VLI boosts wagons fleet to meet surging fertlizer demand in Brazil’s Arco Norte

Brazil-based logistics company VLI has acquired 78 units of Hopper HTT wagons to transport agricultural commodities and fertilizers. The purchase aims to increase the company’s cargo capacity in the Northern Corridor, which connects the states of Tocantins and Maranhão, where a new fertilizer logistics corridor is about to be officially inaugurated.

According to Daniel Schaffazick, the director of Operations for the Northern Corridor at VLI, the new wagons are meant to accommodate the organic growth of cargo flow, which has been experiencing increasing results year by year, and the volumes originating from the new fertilizer operation.

The Hopper HTT wagons, developed and produced by Greenbrier Maxion, have three main distinctions from regular wagons: a reduction in length without loss of volume and a decrease in tare (weight), and an increase in service life. These optimizations lead to a rise in the load capacity per train.

The new wagons are equipped with a rapid off-loading system and an internal coating with a special paint that does not retain the cargo inside the wagon. The new units also have the high-performing Motion Control® truck system, which has reduced component wear, resulting in lower fuel consumption and increased safety.

According to Eduardo Scolari, the president of Greenbrier Maxion, the technology of the new Hopper wagons is a consequence of the company’s engineering research and development work aimed at further expanding cargo transportation by rail. The wagons offer maximum logistical efficiency for VLI, and their contribution to the environment includes reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions, benefiting the entire chain, and bringing a competitive advantage to the railway sector. The partnership between VLI and Greenbrier Maxion has existed for many years and has generated significant results for both companies, creating competitiveness through operational efficiency and ESG values.

The new fertilizer logistics corridor in the Brazilian Northern Arc results from a partnership between VLI and the Companhia Operadora Portuária do Itaqui (Copi), connecting the Copi terminal in Maranhão to the rail terminal of Palmeirante, built and operated by VLI in Tocantins. The initial investments for the project were around R$ 200 million, and the initial capacity provided by this new structure is 1.5 million tons per year. From the Palmeirante Terminal, the inputs will serve producers located in an area that includes the states of Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Goiás, Bahia, Piauí, Tocantins, Maranhão, and the Federal District.

Sharing is caring!