The Carajás Railway (Portuguese: Estrada de Ferro Carajás; EFC or EF-315) is a railway line linking the cities of Parauapebas, Pará and São Luís, Maranhão, in Brazil. The line is one of the few in Brazil to carry passengers as well as cargo.[1]

Carajás Railway
The railway
Overview
Service typeInter-city
StatusOperational
LocalePará and Maranhão
First service28 February 1985 (1985-02-28)
Current operator(s)Vale S.A.
WebsiteTrem de Passageiros da EFC
Route
TerminiParauapebas
São Luís
Stops25
Distance travelled892 km (554 mi)
Service frequency2 per week
On-board services
Class(es)Economic, executive and accessible
Disabled accessFully accessible
Seating arrangements4 across in Economic Class, 3 across in Executive Class
Catering facilitiesOn-board café, at-seat meals
Entertainment facilitiesVideo monitors in Economic Class, personal sound system in Executive Class
Baggage facilitiesOverhead bins and racks; no checked luggage
Technical
Track gauge1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Operating speed70 km/h (43 mph)

It is one of the largest passenger railways in operation in Brazil, with five stations and ten stops, covering São Luís, Santa Inês, Açailândia, Marabá and Parauapebas. However, the EF-315 is specialized in transporting mineral cargo, extracted from the Serra dos Carajás mines, and taken to the ports of São Marcos Bay in Maranhão for export.[2] It transports over 120 million tons of cargo and 350,000 passengers a year.[3]

The EF-315 is also interconnected with two other railway lines: São Luís–Teresina Railway and Norte-Sul Railway. The first crosses states in the Northeast region and the second crosses the states of Maranhão, Tocantins, Goiás, Minas Gerais and São Paulo, facilitating the export of grains and industrialized products through the Port of Itaqui, in São Luís.[3][4]

References

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  1. ^ "Vale responde por 96% do minério de ferro exportado pelo Brasil". Pará Negócios. 2008-04-15. Archived from the original on 2009-09-01. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
  2. ^ "Ferroviário - ANTT". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
  3. ^ a b "Informações sobre a Estrada de Ferro Carajás - Vale" (in Portuguese). www.vale.com. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  4. ^ "Plano Mestre do Complexo Portuário de Itaqui" (PDF). MTPA. 2018.