BRAZIL: Mining group Vale reinstated regular passenger services on the 1 000 mm gauge Estrado de Ferro Vitória a Minas between Cariacica near Vitória and the steel city of Belo Horizonte.
The start of services on July 25 follows completion of repairs and maintenance work on parts of the 664 km route after torrential rainfall in Minas Gerais earlier this year led to washouts which forced suspension of the service. Affected sections included Antônio Dias to Barão de Cocais and Itabira to Nova Era.
Passengers using Vale’s daily EFVM service and the equivalent train on the 1 600 mm gauge Estrado de Ferro Carajás can expect a series of improvements in the next few years as new rolling stock is delivered. The company has ordered 62 new passenger coaches from CRRC Sifang for delivery from December 2024. The order includes restaurant and generator cars as well as luggage vans.
Vale committed to make improvements to its passenger services under the terms of early concession renewal contracts signed in December 2020. These provide for the EFVM and EFC concessions to be extended from 2027 to 2057.
The concession agreements require EFVM to run two passenger trains a day during the high season from 2025, and the EFC service is to be stepped up from alternate days to daily operation from 2026. The Chinese-built cars will join Vale’s current fleet of passenger stock built by Romanian company Astra Vagoane Calatori under a contract dating from 2012.
Brazilian industry association Abifer issued a statement strongly criticising Vale for placing a rolling stock order in China. In response, Vale said that the decision was based on technical and commercial criteria and reaffirmed its commitment to development of the national industry.
