Aprosoja supports Ferrogrão until Lucas do Rio Verde (MT)

Ferrogrão was the subject of a debate held this Monday (30), in Sorriso, between the city halls and city councils of Lucas do Rio Verde and Sorriso, the Association of Soy and Corn Producers of the State of Mato Grosso (Aprosoja) and the Pro-Logistics Movement. The objective of the event was to unite entities to promote, together with the Federal Government, the discussion on expanding a section of the modal.

With an original project that begins in Sinop (MT) and arrives at the Cargo Transshipment Stations (ETCs) of Miritituba, in the municipality of Itaituba (PA), the municipalities' demand is that the railway's starting point be in Lucas of Rio Verde. The distance between Lucas and Sinop is around 160 kilometers.

The executive director of Movimento Pró-Logística, Edeon Vaz Ferreira, explains that there is currently an impasse in this change. During the administration of former president Dilma Rousseff, an investment program in logistics was announced that defined that Ferrogrão would run from Lucas to Miritituba.

The problem, according to Ferreira, is that the companies that expressed interest in building the railway defined in their proposals the previous section, from Sinop to Miritituba. “For the section between Lucas and Sinop, there is only a pre-project and, as there is a rush on the part of the Federal Government, the objective is for the railway to be put out to tender in the second half of the year, with a prior license”, he explains.

Despite this, the coordinator of the Aprosoja Logistics Commission, Antônio Galvan, states that the feasibility of Ferrogrão reaching Lucas is latent. “It is not a demand that affects just Lucas or Sorriso, but the entire region. Expanding the network will benefit everyone and that is exactly why Aprosoja supports the initiative. One of the decisions taken from this meeting is, for example, the creation of a working group focused on the topic”, he highlights.

According to the director of the Pro-Logistics Movement, Ferrogrão in Lucas could transform the municipality into a major railway junction location. “The demand is viable. Lucas would have Ferrogrão, Ferronorte and FICO (Center-West Integration Railway). This means that the ports of Santos, Itaqui and Miritituba, for example, could be accessed. Of course, it is good to understand that this could happen if the Government imposes right of way, so that concessionaires have access to each other's roads, in addition to the Independent Railway Operator (OFI)”, he points out.

The OFI is aimed at transporting cargo without having a railway concession. These are companies that own trains and wagons and need to use third-party railways to carry out transportation.