Brazil announces another section of FIOL railroad under construction

On Monday (3), President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced the first phase of construction of the West-East Integration Railroad (Fiol in Portuguese) as part of the PAC hiring package. This initial stage aims to connect the city of Caetité in the southwest of Bahia to the city of Ilhéus in the southern region of the same state.

The FIOL will span approximately 1,527 km, linking the future port of Ilhéus to Figueirópolis in Tocantins, where it will connect with Brazil’s North-South Railroad.

In total, the Fiol will be divided into three sections, totaling 1,500 kilometers.

The railroad will transport large quantities of ore from the southern region of Bahia and grain from the western part of the country.

In collaboration with the National Land Transport Agency (ANTT), the federal government is pursuing concessions for the remaining two sections of Fiol: Fiol II, which will connect Caetité to Barreiras, which is already under construction, and Fiol III, which will extend from Barreiras to Figueirópolis, which is still pending an installation license.

The railroad will facilitate the transportation of iron ore produced in the Caetité region of Bahia and the grain and ore production from western Bahia through Porto Sul, a port complex set to be constructed near the city of Ilhéus. The company responsible for the project’s execution is Bahia Mineração (Bamin), which won construction rights in an auction.

Despite the deadline for completing this stage being set for 2027, President Lula appealed to business leaders to expedite the project’s delivery.

“I would like to appeal to business leaders: you must deliver the railway before December 31, 2026. If necessary, work beyond regular hours and even on weekends to ensure the earliest possible inauguration. Otherwise, we risk allowing another ‘negative event’ to resurface in our country and have the works paralyzed again, ” the president stated.

Read more on https://www.aviculturaindustrial.com.br/imprensa/ferrovia-de-integracao-oeste-leste-fiol-tera-uma-extensao-aproximada-de-1-527-km/20230704-073129-O168.

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