According to the “Railway Atlas of Minas Gerais”, produced as a result of Fernanda dos Santos Silva’s master’s degree, in the Professional Master’s Program in Cultural Heritage, at the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (Iphan), the first The railway station to come into operation in Minas was the Central do Brasil, and its first station was Chiador, inaugurated by Emperor Dom Pedro II in 1869.
According to the study, unlike other railways, this did not arise from the incorporation of existing roads and was previously called Estrada de Ferro Dom Pedro II. The Central Railway of Brazil, as it was later named, was the backbone of the entire national railway system and, at the time, was built to meet the need to flow the production of agricultural products destined for export, mainly coffee, and to internal supply.
The line was closed in 1969, after long years of scrapping due to the overlapping of highways in relation to national railways. Despite this, it was marked in the history of the state of Minas Gerais and Brazil.
Due to the centralized location of the State, Minas Gerais remains, to this day, an important railway route and flow in the country. On Railway Day, DIÁRIO DO COMÉRCIO mentions the main freight and passenger railways that cross the State. Check out:
“Freight train
MRS Logística S/A
Operated by MRS Logística S/A, the so-called Southeast Regional Network, is a railway line that passes through the three main states of the Southeast: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, including Minas Gerais.
The line is one of the main railways in the state of Minas Gerais and passes through several regions, including the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte (RMBH) and Zona da Mata, supplying different municipalities in the State.
In addition to internal supply, the line aims to transport cargo to the Port of Santos, the largest and main port in the country.
Vitória-Minas Railway
The Vitória-Minas Railway is also one of the main railways in Minas Gerais. As the name suggests, the line connects the State to the city of Vitória, capital of Espírito Santo.
Operated by Vale, the railway has been in operation since 1904, making it one of the oldest railways still in operation. In total, it is 905 kilometers long and carries, among other products, Vale’s iron ore and general cargo for third parties, such as coal and agricultural products.
Central-Atlantic Railway (FCA)
The Centro-Atlântica Railway (FCA) is the largest railway in Brazil and connects seven states and the Federal District, including Minas Gerais. FCA lines are the main integration route between the Southeast, Northeast and Central-West regions.
It is more than 7 thousand km long, passing through more than 300 municipalities in different states, such as São Paulo, Goiás, Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Sergipe and Minas Gerais. Among the main loads transported on this line, which is one of the main railways in Minas Gerais, are: agricultural products, oil, cement and grains.
“Train for a walk”
Vitória-Minas railway
Under concession from Vale, a train leaves the capital of Minas Gerais every day at 7am and ends the journey at 8:30pm, in Cariacica, in the Metropolitan Region of Vitória, Espírito Santo. At the same time, at 7am, a train leaves Cariacica, bound for Belo Horizonte, arriving at around 8:30pm.
There is also an additional train that runs between Itabira and Nova Era, both in the Central region of the State. On the train, there is a car that functions as a snack bar, another as a restaurant, one exclusively for wheelchair users, air conditioning and on-board service.
Tourist train – Ouro Preto to Mariana
From 2004 to 2006, Vale revitalized the old 18 km long railway built in 1883, between Ouro Preto and Mariana, also in the Central region. Today, the train is made up of six passenger cars and maintains the same design as the old one, with wooden interiors. Through the transparent structure, the passenger can have a complete view of the landscapes along the way.
Tourist train – São João del-Rei to Tiradentes
The Tourist Train is a VLI operation that aims to preserve historical railway heritage. The Maria Fumaça that connects São João del-Rei to Tiradentes is the oldest in operation in Brazil and attracts tourists from all over the world.
In addition to traveling by train, tourists can enjoy the railway complex, which offers other attractions such as the railway museum and the roundabout, a famous railway structure used for maintenance and storage of railway vehicles, preserving the memory and historical heritage of the railways.
