VLI posts double-digit growth on East Corridor, driven by investment and operational expansion

VLI, the logistics operator of railways, ports and terminals, posted strong growth on its East Corridor in 2025, one of the main drivers of the company’s rail volume expansion during the year. The corridor, which links Southern Minas Gerais state to the ports of Vitória, Espírito Santo, through the Centro-Atlântica Railway and the Vitória a Minas Railway, advanced 10.5% from 2024. In total, the corridor handled more than 16 billion tonne-kilometers, a measure that combines distance traveled and cargo volume.

The performance was supported by about 600 million reais in investment, directed toward locomotive acquisitions, operational adjustments and workforce expansion, including the hiring of about 700 people. These initiatives enabled VLI to begin operating as a Rail Freight Transport Agent, or ATF-C, on the Vitória a Minas Railway, increasing both efficiency and operating capacity along the corridor.

The gains were also reflected at the General Products Terminal at the Port of Tubarão in Vitória, where VLI handles grains, meals and fertilizers. Directly supported by the investments, the terminal posted 14% growth in the year, reinforcing the East Corridor’s strategic role in the logistics chain for moving Brazilian production.

“The East Corridor reflects Minas Gerais’ rail tradition and Espírito Santo’s port vocation. Achieving growth in both the railway and the port shows that VLI’s focus on operational excellence has delivered strong results across every stage of the process, supporting the expansion of strategic sectors of the country’s economy and offering our clients efficient, safe and low-impact logistics,” said Daniel Schaffazick, VLI’s operations director for the East Corridor. The East Corridor handles cargoes such as grains, including soybeans, corn and meals, fertilizers, industrial inputs, and products from the steel and oil industries.

New locomotives

VLI’s fleet on the East Corridor received an important boost this week with the arrival of the last locomotive from a batch of seven ES43BBi units built by Wabtec in Contagem, Minas Gerais. The purchase is part of roughly 600 million reais in investments made by VLI for operations under the new regulatory model for rail freight transport agents, known as ATF-C. The other locomotives were delivered throughout February.

The investment package for ATF-C operations includes the acquisition of locomotives and wagons, operational and structural adjustments, and the hiring of about 700 people in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo. With the new units, VLI has now acquired 27 locomotives since 2024 for operations on the FCA and on the northern stretch of the North-South Railway, also under the company’s concession.

The Evolution Series locomotives, produced by Wabtec in Contagem, are among the market’s most advanced and safest models for heavy-haul freight operations. They are equipped with high-efficiency diesel engines capable of operating on biofuels and can reduce fuel consumption, and therefore atmospheric emissions, by as much as 6% compared with other engines on the market.

Source: VLI