Page 173 - Suape 45 Anos

The railroad has been a dream for a long time, but it has expe- and the Abreu e Lima Refinery (Rnest), with capacity increased by
rienced a troubled history, full of ups and downs. The project final- the installation of the second refinery train -, throughput at the
ly got started in 2006 but was suspended one decade later. The port should now soar and is expected to reach 48.6 million tonnes
original project was redesigned in such a way as to exclude the in 2030.
branch line that would have benefited the industrial port. Every- One study of the demand has indicated potential markets for
one in Pernambuco joined forces to ensure that this bad decision the new transport system. It will be possible, for example, to trans-
was reversed. Business, politicians, and the State government all port fruits grown in the São Francisco Valley region. The gypsum
got together to succeed in turning things round. hub in Sertão do Araripe may well become another rail transport
The result is that, now in 2023, the Salgueiro-Suape branch user, since it still transports all its goods long distances by truck.
line has been included in the Federal Government’s Accelerated Another important market that could be attracted by the
Growth Program (PAC). Projected investment of R$ 5 billion will railroad is that of the so-called MATOPIBA Polygon. This region -
require sound financial management. More exciting still are the formed by the States of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí and Bahia – is
much broader horizons this has opened. This is typical of a struc- a major producer of goods such as soya and corn. None of this
tural project of this size. produce currently comes through Suape. We fully expect, howev-
The initial projections are ready. With the railroad in operation er, that this is soon set to change. Rail transport should speed up
– bearing in mind that Suape will now have a mineral ore terminal economic development.

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