The third stage of the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC 3) – which is expected to launch in August – should include R$ 9,3 billion in investments aimed at projects in the railway network that are in the hands of the current concessionaires. That was the signal given by technicians from the Transport Infrastructure Department (Dnit) to the National Association of Railway Transporters (ANTF), which helped the body to identify priority actions for the sector.
The list of projects includes rail contours, removal of encroachments on right-of-way, duplication of stretches, construction of viaducts and footbridges, expansion of branch lines, lighting and signaling of level crossings and reinforcement of existing structures. These are investments in stretches that are under the responsibility of the concessionaires, but are not provided for in the concession contracts.
According to the president of the ANTF, Rodrigo Vilaça, the government's focus is on reducing the risk of accidents, but the measure will result in gains in operational efficiency for the current railroads. “That's not very impressive when you consider the 20% increase in speed and productivity to the system,” he said.
In all, the package includes 31 designs. The railway networks benefited are from the concessionaires América Latina Logística (ALL), Ferrovia Centro-Atlântica (FCA), Ferrovia Tereza Cristina (FTC), MRS Logística and Transnordestina Logística (TLSA).
ALL must have nine interventions in the network totaling R$ 4,5 billion. FCA has the second largest list of contemplated projects, with eight actions totaling R$ 1,1 billion. MRS, however, has the second largest volume of resources to remedy network deficiencies, with six interventions worth an estimated R$ 3,5 billion.
Among the highest investments is the adequacy of the permanent track of the Vetria project – for exploration, transport and export of iron ore -, by ALL Malha Oeste, in the region of Corumbá (MS), which is budgeted at R$ 2,6 billion . Two other projects with expressive values are the north section of Ferroanel (SP), for R$ 2 billion, and the railway contour of Juiz de Fora (MG), for R$ 1 billion, both by MRS.
The announcement of the launch of the third phase of the PAC was made in April by President Dilma Rousseff herself. The information was released during an interview with radio stations in São José do Rio Preto, in the interior of São Paulo.
Yesterday, the ANTF presented the sector's numbers in 2013. According to the entity, the movement of loads by the concessionaires had a growth of 1,8% in 2013, compared to the previous year. During this period, the volume of cargo transported increased from 481 million to 490 million useful tons. Private investments in the sector recorded a slight drop, from R$4,9 billion to R$4,7 billion in the last two years.
Faced with the uncertainties of the new railway concession model, the ANTF president said that the new tenders for the sector should only be carried out by the government from 2015 onwards. “I don't believe that any concessions will come out this year”, he said.
Vilaça considers that the government's latest definitions on the model will be finalized in the second half. “Opportunity exists with the new model, but the rules need to be clearer. These are very large contributions for the decision to participate to be taken without some questions being clarified”, he said.
Source: Valor Econômico
By Rafael Bitencourt | From Brasilia
