Transnordestina rail link to Port of Pecém expected by end-2026

The section of the Transnordestina Railway that will connect it to the Port of Pecém, in Ceará, is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, Transport Minister George Santoro said on Tuesday (9). The statement was made in an interview with Bom Dia, Ministro, a program produced by Brazil’s public broadcaster EBC. Santoro also said projects to restore the rail link to the Port of Suape, in Pernambuco, are moving forward.

According to Santoro, the section to Pecém will be delivered as construction of the Transnordestina advances toward the Ceará port terminal. The available material did not specify the exact length of the stretch, the percentage of physical progress completed or the project’s updated cost.

In the same interview, the minister said plans to resume the rail connection to Suape advanced after the Pernambuco section was removed from the concession under the previous administration. According to him, the current government took over the project, completed the executive studies and held the tender for the works. The start of construction, however, still depends on the resolution of pending issues with oversight bodies.

Santoro also said the National Logistics Plan, or PNL, is expected to include a rail corridor linking the North-South Railway to the Transnordestina through Salgueiro, in Pernambuco. The minister described the city as a logistics junction for Brazil’s Northeast.

From an operational standpoint, the integration of railways and ports tends to expand long-distance cargo transport capacity and offer an alternative to road freight. For agribusiness, this type of infrastructure is closely watched by producers, cooperatives, trading companies and agroindustries because it affects freight costs, access to port terminals and the flow of regional output.

The minister added that the region could attract logistics operators and inland ports along the railway. The published material, however, did not include official estimates for cargo volumes, a detailed operating schedule or the tariff impact for users.

With the section to Pecém expected to be completed in 2026 and the Suape connection still in the preparatory phase, the Transnordestina remains a relevant logistics project for the Northeast. Its practical effects on cargo flows will depend on the completion of works, the clearance of pending sections and the operational definition of the announced rail corridors.

Source: Canal Rural

Sharing is caring!