Brazil is investing heavily in the development of the transport sector. In recent years, the number of routes has increased in the country, but the possibilities of movement remain limited. Brazilian railways are far inferior to European and American ones.
State of the Brazilian Railways
Transport system different regions has differences. Southwestern and southern regions economically developed better than others. Therefore, people there have access to different vehicles. In the Amazon region, in the north of the country, transportation options are limited. The total length of the railway network is 29,000 km. It differs from European standards and needs modernization. Brazil has no rail international transport. Therefore, it is impossible to reach this country by train. One railway line in Bolivia approaches the Brazilian border: Santa Cruz - Puerto Quijarro. After completing the journey along this route, the passenger approaches the border of Brazil. Then he has to continue his journey by car or bus. The country's railways remained unprofitable for many years.
Today, rail transport within the country is represented mainly by trains for tourists, which are used for excursions. One of the most popular routes passes through the Atlantic Forest. Within the country, passenger transportation occurs, as a rule, with the help of road transport. System railways Brazil is used for trucking. Passenger trains are presented commuter trains, as well as several trains that run around large cities. The track width does not meet European standards.
Popular trains
There are currently only two passenger trains in Brazilian territory. long distance equipped with wagons with seats. They belong to a large private enterprise in Brazil - VALE S. A. The trains indicated above move exclusively during the daytime. Investment in the system railway transport Brazil began to arrive only in recent years. Thanks to this, several new routes are planned to be opened in the near future. speed line will pass between cities such as Campinas, Rio and Sao Paulo. Trains are not in great demand among local residents. Brazilian railways are moving old trains, the level of service in which leaves much to be desired.
Rail transportation is controlled by public and private companies. These include SuperVia, America Latina Logistica, etc. The route map and train schedule can be seen on the website of the Ministry of Transport: www.antt.gov.br.
It turns out that in the 70s the Hungarian enterprise Ganz-Mavag, widely known in the USSR for its D1 diesel trains, also supplied its products to Brazil. And these were not rustic "Hungarians" with wooden seats, which at that time were used by residents of, for example, Kazan.
Much more comfortable trains were built for Brazil in Budapest. And speedy. One of these trains is pictured below. In Brazil, they were called "Hungarian trains" (Trem Hungaro)
And this is the interior of the Brazilian "Hungarian" (photo below). There was a buffet with a coffee machine, as well as air conditioners in all cars and chairs that could be deployed along the train. In general, the environment, which can be called luxurious.
At that time, Brazil was in an economic boom. The country developed, there were more rich people. We also thought about expanding the flow of tourists. In general, there were a lot of plans. People have already seen with their own eyes the Brazil of the future. On this wave, it was decided to order new diesel trains in Hungary so that they would connect the largest Brazilian cities. Why in Hungary? Probably, the fact that even before the war, Hungarian diesel trains were delivered to Argentina, neighboring Brazil, played a role here.
These trains also had generic features inherited from D1. They had exactly the same four wagons. Luggage compartments in motor cars and the cars themselves are long with many windows. Even the front of the head car is similar. Only in D1 it was more massive and rounded.
Brazilian trains no longer had the famous three-axle D1 bogies. The "Trem Hungaro" carts were like this. And the doors were not automatic. The engines were also different. If the D1 had two diesel engines of 730 hp each, then on the Brazilian version both diesel engines had a power of 800 hp each for a narrow gauge and 935 for a wide one. More powerful engines provided a fairly decent speed of up to 140 kilometers per hour for a wide gauge and 100 kilometers per hour for a narrow one.
The diesel compartments, as well as the canteens and toilets of the new trains, featured stylish round windows.
In 1973, 12 four-car trains were delivered to Brazil. Six for 1600mm wide gauge and six for 1000mm narrow gauge. The design and colors of the trains were identical. They differed only in size. The color of the trains was chosen well - a combination of silver gray and blue. 
The Hungarian train was initially seen as the flagship of the Brazilian railways. It began to be used on the main route of the country between the two major cities Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, pushing trains with "Russian" V8 electric locomotives or "Little Joe" on this route. Why these electric locomotives were called "Russians" in Brazil, you probably already know. The distance between the two big cities Brazil is more than four hundred kilometers away. The train passed it in five hours.
