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Railway project between Santos and Cajati returns to debate with forecast of express train, cargo transportation, and possible tourist use, in a connection that can reorganize regional mobility and expand integration between the Baixada Santista and the Vale do Ribeira.
The government of São Paulo has resumed discussions on the old railway connection between Santos and Cajati after Governor Tarcísio de Freitas advocated, during a regional agenda in June 2026, the creation of a tourist train between the Baixada Santista and the Vale do Ribeira.
With this statement, expectations about the reuse of the Santos-Cajati line have been revitalized, while CPTM is developing a functional project for a passenger and cargo line with 223.6 kilometers of extension.
The tourist proposal emerged when Tarcísio was passing by the railway structure alongside the mayor of Peruíbe, Felipe Bernardo, in a section that is part of the historical route between the southern coast of São Paulo and the Vale do Ribeira.
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On the occasion, according to a publication by ABIFER based on ViaTrolebus, the governor stated that, at some point, the State will have to enable “a tourist train, connecting the Baixada Santista to the Vale do Ribeira.”
Santos-Cajati Railway unites tourism, passengers, and cargo
Although the statement highlighted the tourist potential of the route, the project under study by the Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos has a broader scope and foresees a regional connection aimed at passenger transport, goods, and territorial integration.
According to CPTM’s proposal, the railway could serve municipalities on the southern coast of São Paulo and the Vale do Ribeira, creating an alternative for travel in a region that currently relies heavily on highways for travel and cargo.
On October 14, 2025, the company reported that the functional Santos-Cajati project was in the final stages of preparation, under the responsibility of the Development and Transport Expansion area of the São Paulo state company.
This work is part of the state government’s actions aimed at sustainable mobility, territorial inclusion, and regional development, focusing on a railway corridor capable of connecting tourist, urban, and logistical areas.
The preliminary layout includes 13 stations in Santos, São Vicente, Praia Grande, Mongaguá, Itanhaém, Peruíbe, Itariri, Pedro de Toledo, Miracatu, Juquiá, Registro, Jacupiranga, and Cajati.
Before any implementation, CPTM still plans a technical analysis of existing structures to identify which sections of the old network can be recovered, reused, or adapted to the standards required by the new service.
A modern railway is also under evaluation, with a hybrid train and connection to the VLT of Baixada Santista and the future Santos-São Paulo Intercity Train, expanding integration between different transport systems.
According to CPTM’s view, this articulation can form a continuous railway axis between the coast, Vale do Ribeira, and São Paulo’s capital, with the potential to reduce the dependency on road trips in part of the state.
Express train between Santos and Cajati can complete the route in 2h20
According to the parameters released by CPTM, the express service between Santos and Cajati would have an estimated time of 2 hours and 20 minutes, or 136 minutes, to cover the entire planned extension.
Besides the direct connection between the two ends, the operational design includes two stopping services, intended for regional travel and shorter trips between cities served along the route.
In the first section, the stopping operation would connect Santos to Peruíbe in an average estimated time of 48 minutes, serving part of the southern coast with a railway alternative to road travel.
The second service would connect Peruíbe and Cajati in about 114 minutes, or 1 hour and 54 minutes, expanding railway access to municipalities in Vale do Ribeira.
CPTM’s projections indicate potential to serve up to 32,000 passengers per day, a number that reinforces the regional significance of the proposal should the project advance to the next contracting phases.
In addition to passenger transport, the line could also move about 600 containers daily, strengthening logistics between the São Paulo coast, the Port of Santos, and the interior of Vale do Ribeira.
Investment in the railway could reach R$ 21 billion
The estimated cost for implementing the project ranges from R$ 19 billion to R$ 21 billion, according to CPTM, but the value still depends on the technical detailing of the engineering stages.
As studies progress, points such as necessary structures, construction solutions, operational parameters, recovery of existing sections, and possible adaptations to enable passenger and cargo transport should be defined.
According to the state company, the aerial photogrammetric topographic survey and technical studies serve as the basis for the engineering preliminary design, an essential step before an integrated contracting or possible concession.
ABIFER, based on ViaTrolebus, reports that the schedule mentioned for 2026 anticipates the advancement of the synthesis map of the definitive route and the consolidation of the engineering project by 2028.
There is still no definitive decision on the execution model of the railway from the sources consulted, nor official confirmation on the start of construction or the timeline for operation commencement.
For now, CPTM states that the current stage should support an integrated contract or a possible concession, without indicating a definitive timeline to transform the study into a construction site.
Tourist train could expand use of the old Santos-Cajati
Tarcísio’s statement opened up the possibility for a tourist approach to the Santos-Cajati, especially because the route passes through cities associated with beaches, natural areas, regional history, and access to the Vale do Ribeira.
Even so, the official proposal released by CPTM first addresses a structuring axis for passengers and cargo, not an operation exclusively focused on railway tourism.
If the recovery of the section progresses, the tourist use could function as a complementary service within a larger structure, provided the operational model allows leisure trips without hindering regular commutes.
This format would depend on subsequent decisions regarding stations, schedules, integration with other transport, rolling stock, expected demand, and the economic viability of a tourist operation in the Santos-Cajati corridor.
CPTM also associates the project with social, economic, and environmental benefits, including the reduction of congestion and accidents on highways, the decrease in pollutant emissions, and the strengthening of regional mobility.
According to the company, the new railway link can still stimulate tourism and sustainable urban development, especially in the municipalities of the Vale do Ribeira and the southern coast of São Paulo.
Despite the progress of the studies, the full reactivation of the Santos-Cajati remains dependent on new technical phases, financing decisions, and the definition of the necessary legal arrangement for implementation.
So far, there is a functional project in development, demand and cost estimates, but there is still no contracted construction or official timeline for the start of railway operation.
