Brazil advances major railway infrastructure projects

Major Brazilian railway companies and the J&F Group have expressed formal interest in the auction to reactivate the 1,600-kilometer Malha Oeste railway. The National Land Transport Agency (ANTT) expects to release the auction notice by December, with the goal of signing a contract before the end of the first half of 2027. Currently, the line is under an emergency 180-day contract with Rumo to secure the assets, as transport operations have been halted since December of last year.

In a separate infrastructure development, Sudene has approved the release of R$ 77.2 million from the Northeast Development Fund (FDNE) for the Transnordestina railway project. This installment is part of a larger R$ 1 billion funding commitment for 2026. The Transnordestina project has a total estimated budget of R$ 15 billion, with the FDNE contributing R$ 7.4 billion. Recent progress includes the completion of a 50-kilometer stretch in Ceará, bringing the total completed length of the first phase to 832 kilometers.