TCP and Brado rail partnership for importing foreign goods proven successful

Rail container transportation, a cheaper and less polluting alternative to road transport, has long been utilized by exporters in hinterland Paraná. However, it is now gaining traction among companies seeking similar advantages for importing goods. In Paraná, TCP, the company that operates the Paranaguá Container Terminal, has a strategic partnership with Brado Logística to transport containers via two rail lines connecting Paranaguá to Cascavel and Cambé.

In the first half of 2024 alone, 50,402 TEUs were carried by rail—the only railway in southern Brazil directly connected to a customs area within a terminal.

According to Giovanni Guidolim, TCP’s Commercial, Logistics, and Customer Service Manager, “Importing containers by rail reduces the risk of damage and ensures more accurate transit times, as well as lower transportation costs. This makes it an excellent logistical option for companies operating in Paraná, the interior of São Paulo, and even Paraguay.”

The chart below uses DataLiner data to compare long-haul container imports and exports at TCP between January 2021 and June 2024.

TCP Container Movement | Jan 2021 – Jun 2024 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

The two main economic sectors that gain from train lines in container import logistics are industry, which ships chemicals, electronics, and solar panels, and agriculture, which primarily benefits from fertilizers and agrochemicals. Data from the Brazilian Geography and Statistics Institute (IBGE) shows that the regions where Brado’s terminals are located account for 11.2% of Paraná’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

To boost the economic performance of these regions, Ronney Maniçoba, Brado Logística’s Sales Manager, emphasized that “with daily train departures from the Paranaguá Container Terminal, our customers can rest assured that they will be able to have all of their goods transported on time. This reinforces the efficiency of multimodal operations, which combine rail for long distances and road for short hauls.”

Fabio Mattos, TCP’s Logistics Operations Manager, further highlighted that “the synergy established between the terminal and Brado ensures stable performance with four trains arriving and departing daily, resulting in a large volume of cargo being swiftly moved for our customers.”

Sustainability

Container transit on the rail tracks connecting TCP to Brado Logística’s lines reduces the carbon footprint of import and export operations for all companies using this service.

At the Paranaguá Container Terminal, two electrified rubber-tired gantry cranes (RTGs) handle cargo loaded and unloaded from trains. Weighing 180 tonnes and standing 24 meters tall, these cranes stopped using diesel fuel in 2023, cutting greenhouse gas emissions from these operations by 97%.

Additionally, combining two transport modes has proven to be efficient for promoting sustainability. Ronney Maniçoba from Brado Logística explains that the current container import operation via rail in Paraná can ease road traffic by 1,000 to 1,500 trucks per month. “On import routes from the Port of Paranaguá to Cambé, Cascavel, and Ortigueira, the multimodal solution can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 85% compared to road-only transport,” Maniçoba reveals.

New Legal Framework for Rail Transport and Record Rail Imports

In December 2021, Law No. 14,273 was enacted, establishing the new Legal Framework for Rail Transport. The law introduces innovations that facilitate private investment in the construction of new railways, the utilization of idle sections, and the provision of rail transport services. The Ministry of Infrastructure expects this mode of transport to increase its share from 20% to 40% of Brazil’s freight transport matrix over the next 15 years.

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