RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Started in 2017, the project for a tourist train that would run between the states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais is almost completed. The NGO ‘Amigos do Trem’ (Friends of the Train), mainly responsible for the initiative, has complied with all rules and regulations required by the National Land Transportation Agency (ANTT), as well as the safety rules governing the operation of a tourist train.
However, the NGO has been faced with bureaucratic hurdles since 2018, waiting on the rail track concessionaire Ferrovia Centro Atlântica to finish the repair and maintenance of a stretch of the journey.
In addition to the NGO Amigos do Trem, private companies, city halls and federal and municipal agencies are involved in the project, which should bring tourist and economic activity to the cities covered by the Rio-Minas trip.
“In partnership with SEBRAE (Service of Support for Micro and Small Enterprises), the NGO developed a Business and Technical Feasibility Plan proving that the Rio-Minas Train is feasible.
In addition, numerous surveys and maps were conducted to prove the project’s feasibility. It should be noted that, as well as the Rio-Minas Train’s appeal, the project aims to create new jobs in partnership with municipalities, visibility for the regions covered by the undertaking, valuation of local companies, among others,” says Cyntia Nascimento, president of the NGO Friends of the Train.
The Rio-Minas Train will cover eight cities. There will be approximately 300,000 people directly assisted by the project and 12 million people in the track’s area of influence. The predecited capacity is of 873 tourists per trip, leading to 20,952 tourists per month and 251,424 tourists per year.
The cities that the Rio-Minas Train will connect are Três Rios and Sapucaia, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, and Leopoldina, Recreio, Volta Grande, Além Paraíba, Chiador, and Cataguases in Minas Gerais.