargo and passenger transportation is more efficient. using rail can help reduce carbon emissions, reduce congestion and improve Brazil's competitiveness in the global market.
So can rail save Brazil? The answer may lie in the coming years, as the country decides whether to continue prioritizing highways or finally give its forgotten railways a new lease on life.
