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Operated by the Vitória to Minas Railway, the new daily night train between Belo Horizonte and Cariacica departs at 7pm and 6pm, crosses 664 kilometers with 14 stops, sells tickets for R$ 87 and R$ 125 and promises to attract 60 thousand extra passengers in 2026 on the national railway route.
On Thursday (1st), the first regular night train for passengers in Brazil in three decades begins operations, connecting Belo Horizonte to Cariacica, in the Vitória region, and integrating Vale’s plan that aims to add 60 thousand users to the Vitória to Minas Railway route by 2026.
With daily trips and night departures at 7pm in Belo Horizonte and 6pm in Cariacica, the service joins the two only long-distance passenger trains currently operating in the country, both from Vale, which transport 1.28 million people per year between Minas, Espírito Santo, Maranhão, and Pará.
First Night Train in Three Decades Reignites the BH–ES Route
The new night train between Belo Horizonte and Cariacica is the first regular passenger service to operate at night in Brazil in about 30 years.
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The trainset belongs to the Vitória to Minas Railway, the only long-distance line that connects two metropolitan regions with daily and continuous travel.
The night operation is seen as good news for the railway sector, although it is still considered timid in light of the past.
The country, which once had dozens of passenger railways operating simultaneously, has seen this network dwindle over the decades until only two long-distance services remained, both under Vale’s responsibility.
Schedules, 664 Km Route, Stops, and Ticket Prices
In practice, the night train does not replace the existing daytime trips.
Vale will continue to operate the trains that depart simultaneously at 7am from Belo Horizonte and from the Pedro Nolasco station in Cariacica while adding extra nighttime trips.
The night departures from Belo Horizonte are scheduled for 7pm, with an expected arrival at 8:15am the following day in Espírito Santo.
In the opposite direction, the night train departs Cariacica at 6pm and arrives in the capital of Minas at 7:50am, also the following morning. The complete route is 664 kilometers and includes 14 stations where passengers can board or disembark.
Tickets for the entire route between Cariacica and Belo Horizonte, in either direction, cost R$ 87 in economy class and R$ 125 in executive class.
Those using only part of the route pay a proportional amount based on the distance traveled.
Tickets can be purchased in person during business hours at the station ticket offices or digitally through the company’s website and the Trem de Passageiros Vale app available for Android and iOS.
From Peak to Degradation of Passenger Railways
The advance of this night train occurs over the remnants of a system that began to deteriorate in the second half of the 1950s.
During this period, railway companies began to lay off employees and transformed large stations into mere stops until many buildings were abandoned.
By the late 1970s, the situation worsened. The then Fepasa, created in 1971 from the merger of five bankrupt companies (Mogiana Railway Company, Paulista Railway Company, Araraquara Railway, Sorocabana Railway, and São Paulo and Minas Railway), closed more than 200 stations, symbolizing the deepening degradation of passenger transport by rail.
The 1990s Mark the Official End of the Passenger Era
In the 1990s, the passenger train system fell into nearly complete ostracism with the signing of concession contracts for the former RFFSA network during the governments of Fernando Henrique Cardoso.
In practice, many services were already weakened, but that was when the official end of most passenger railway transport came.
A notable case was the Noroeste do Brasil Railway, which connected the interior of São Paulo to the border with Bolivia and earned the nickname Train of Death.
Upon passing to private hands, the government did not include the maintenance of passenger transport as an obligation of the concessionaire, which led to the complete suppression of service over time.
A similar scenario played out in other companies until only the two long-distance trains currently operated by Vale remained.
Concession Renewal and Requirement for Counterparties
The adoption of extra trips on the Vitória to Minas Railway is not just a commercial decision.
The night train is part of the requirements defined in the process of renewing Vale’s railway concession, which conditioned the continuation of the contract to the expansion of passenger transport offerings.
Currently, the country registers 1.28 million passengers per year on long-distance railways. Of this total, the Vitória to Minas route accounts for the largest share.
In 2024, the line transported 857 thousand users and projects to add 60 thousand passengers in 2026 with three months of night service operation, equivalent to 20 thousand more people per month.
Carajás Will Also Have Daily Reinforcement From 2027
The other long-distance train operated by Vale is the Carajás Railway, which connects São Luís to Parauapebas. Today, the route offers three weekly departures at each end, with trips interrupted on Wednesdays for maintenance.
Starting in 2027, Carajás is also expected to offer daily trips, expanding the reach of passenger rail transport between Maranhão and Pará.
Last year, Carajás transported 423 thousand people and is close to completing 40 years of continuous service to passengers.
Thus, the reinforcement of the night train in Minas and Espírito Santo and the future increase in supply in the North signal an attempt to reposition long-distance rail transport in Brazil, still on a limited scale compared to the past.
From Symbol of Degradation to Test for the Future
The launch of this night train between Belo Horizonte and Cariacica serves as a relevant test to evaluate how far passenger transport by rail can regain space.
The daily route, with relatively affordable prices and the possibility of boarding at 14 stations, attempts to prove that there is still demand for long-distance travel by train.
If the expected results are confirmed, especially the addition of 60 thousand passengers in 2026, the experience could strengthen arguments in favor of new routes and a gradual reoccupation of the established network throughout the country.
And you, are you considering boarding this night train between Belo Horizonte and Espírito Santo if the route becomes established, or do you still doubt long-distance train travel in Brazil?
Show de ****, moro em Ipatinga MG, aonde se encontra a estação intendente câmara, já viajei várias vezes para cariacica ( estação de Pedro nolasco ) na grande Vitória. Já tô de água na boca, para fazer está viagem noturna. Parabéns vale do Rio doce pela iniciativa.
Muito bom ter acontecido, este novo horário para os usuários e com preço baixo. Obrigada a todos.
Que maravilha! É a melhor viagem que existiu e agora voltou!