But over time, design flaws came to light, mainly that the Hungarian train was intended for flat, straight sections of the road. The section between Rio and Sao Paulo has a rather complex relief. And the "Hungarians", having worked there for about two years, were transferred to other areas. Including on the line Sao Paulo - Santos, about which I have already independently overcome the Big Ledge "Hungarians" could not. Therefore, two "gear" Hitachi electric locomotives were attached to them. 
They ended their careers as work trains, carrying workers from Santos to some factory. familiar fate. In the same way, the career of the Hungarian six-car DP ended in Russia, which in better days went on the Moscow-Leningrad line, and in the end drove miners in the Tula region.
And the “Hungarians” in Brazil had problems with spare parts. They were made in socialist country, the standards there were different from the usual Brazilians. After all, almost all railway equipment in Brazil was American. It was difficult to make spare parts locally, and it was expensive and time-consuming to transport them from Hungary.
Narrow-gauge trains were much more fortunate. Their age was longer because they were used on more direct sections of the path. This train was used on the Porto Alegre - Uruguayana line.
The last refuge of narrow-gauge "Hungarians" was the "metro" of a rather large (800 thousand population) city of Terezina. This "metro" has no underground sections, it consists of one line twelve kilometers long. Most likely, these trains were re-equipped, replacing everything that was possible. Engines, transmissions and car interiors.
If you want to learn more about the history of Brazilian railways, then go to the site http://vfco.brazilia.jor.br/ Although it is in Portuguese, the Google translator translates from Portuguese into Russian "almost understandable". All materials for this post are taken from there.
Brazil is a huge country (5th in the world in terms of area), in which car roads play a key role: most (about 60%) of goods are transported by road. The total length of Brazilian roads is 1.7 million km, 10% of which are paved. Roads of Brazil are divided into federal (33% - have a BR code, for example: BR-153), state (55% - have a state code, for example: RJ-116) and municipal (12%) highways.
Some roads in Brazil are operated by private companies that collect tolls (in Portuguese “ pedagogy“). Their quality is not worse than European autobahns. The quality of the rest of the tracks is average: there are problems with asphalt, lighting and safety. As for the Brazilian railways, it is worth noting that they are practically not developed here at all. Most of the railways are located in the Southeast and South regions of Brazil and serve to transport goods. There are no interstate passenger trains, only electric trains connecting the suburbs with the capital of large states such as Rio and Sao Paulo.
See the official road and rail maps of Brazil in high resolution - enter the "Maps" archive on our portal
5 MAIN ROADS IN BRAZIL:
1. (SP-348) is one of the most modern and safe highways in Brazil, comparable to the autobahns in Europe. Connects the cities of Sao Paulo and Campinas. Nice gas stations, well located, with good service.
2. (SP-160) - the famous road connecting the city of São Paulo with the coast (length 72 km), along which residents of the economic capital of Brazil go to the ocean for the weekend. The motorway is of excellent quality, and the toll here is one of the highest compared to other toll roads in Brazil.
3. Highway President Dutra(BR-116) is a highway connecting Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. It is considered the most economically important road in Brazil, as it connects the two main centers of the country's development.
4. (BR-381) - links the cities of Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte.
Rusting railroad tracks give way to a dirt track in a remote corner of Brazil's arid northeast, far from the ports or livestock farms for which the road was built. No train has ever passed this Transnordestin road, one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in Brazil. The road was supposed to be open to train traffic next month, but after 10 years of construction and $1.76 billion in, mostly government investment, the 1,700 km railroad project has failed. was only half built.
Farmer Francisco Emiliano, 58, grazes his cattle next to the Transnordestin railway lines under construction in Misan, Ceara state, northeast Brazil, October 25, 2016.
Raniel da Silva, Aya da Silva, Ariana da Silva and Daniel da Silva pose for a portrait on the roof of a train carriage near the city of Salgueiro, Pernambuco state, in northeast Brazil, on October 26, 2016.
Ariel da Silva, Ariana da Silva, Daniel da Silva and their father Raimundo José da Silva play on top of a train carriage near the city of Salgueiro, Pernambuco state, in northeast Brazil, on October 26, 2016.
Train cars on the Transnordestina section of the road near Salgueiro, Pernambuco state, Brazil on January 29, 2014.
Partially constructed track, section of the Transnordestin railway in the province of Pernambuco, Brazil on January 26, 2014.
Part of the Transnordestin railway track passes through a tunnel in Brejo Santo, Ceará state, in northeastern Brazil, on October 29, 2016.
Train cars on railway tracks Transnordestina road near the city of Salgueiro, Pernambuco state, Brazil on October 26, 2016.
