Multimodal operation combines road and rail transportation to promote sustainability and road relief
Cheaper and less polluting compared to road transportation, the movement of containers by rail is a solution already used by exporters in the interior of the state of Paraná, but it is gaining ground among companies looking for these advantages when importing cargo.
In the state, TCP, the company that manages the Paranaguá Container Terminal, has a strategic partnership with Brado Logística to transport containers via the two branches that connect Paranaguá to Cascavel and Cambé. In the first half of 2024 alone, the equivalent of 50,402 TEUS (units equivalent to 20-foot containers) were handled on the railroad, which is the only one in southern Brazil to have a direct connection to the bonded zone inside a terminal.
According to TCP’s commercial, logistics and service manager, Giovanni Guidolim, “importing containers by rail provides less risk of damage and greater assertiveness in the transit time of cargo, as well as a reduction in transportation costs. In this way, it is an excellent logistical option for companies operating in the state of Paraná, the interior of São Paulo, and even in Paraguay.”
Among the main beneficiaries of container imports on the railroad are the agricultural sector, with the movement of fertilizers and pesticides, as well as the industrial sector, with the transport of electronics, solar panels and chemical cargo, for example. Data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) shows that the regions where Brado’s terminals are located account for 11.2% of the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
To boost the economic performance of these regions, Brado Logística’s sales manager, Ronney Maniçoba, points out that “with the daily departure of trains from the Paranaguá Container Terminal, our customers are guaranteed the capacity to move their cargo, as well as the security that their goods will be transported quickly, reinforcing the efficiency of the multimodal operation, which combines rail for long distances and road for short stretches”.
TCP’s logistics operations manager, Fabio Mattos, emphasizes that “the synergy established between the Terminal and Brado ensures stable performance for the arrival and departure of 4 trains a day, which translates into a large volume of cargo being moved quickly for our customers”.
Sustainability
The movement of containers by the railroad that connects TCP to the branches operated by Brado Logística has the capacity to robustly reduce the carbon footprint of the import and export operations of the entire trade that uses this service.
At the Paranaguá Container Terminal, the cargo loaded and unloaded from the trains is lifted exclusively by two gantry cranes on rubber tires (RTG).
electrified gantry cranes. Weighing 180 tons and measuring 24 meters in height, this equipment stopped using diesel as fuel in 2023, guaranteeing a 97% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the operation of this equipment.
In addition, the logistical design that combines two modes of transportation has become an efficient method for promoting sustainability. Ronney Maniçoba, from Brado Logística, explains that currently the operation of importing containers by rail in Paraná has the capacity to relieve monthly traffic on the roads by around 1,000 to 1,500 trucks. “On import routes from the Port of Paranaguá to Cambé, Cascavel and Ortigueira, the multimodal solution can avoid up to 85% of CO2 emissions compared to strictly road transportation,” he says.
New Legal Framework for Rail Transportation and record imports by rail
In December 2021, Law No. 14.273 was published, establishing the new Legal Framework for Rail Transportation. The law brings innovations that facilitate private investment in the construction of new railroads, the use of idle stretches and the provision of rail transport services. The Ministry of Infrastructure expects this mode of transport to increase from the current 20% to 40% of Brazil’s freight transportation matrix over the next 15 years.
