A project in Brazil that cost billions and was intended for the World Cup has been abandoned for over 10 years, and now the government is going to auction its parts: tracks, railway signals, and VLT equipment are on the list.

Written by Romário Pereira de Carvalho

Published on 19/05/2026 at 08:35

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Government of Mato Grosso scheduled for June the sale of parts, tracks, railway signaling, and materials from the old VLT, a project interrupted after unfinished works and replaced by the BRT in Greater Cuiabá

The VLT auction will put up for sale, in June, materials and equipment stored since the stoppage of works in Cuiabá and Várzea Grande, ending another stage of a project planned for the World Cup of 2014.

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Government authorizes sale of structures from the old VLT

The notice published by the State Department of Planning and Management allows the sale of structures, parts, and equipment that were part of the railway system intended to modernize public transport.

The list includes technical components that would be used in the operation of the mode and materials accumulated in depots and construction sites after the interruption of works. Some of them were left unused, while others suffered wear over time.

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Tracks and technical parts enter the VLT auction

Among the available items are tracks, railway signaling systems, electronic equipment, metal structures, drainage materials, and parts related to rail transport infrastructure.

One of the most valuable lots includes equipment aimed at the operation and exchange of tracks. Traffic control signals and traffic signaling systems also appear among the most valuable materials.

The items are located in areas of Cuiabá and Várzea Grande. There are materials in warehouses near Marechal Rondon Airport and in urban sections where part of the structure was installed.

Purchase will require removal and possible disassembly

In addition to the equipment directly linked to the mode, the VLT auction includes old furniture, deactivated computers, cabinets, partitions, and metallic materials that may be destined for reuse or recycling.

According to the notice, buyers will have to remove the items purchased. In some cases, they will also be responsible for disassembling the materials, depending on the conditions of each lot.

The dispute will be held in June, with both in-person and online participation. Before the sale, interested parties will be able to conduct technical visits to verify the condition of the items, including unused equipment and worn-out structures.

Project never went into operation

The sale marks another chapter in the definitive closure of one of the most controversial projects in the history of Mato Grosso.

The VLT had its works interrupted after allegations of corruption, suspicions of contractual irregularities, and federal investigations.

Even with part of the structure implemented, the system never operated. For years, wagons, tracks, and equipment were abandoned, stored while the legal and financial impasse over the future of the mode of transport remained unresolved.

Wagons were sold and BRT progressed

In 2024, the state government completed the sale of the compositions to Bahia, which decided to reuse the wagons in a railway system in Salvador.

With the definitive abandonment of the VLT, Mato Grosso officially adopted the BRT as the new model of public transportation. The bus corridor works are ongoing in the metropolitan area.

With information from Diário de Cuiabá.

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A project in Brazil that cost billions and was intended for the World Cup has been abandoned for over 10 years, and now the government is going to auction its parts: tracks, railway signals, and VLT equipment are on the list.

Government of Mato Grosso scheduled for June the sale of parts, tracks, railway signaling, and materials from the old VLT, a project interrupted after unfinished works and replaced by the BRT in Greater Cuiabá

Government authorizes sale of structures from the old VLT

Tracks and technical parts enter the VLT auction

Purchase will require removal and possible disassembly

Project never went into operation

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A project in Brazil that cost billions and was intended for the World Cup has been abandoned for over 10 years, and now the government is going to auction its parts: tracks, railway signals, and VLT equipment are on the list.

Government of Mato Grosso scheduled for June the sale of parts, tracks, railway signaling, and materials from the old VLT, a project interrupted after unfinished works and replaced by the BRT in Greater Cuiabá

Government authorizes sale of structures from the old VLT

Tracks and technical parts enter the VLT auction

Purchase will require removal and possible disassembly

Project never went into operation

Wagons were sold and BRT progressed

Mother and daughter build a 70 m² house with more than 8,000 discarded glass bottles and impress with their creativity; known as the Casa de Sal, the property is located on Itamaracá Island, in Pernambuco.

Workers were opening a new road connection near the Marginal Tietê when they found, in the underground of the construction site, remnants of locomotives, wagons, and boilers from the 19th century linked to the forgotten history of Lapa.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

China transforms desert-devastated area into the world’s largest artificial forest, planting trees for 60 years, blocking sand that reached Beijing, and creating a “green lung” of 92,000 hectares in a region once considered lost.

Greek island offers free housing for volunteers, but there’s a condition: you need to take care of rescued cats.

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