The carcass of a dog lies on the tracks of the Ferrovia railway track in Misan Vela, Ceara state, Brazil, on October 25, 2016.
Cicero Antonio do Nascimento stands inside a tunnel, part of the Transnordestin railway track in Brejo Santo, state of Ceara, Brazil, on October 29, 2016.
Ariana and her brother Ariel play with a calf at the construction site of the Transnordestin railway in Salgueira, Pernambuco state, Brazil, on October 26, 2016.
Carriages of trains on the Transnordestina railway tracks near the city of Salgueiro, Pernambuco state, Brazil, on October 26, 2016.
Growing plants on the Transnordestin railway track in Misan Vela, Ceara state, Brazil on October 25, 2016.
Ariel da Silva poses for a photograph next to the construction of the Transnordestin railway in Salgueiro, Pernambuco state, Brazil, on October 26, 2016.
A sign that reads "take care of the men" stands near the construction site of the Transnordestin railway in Misan Vela, Ceara state, Brazil, on October 25, 2016.
A church in San Luis Gonzaga, which sits on the path of the partially built Transnordestin railway in Pernambuco province, northeast Brazil, on October 27, 2016.
A horse grazes on the railroad tracks near the old railway station of the North Eastern Railway (Ferrovia Nordeste) in the city of Misan Vela, state of Ceara, northeast Brazil, on October 25, 2016.
Traction of heavy haul trains on Brazilian railways
A.L. LUVISHYS, candidate of technical sciences
The TOTAL length of Brazilian railways in 2009 was about 30,000 km, of which 2,000 km were electrified. A feature of the railways is a different gauge: narrow - 1000 mm (23842 km), wide - 1600 mm (6045 km), with three rails, which allows the use of rolling stock with both a gauge of 1600 mm and 1000 mm (510 km), and also 1435 mm (202.4 km). The long-term plans of the Brazilian railways are related to the laying of new lines with a gauge of 1600 mm, the continuation of the construction of lines for high-speed traffic with a gauge of 1435 mm and the possible conversion of part of the lines with a gauge of 1600 to 1435 mm. The country's railways carry out mainly the transport of goods, only a few suburban roads and trunk lines are used for passenger traffic. The main transport cargo is iron ore. Much attention is paid to the issues of iron ore mining and its export in modern Brazil. In accordance with the twenty-year state program for the development of the mining industry until 2030, developed by the Brazilian Ministry of Mining and Energy, it is planned to double the extraction of iron ore in 20 years, bringing it to 1000 million tons.
This will require investment in track infrastructure, signaling systems and rolling stock. In 2011, the state plans to invest 14.9 billion reais in the construction of 6228 km of new roads with a gauge of 1600 mm. Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD) plans to invest $2.9 billion in 2012 to expand the port of Ponta de Madeira. It is assumed that a new berth will be built in the port and a section of the EFC railway will be extended by 115 km.
CVRD owns major iron ore deposits in Brazil. The company's railway transportation is carried out by four railways total length more than 10 thousand km: Estrada dc Ferro Vitoria a Minas (EFVM) 905 km long with 1000 mm gauge, Estrada de Ferro Carajas (EFC) 892 km long with 1600 mm gauge, Ferrovia Centro-Atlantica (FCA) over 8000 km with a gauge of 1000 mm and Ferrovia Notre Sul (FNS) 200 km long with a gauge of 1600 mm (another 520 km of this road are under construction.
Iron ore is transported mainly by EFVM and EFC. The EFVM road links the iron ore deposits in the state of Minae with the port of Tubarao on Atlantic Ocean. The road is narrow-gauge, the permissible axial load is 25 tons, the guiding slope in the freight direction is 3%o. The road has been in operation since 1904. In 2010, the road transported 342 thousand tons of iron ore per day. During the year, its cargo turnover amounted to 78.9 billion tons km net, the road also transported 1 million passengers. The road fleet in 2010 consisted of 331 diesel locomotives and 18967 wagons.
The EFC road is relatively new, having been put into operation in 1985. It links the Carajas field with the port of Ponta da Madeira in the state of Maranhao near the town of Sao Luis. Permissible axial load - 32.5 g, guiding slope in the freight direction - 4%o, minimum curve radius - 860 m. 4 billion tons km net. About 313 thousand passengers were also transported. The road fleet in 2010 consisted of 220 diesel locomotives and 10,701 wagons.
