Ministry of Transport calls on the private sector and restarts offensive to attract investors; plan is to auction 8 lines
Four of the 8 railway projects planned for 2026 by the federal government are awaiting technical, economic and socio-environmental feasibility analysis from the Federal Court of Auditors to advance to the auction phase, said the Minister of Transport, , this Thursday (June 11, 2026).
The Court of Auditors’ approval is one of the last steps necessary for the government to publish notices and hold concession auctions. The projects for the Minas-Rio Corridor, the Southeast Railway Ring, the Malha Oeste Railway and Ferrogrão are already before the Court. The Ministry of Transport plans to hold the 4 auctions in 2026, during the 2nd semester.
Santoro called on the private sector for an event to present the government’s railway portfolio. The idea was to present the potential of the works, projections of cargo transportation demands for the coming decades and the objectives of each project.
One of the main attractions of the meeting is a with terms of up to 40 years for railways. The measure, frequently defended by Santoro, seeks to attract international investors, mainly from China and Europe. “There is nothing on the market like this”said the minister.
The event takes place after the government delayed practically the entire highway auction schedule drawn up for 2026.
The initial goal was to auction 8 railways during the year, but, to date, no notice has been published and part of the auctions should be held until 2027.
According to the ministry, there was a delay due to the need for adjustments in technical studies, evaluation and preparation of draft notices by ANTT (National Land Transport Agency) and the processing of each project at the TCU.
The most advanced project is Minas-Rio, which will connect the Port of Angra (RJ) to Porto Seco de Varginha (MG). According to Santoro, the TCU must approve the project in the next 15 days and the notice will be published in June.
The government’s assessment is that, after the first approval by the Court, the remaining projects should pass smoothly, as the initial analysis will serve as a parameter for other judgments.
OFFENSIVE WITH INVESTORS
The Ministry of Transport is on an offensive to attract international investors to railway concessions.
Members of the organization are in China to seek partnerships. A roadshow is also scheduled in London (United Kingdom) focused on railway projects.
In the presentation this Thursday (June 11), the minister projected injections of R$600 billion in the railway system and R$160 billion in investments in the Brazilian network. The ultimate goal is to hold 8 auctions.
According to the government, Brazil is already the 5th largest country in terms of volume of tons transported in the world and should advance to 2nd or 3rd in the coming decades.
Projections for growth in grain production (+113%), paper and cellulose (+309%), steel (+50%) and fuel (+6%) were presented at the event. Estimates are for 2050.
“Almost 90% of Brazilian exports are commodities. They are ‘exchange price plus logistics cost’. The margin is the logistics cost. The entrepreneur’s result is in the logistics cost. If we don’t work on the logistics cost, productivity won’t grow. That’s what we’ve seen in the last 20 years, we’re always chasing losses. That’s why we’re planning until 2050”said Santoro during the presentation.
The minister also presented solutions for environmental licensing, one of the problems that usually hinders projects of this size in the country. The government intends to anticipate prior environmental licensing for all projects in the portfolio, with the aim of reducing uncertainties and preventing environmental litigation after the auctions.
