Amazon region set to gain 13 new rail corridors to boost exports

Railway expansion is advancing rapidly in the Amazon, with four railway routes in the concession process or under study, two other railway routes under construction, and another 13 authorized railways. An authorized railway is a legal instrument that allows railways to be built with private funding and without the need for a formal concession.

Rondônia is poised to benefit from the major transoceanic railway that will connect the Atlantic to the Pacific, with a logistics hub in Porto Velho, before continuing through Acre to Peru. The neighboring state of Mato Grosso is further ahead, as in addition to highway investments, the state government has been building state-run railways to connect with major national lines.

Mato Grosso’s approach would serve as an excellent model for Rondônia, which has significant agricultural and livestock production but currently relies entirely on road transport, considered the most expensive mode of transport, which affects the competitiveness of its products in international markets.

Main railway routes in the Amazon

Under the Investment Partnership Program (PPI), planned concessions include: the East-West Corridor (Fico/Fiol), connecting Mato Grosso to Bahia via Goiás; Ferrogrão (Sinop/Miritituba), a logistics corridor running from Mato Grosso to Pará; and the extension of the North-South Railway (Açailândia/Barcarena), between Maranhão and Pará. The East-West Corridor and Ferrogrão are also listed in the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC).

The Multi-Year Plan (PPA) outlines the construction of two major railway routes: the East-West Corridor (Fico/Fiol) and the Transnordestina, which links the North-South Railway to Pernambuco, Ceará, and Piauí. In these cases, the public budget falls short of the total cost of the projects, indicating that funds are primarily allocated for complementary actions such as planning, studies, oversight, and land expropriation. The Salgueiro-Pecém (PE) and Eliseu Martins (PI)-Porto Franco (MA) stretches of the Transnordestina are also under study for concession in the PAC.

The Institute for Energy and the Environment (IEMA) conducted an unprecedented survey using data from the Interactive Transportation Infrastructure Map, which compiles information on ongoing construction projects in Brazil, as well as initiatives from the Investment Partnership Program (PPI) and the 2024–2027 Multi-Year Plan (PPA), with a focus on the Legal Amazon. The data reveal the scale of road, waterway, and railway expansion in the region.

Source: Rondônia ao Vivo

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