Transportation of ore is continuously increasing. In 2010, EFVM moved 124.8 Mt, EFC increased shipments from 70 Mt in 2005 to 114.6 Mt in 2010. Brazil's total iron ore exports in 2010 amounted to 310 Mt . T.
Diesel traction with heavy trains is used on the EFVM and EGS roads. Previously, EFVM served trains consisting of two or three 80-car trains, driven by two diesel locomotives with a capacity of 3600 hp. every. In recent years, trains consisting of four couplers (320 wagons, weight about 32 thousand tons) have been used. The train is driven by three diesel locomotives with a capacity of 4000 hp, equipped with the Locotrol system. With regular operation of a train line consisting of 312 cars, locomotives are distributed along the length of the train as follows: two diesel locomotives in front, then 104 cars, then two more diesel locomotives and 208 cars. The train is controlled by one driver, located in the front locomotive. Characteristics of diesel locomotives EFVM and EFC are given in the table.
In recent years, EFC has been using trains consisting of 330 wagons, 3.9 km long, and weighing 42,980 tons to transport iron ore. The trains are pulled by four diesel locomotives distributed along the train. Until recently, the most powerful diesel locomotives were C44-9WM (4390 hp) and SD70M (4300 hp). After commissioning of diesel locomotives ES58AG with asynchronous traction motors, a train weighing 43,000 tons will be able to carry three diesel locomotives.
The EFVM and EFC diesel locomotive fleets use modernized diesel locomotives manufactured by General Motors and General Electric. With minor alterations, diesel locomotives are used on the EFC, which has a track gauge of 1600 mm and an allowable axle load of 32.5 tons. number of axles and use lower power traction motors.
The diesel locomotives most used at EFVM are BB40-9M and DDM45. The DDM45 diesel locomotive is a converted SD40-2 diesel locomotive from General Motors. The weight of the six-axle diesel locomotive SD40-2 is 167 tons, the axle load exceeds 25 tons. When using two four-axle bogies, the axle load is 21 tons. The engine power of the diesel locomotive SD40-2 is about 375 kW. The diesel locomotive DDM45 engines have been redesigned by General Motors and have a power of 330 kW. The engines are manufactured at Brazilian diesel locomotive plants.
The locomotive B B 40-9WM is a converted Dash 9-40C diesel locomotive from General Electric. Its weight is 154 tons, that is, the pressure on the axle exceeds 25 tons. When using four two-axle bogies, the pressure on the axle is less than 20 tons. The power of the traction engine of the Dash 9-40C diesel locomotive is about 500 kW. The locomotive engines B B 40-9WM have a power of 370 kW and are manufactured in Brazil.
The most powerful diesel locomotives operating on the EFVM, EFC and FCA railways are the C44-9WM diesel locomotives. These locomotives have a power of 4400 hp. They are equipped with the new GEVO 12 diesel engine and DC motors. So far, the EGS is inferior to EFVM and FCA in terms of the number of diesel locomotives, although it is superior in terms of power and age (see figure). Most EFVM locomotives have a capacity of 4000 hp. with., a EFC - 4400 hp EFC has now acquired 70 General Electric ES58ACi 5800 hp diesel locomotives equipped with asynchronous traction drive.
Part of the Vale consortium, EFVM runs heavy haul trains in the northeast, EFC runs the southeast, and FCA runs conventional trains across 7 states, connecting the northeast, southeast and midwest regions. In 2010, the freight turnover of the railway amounted to 11.4 billion tons km net. The locomotive fleet consisted of 500 diesel locomotives, the wagon fleet consisted of 12 thousand wagons.
The major Brazilian railways, in addition to those already listed, are ALL (America Latina Logistica) and MRS Logistica. ALL operates a network of lines in southern Brazil and northern Argentina. The Brazilian part, with a total length of lines of about 12 thousand km, covers the states with the most developed industry. Until recently, the most powerful diesel locomotives in the company's locomotive fleet were C44-9W diesel locomotives. This is the Brazilian version of the Dash 9-44CW diesel locomotive built by General Electric. The power of the C44-9W diesel locomotive is 4390 hp. (3273 kW), starting traction force - 632 kN.
