VLI invests more than R$ 300 million in the North-South Railway

In recent months, VLI has begun the renovation of almost 250 kilometers of the northern section of the Norte Sul Railway, a stretch that connects Porto Nacional (TO) and Açailândia (MA).

The renovation consists of changing the tracks, and the activity is part of the company’s investment package in this corridor – valued at over R$ 300 million. In addition to the improvement in the line, VLI acquired 247 wagons and three locomotives – 80 wagons and the three locomotives arrived in 2020 and other assets will be incorporated later this year. About 60 kilometers of track replacement has already been completed and the rest will be remodeled by 2022.

The investments are aligned with the strategy of increasing the capacity and agility in the flow of grains, increasing Brazilian competitiveness in exports. The cargoes leave the interior of the country, pass through the terminals of Porto Nacional and Palmeirante, in Tocantins, and continue to Porto do Itaqui, in São Luís (MA). “The increase in the fleet and improvements in the line increase our availability, capacity, and the reliability of the stretch. In this way, we maintain a system capable of contributing more and more to the flow of grains through the North Arc”, highlights Daniel Schaffazick, general manager of the VLI Center-North Corridor.

With the arrival of brand-new wagons, the northern section of the FNS will have more than 3000 wagons, with Hopper being the most used model. From 2015 to now, the fleet used on the stretch between Tocantins and Maranhão has more than quadrupled.

In 2019, this railway network handled 7.9 million tons of grains (corn, soybeans, and soybean meal) – a 25% increase compared to the previous year when 6.3 million tons were transported. Adding other products (fuels, pulp, pig iron, manganese, etc.), VLI transported more than 11 million tons of products in the region.

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