Brazilian cities target railway bottlenecks to improve traffic safety

The Minas Gerais engineering society (SME) presented a technical study proposing a redesign of the viaduct that carries the railway over the Belo Horizonte ring road. The study highlights the severe traffic choke point caused by the reduction from three to two lanes, lack of shoulders and frequent accidents involving out‑of‑state truck drivers, and recommends an alternative that enhances safety and flow.

In Curitiba, Mayor Eduardo Pimentel led a delegation to the federal Ministry of Transport and the National Land Transport Agency (ANTT) to request that the upcoming concession of the Southern Railway Network include a rail bypass and new eastern and western branches. The goal is to pull freight trains out of the city center, which currently cuts through 21 neighborhoods, creates 51 level crossings, disrupts public transit and affects about 467,000 residents. The proposal is supported by local industry leaders and parliamentary members.