Recently, 10 44ACL diesel locomotives built at the General Electric plant in Brazil have appeared in the road park. New 12-cylinder diesel engines for locomotives will be delivered to Brazil from a plant in Grove City (USA). Diesel locomotive 44ACi with a power of 4400 hp with asynchronous traction motors consumes less fuel than other diesel locomotives used to transport goods in South America. Thanks to its traction properties, it will reduce the number of locomotives in operation. In particular, four such diesel locomotives can replace five diesel locomotives of old modifications and, accordingly, reduce the emission of harmful substances by more than 1,710 tons per year. Under typical operating conditions for Brazilian roads, a diesel locomotive can save 645,000 liters of fuel per year.
MRS Logistica is a fast growing railroad company. The length of its lines is 1674 km, the track width is 1600 mm. The lines pass through the three states with the most developed industry: Minas Geras, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, which account for 65% gross product countries. Iron ore is exported along the lines from mines located in the state of Minas Geras to the ports of Sepetiba and Guanba in the state of Rio de Janeiro for further shipment to exporting countries. The average distance of ore transportation on the road is 400 km. In 2009, 92.4 million tons of iron ore were transported.
There are 500 locomotives in the locomotive fleet of the road. Until recently, the most powerful diesel locomotives on the road were C44 MEi with a capacity of 4400 hp. (3273 kW). These locomotives are the Brazilian version of the well-known American diesel locomotive Dash 9-44CW. In 2010, the company signed a contract with General Electric for the supply of 1 15 44ACi diesel locomotives to be built in 2011-2015. The contract also provides for the possibility of building another 100 such locomotives.
Since 2006, MRS has been equipping its lines and rolling stock with a modern signaling and traffic safety system, similar to the European ETCS 2 system, to increase freight turnover. new system should start at the end of 2013.
On a ten-kilometer section from Sao Paulo to the port of Santos, a rack and pinion railway was laid, on which a gear train was used to prevent boxing when moving uphill. The elevation difference in this section reaches 600 m. A train with iron ore weighing 750 tons must be driven by two locomotives operating on a multi-unit system. The company ordered 10 unique locomotives from the Swiss company Stadler. The first locomotives should be delivered already in 2012-2013. The four-axle electric locomotive has a power of 5000 kW. The design uses asynchronous traction motors and converters on 1GBT power transistors with water cooling.
The length of the electric locomotive is 18270 mm, weight - I 10 tons, starting traction force - 700 kN, maximum speed for ascent - 30 km/h, for descent - 25 km/h. On the descents, the electric locomotive is able to give energy to the network. The electric locomotive is equipped with a modern control and diagnostic system. All electrical equipment is duplicated, which ensures high reliability.
Brazil's railways are working to improve the environment. New environmentally efficient diesel locomotives such as the 44ACi are being purchased. From 2014, all diesel locomotives on the EFC line will be converted to B20 biodiesel, a mixture of 20% palm oil and 80% conventional diesel fuel. Vale is building a plant that will produce 160 thousand tons of biodiesel per year. The same company bought a 41% stake in a joint consortium with a company that aims to produce 500,000 tons of palm oil.
Diesel locomotives of the EFVM railway run on a mixture of diesel fuel and 50-70% natural gas. According to Vale, the conversion of all diesel locomotives on the EFVM and EFC roads to natural gas will reduce the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by 73 thousand tons per year.
The positive experience gained by Vale during the operation of the ES58AG diesel locomotive on the EFC road will allow the use of such locomotives on the EFVM as well. It is also possible to use eight-axle diesel locomotives with a capacity of 4350 kW on a narrow gauge line. Considering Siemens' experience in developing a 660 kW asynchronous traction motor for the Queensland Railway's 3800 series electric locomotive in Australia and Toshiba's development of a 750 kW asynchronous traction motor for a 15E series electric locomotive for railways South Africa, the possibility of developing an asynchronous traction motor with a power of 550-600 kW for a line with a gauge of 1000 mm is beyond doubt. With a permissible load of 25 tons per axle on the EFVM, the weight of an eight-axle diesel locomotive should not exceed 200 tons. If you use modernized 44ACi diesel locomotives on the road, then you can limit yourself to a six-axle diesel locomotive.
Thus, in order to increase income from the export of iron ore, which is an important part of the Brazilian economy, the country is interested in strengthening the railways that transport iron ore from deposits to ocean ports. With this in mind, large investments are being made in track infrastructure, signaling systems, traffic safety and rolling stock. Transportation of iron ore by trains weighing 30 thousand and 40 thousand tons has become a common practice. The further progress of Brazilian railways is associated with the use of locomotives with asynchronous traction drive and the transition from diesel fuel to biodiesel and natural gas.
