ANTT Clears Transnordestina to Start Test Freight Runs Between Piauí and Ceará

Overview

• Regulatory approval published in the Diário Oficial da União authorizes a 679 km stretch from São Miguel do Fidalgo (PI) to Acopiara (CE) to operate in commissioning.
• TLSA says initial movements will cover roughly 600 km between Bela Vista do Piauí and Iguatu, with freight tests scheduled for October and November.
• ANTT set conditions including continuous technical monitoring, safety communications in nearby communities, a 60 km/h cap, and trains of two locomotives with 20 wagons.
• Expected commissioning volumes reach up to 1 million tonnes per year carrying soy, corn, soybean meal, limestone and other cargos such as cotton, minerals, gypsum and containers.
• The line remains under construction with 56.3% serviceable in the test phase toward a 1,206 km network costing about R$15 billion, as the government advances a Recife–João Pessoa passenger study and targets major corridor tenders in 2026 with at least R$60 billion in rail investments and Transnordestina completion projected for 2029.