Due to vandalism and the delay in its completion, a segment of the North-South Railroad that President Dilma Rousseff inaugurated on May 22 will have to undergo repairs before being released for cargo traffic. The National Land Transport Agency (ANTT) authorized the operation of the line between Porto Nacional and Gurupi, both in Tocantins, but conditioned the operation to the completion of repairs.
This 220 km segment is part of the stretch linking Palmas (TO) to Anápolis (GO) that President Dilma delivered three months ago, 27 years after the issuance of the 1st preliminary license for the work. Construction actually started only in 2005 and dragged on for almost a decade, with long stoppages in the period. Because of this, part of the installed material has deteriorated.
An inspection by ANTT found “unusable” wooden sleepers. Although they were installed in 2010, they were damaged due to lack of routine maintenance during a construction phase. One of the conditions for operating the line is the replacement of sleepers. Last week, those that need to be changed were marked with an “x”.
The state of semi-abandonment also facilitated the action of vandals, who stole fastening material, such as nails that held the rails, and even the rails themselves. There was even an attempt to steal a guardrail from a bridge. The thieves managed to free one side, but did not repeat the feat on the other. The structure was hung, according to reports.
The delay in the work also gave rise to clandestine passages on the railroad, informed the state company Valec, responsible for the construction. For this reason, the entire stretch is being revised to eliminate these intersections as much as possible, as they force a reduction in the speed of the trains. Where possible, the passage ended up being incorporated into the road. For this, it has been receiving the necessary signaling.
These occurrences, says ANTT, are commonplace. The agency denies having authorized the operation of a line whose construction was not ready.
The resolution of the agency that authorized traffic on the stretch also conditions the operation to a testing phase. At the beginning, trains will travel at reduced speed. According to Valec, this precaution is necessary for operators to become familiar with the line.
Work on this North-South stretch was delayed due to contractual problems.
Contractors left the development without fully completing the work, which forced the government to carry out new bids, to contract only the remaining works. There was a lack of maneuvering yards and ravine containment works, for example.
Operators. After the inauguration of the Palmas-Anápolis stretch, Valec offered the carrying capacity on the stretch, already according to the new model, conceived in the current government. Through it, companies interested in transporting, called Independent Railway Operators (OFIs), will be able to buy the right to pass with their compositions.
The creation of two different figures, the line operator and the load operator, is the main feature of the new model. In the old model, which is still in force, dealerships play the same role at the same time.
The cargo offer process is in progress and, according to information from the technical area, there are at least three interested in exploring the service.
The government is also analyzing the opportunity of granting the operation of the Palmas-Anápolis line to the private sector.
Launched in August 2012 as part of the Logistics Investment Program (PIL), the new rail model faces distrust from the private sector. The companies are still waiting for the publication of norms on the functioning of the guarantee insurance, which will guarantee them remuneration in case the railroads are idle. For this purpose, the government set aside BRL 15 billion initially. But the value can increase if necessary.
Source: The State of S. Paulo
