Brado opens Brazil’s largest rail route, boosting domestic market

Brado has announced the activation of the country’s largest currently operating rail route, connecting the state of São Paulo (Sumaré terminal) to Maranhão (Davinópolis terminal) via the North-South Railway. The operation, carried out with containers and the result of a partnership with rail concessionaires Rumo and VLI, significantly strengthens domestic routes and the transport of industrialized cargo in Brazil.

The new multimodal route focuses on the domestic market, replicating the operation already consolidated on the São Paulo–Mato Grosso corridor through the company’s terminal in Rondonópolis. The northbound flow, from Sumaré (SP) to Davinópolis (MA), is designed to serve large clients with essential products, including hygiene and cleaning materials, construction materials, agrochemicals, fertilizers, animal nutrition, food, beverages, and paper, supplying the population and producers in the region. In the reverse flow, the transport consists of industrial goods.

Operational tests, which began in July, demonstrated the project’s feasibility and potential. So far, the operation has already completed eight trips, transporting a total of 504 containers loaded with more than 10.9 thousand tonnes of products, with all trips completed with 100% punctuality and full cargo safety. Covering 2,732 km of track, the route represents a step forward in logistical integration, linking the North and Northeast to the Southeast and demonstrating the railway’s capacity to transport more than just commodities.

Strategic vision and sustainability
For Luciano Johnsson, Brado’s CEO, the new operation is a fundamental step forward in national logistics: “This new Maranhão–São Paulo multimodal route represents a strategic milestone for Brado and for Brazilian logistics, driving regional development through integration and interoperability between different rail networks and concessionaires, connecting the North and Northeast to the Southeast.”

The rail mode is a more efficient and sustainable long-distance transport solution. The use of rail on this route directly reduces CO2 emissions by up to 85% compared with road-only transport. In 2024, Brado’s clients avoided emitting more than 320 thousand tonnes of CO2, equivalent to the annual emissions of 69 thousand cars.

The 2,732 km operation runs across two rail concessions: 2,098 km operated by Rumo (between Sumaré/SP and Porto Nacional/TO) and 634 km operated by VLI (between Porto Nacional/TO and Davinópolis/MA). The partnership demonstrates essential synergy between the railways, with the aim of driving the country’s logistical development.

“In a continental country like ours, logistics is a determining factor for competitiveness and sustainability. Making it possible to integrate production regions and consumer markets through intermodal solutions that make interoperability between railways viable means unlocking value in production chains and strengthening our economic profile,” says Natália Marcassa, Rumo’s vice president.

Regional development
Brado is betting on the combination of rail efficiency for long distances (2,700 km) with the capillarity and agility of road transport (first to last mile). The start-up of the operation promises to drive a new cycle of development and opportunities, especially for the states of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí, and Pará, which gain more logistical efficiency and competitiveness.

The ability to transport diverse cargoes in containers, from agricultural products to industrial goods, underscores the solution’s versatility. The market has the potential to move around 64 thousand containers per year.

The operation optimizes road transport over short distances, freeing truck drivers to take on more strategic routes and helping alleviate the shortage of professionals in the country. According to data from Senatran, Brazil has lost around 1.2 million licensed truck drivers over the last ten years, a reduction of approximately 22% between 2015 and 2025. In this context, Brado strengthens its logistical capillarity in the region, ensuring faster deliveries in Imperatriz, in Maranhão, and in the main nearby capitals, such as São Luís, Belém, and Teresina.

Source: Brado

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