History
editFrom the 1930s to the 1970s, the railways were the main way to transport agricultural product from the rural farms to the ports. However, the different gauges, owners and severed connections between multiple networks lead to the abandonment of much of the rail network, being replaced with highways.
Predecessors
editThe first incentive to start building a rail network in Brazil occured in 1828, when the then imperial government incentivized the building of all transport roads. The first significant try to build a railway was the founding on a anglo-brazilian company in Rio de Janeiro in 1832, which planned to connect the city of Porto Feliz to the port of Santos. The government, however, did not support the project and so it didn't progress any further.[1]
Three years later, in 1835, the regent Diogo Antônio Feijó passed the Imperial Law n.º 101, which conceded privileges for 40 years to whoever built railways connecting Rio de Janeiro to the capitals of Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, and Bahia. Even with the incentives in place, no investor risked starting the project, as there wasn't any guarantee that this railway would be profitable. Some groups did study the possibility of building this railway and it's profitability, including another group of english and brazilian investors, but none of them actually started building the infrastructure.[1]
In 26 of July of 1852, the Law 641, which gave advantages like a 90yr guarantee of a 33km exclusion zone, the right to desapropriate any land that was "in the way", and a tax break for the import of railway material. However, it also came with an 8% limit to all dividends. With a revision of interest rate from 5% to 12%, the interest in building railways in Brazil spiked across the world, mainly in England, which was the main force behind the early construction efforts.[1]
First railways
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Some time before the enacting of Law 641, the banker Pouco antes de vigorar o Decreto Lei 641, the banker Irineu Evangelista de Souza, requested permission to build a railway connecting the Port of Mauá, in the Bay of Guanabara privilégio para construção de outra ferrovia ligando o Porto de Mauá, na Baía de Guanabara, to Raiz da Serra. This railway became effectively the first ever brazilian railway, being inaugurated in the 30th of april of 1854, with only 14.5km of track and 1,676m (5' 6") gauge. Irineu's company, Imperial Companhia de Navegação a Vapor - Estrada de Ferro Petrópolis, realized the first port-railway operation in Brazil, transporting cargo from the ship Praça XV to Raiz da Serra. The Estrada de Ferro Mauá had little value besides it's political and symbolic values, however. Mauá directly and indirectly participated in the building of nine other railways in Brazil.
The opening of regular traffic in the first section of The Recife and São Francisco Railway Company, which had 31km, occured in the 8th of february of 1858, between Cinco Pontas, in Recife, and the vila do Cabo. [2] This was the second ever railway in Brazil, being managed by the first english company that settled in Brazil. The planned construction was only finished in 1862, due to delays caused by a variety problems.
The inauguration of the first stretch of the Companhia Estrada de Ferro D. Pedro II, in the 29th of March of 1858, with the 47,21km connection between the Estação da Corte and Queimados, in Rio de Janeiro. Later, with the proclamation of the republic, this railway was renamed ther Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil, which was one of the main axis of connection between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in 1877, when the Estrade de Ferro Dom Pedro II connected to the Estrada de Ferro São Paulo.
In 1867, São Paulo Railway Ltd, the first railway built in the state of São Paulo, connecting the Port of Santos with the coffee farms was founded.
In late 1889, when the republic was proclaimed, there existed in Brazil 9.583 km of active railways, which served 14 of the 20 provinces. With the new republic, the government decided to start a new plan to build railways across Brazil, but few new railways were actually built because of the financial crisis that plagued the new republic.
Expansion
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In 1907, the process of leasing out the brazilian rail network started, with a statement from then president Campos Sales:
| “ | Our long experience has shown that there's no advantage in keeping the railways under national management. Giving them to the private initiative and stimulating their development not only relieves the national treasure but brings more utility for both commerce and industry. |
” |
During the years of the Old Republic, there was significant expansion of the rail network, reaching 29.000 km of rails, versus the 9.538 km that existed during the imperial period. The biggest expansion occured in the state of São Paulo, where at it's peak there were 18 railways, the biggest being the E.F Sorocabana, with 2074 km, Mogiana, with 1954 km, the E.F Noroeste do Brasil, with 1539 km and the Cia. Paulista de Estradas de Ferro with 1536 km, and the São Paulo railway, which held the connection with the port of Santos. Together, they helped the growth of agriculture and industry in the state.
Besides the railways in São Paulo, other significant railways were founded in this age, like the Estrada de Ferro Vitória a Minas in 1903 and the Madeira-Mamoré railway in 1912
Eletric locomotives, planned since 1922, were introduced in the 1930s, to substitute steam locomotives in some stretches of track. In 1938, diesel-eletric locomotives started operating in Brazil, and continue to be the main locomotives in use to this day.
Starting with the first government ofGetúlio Vargas, the development of highways was prioritized, putting others ways, which until then had played key roles in national planning in the background. At this time, the nationalization of the railways also started, mainly the ones controlled by overseas companies. However, the lack of planning and investment in the interwar period made railways fall into disrepair, and few new tracks were laid.
Nationalization era
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In the 50s, the government request a study into the state of the railways in Brazil, which as of 1956 represented 14% of the debt country-wide. In the 30th of September of 1957, the Rede Ferroviária Federal S/A (RFFSA) was created, uniting 22 railways. It's objective was to standardize the railways, reduce the debts and modernize the network.
In 1971, the government of the state of São Paulo founded the other great state-owned railway, the FEPASA, uniting five railways already owned by the state. In the start, it had almost 5000 km of track, covering almost all of the state of São Paulo.
With the objective to reduce the debt of the railways, the used track was cut down to 32.163 km in 1964, and in the following years many branchlines which were considered "anti-economic" were closed down.
With the economical and political crisis that were happening in Brazil in the 70s, the RFFSA lost most of it's budget. During the 80s, a lot of the network fell into permanent disrepair, and the railways, which were the most efficient method of transport lost much of it's market share. In the end of the 80s, the RFFSA's budget was only 19% of what it was in the end of the 70s.
Privatization era
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In the 10th of March of 1992, the RFFSA entered Collor's de-nationalization program.
Due to the opening up of the economy, Brazil entering international markets and the need for better alternatives for cargo transport, the RFFSA was sold off to private companies in 1996, with FEPASA following up in 1997.
With the extinction of the RFFSA, all passenger lines were also extincted, with only the Trem de Prata, which connect Rio de Janeiro to São Paulo surviving for one more year, being extincted 1998.
- ^ a b c BORBA, José Luiz 2007, p. 6.
- ^ BORBA, José Luiz 2007, p. 7.
- ^ Steven TOPIK (1987). A presença do estado na economia política do Brasil de 1889 a 1930. Rio de Janeiro: Ed. Record.
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[[Category:Rail transport in Brazil]]