Brado invests in expanding the railway that serves the TCP

TCP and Brado Logística announced, this Friday (27), that the railway infrastructure in the terminal’s operational yard will be expanded with the installation of a third line of tracks and a maneuvering area, totaling an additional 757 meters of railway.

The structure, which will be installed by Brado, will be used exclusively in TCP operations, and the expectation is that it will increase handling capacity by approximately 20%. With the expansion, according to TCP, the operational capacity, currently up to 55 thousand full containers per year by rail, will be increased to up to 66 thousand containers.

The company reported that it currently operates with two lines and that when one train arrives at the operations yard, the other leaves the area, allowing the loading and unloading of 41 containers at a time, and that with the new line and the maneuvering area, two trains can be operated simultaneously while a third leaves, which will increase the volume received to up to 82 units.

The company explained that in 2024, of the 310 thousand full containers exported by TCP, 52 thousand, equivalent to 17%, were transported by Brado on the railway. Furthermore, it reported that the railway mode has a strong share in refrigerated cargo and that, in 2025, approximately 55% of the volume transported by railway was in this segment, mainly animal protein destined for export.

According to Giovanni Guidolim, commercial, logistics and service manager at TCP, the expansion of the railway will strengthen the terminal’s logistics portfolio because the mode guarantees predictability, reliability and competitive costs. According to him, as the terminal is the only one in the south of Brazil with a direct connection between the customs area and the railway branch, containers can be transferred between the wagons and the yard, without the need for transportation by trucks.

Vinicius Cordeiro, executive manager of the commercial and new business area at Brado, explained that expanding operations in Paranaguá is part of the company’s strategy to increase the participation of the railway modal in logistical service to customers, mainly those in agribusiness. According to him, the transport of chicken meat represents 24% of the transport carried out by the company and that the extension of the railway aims to increase its use in this segment.

TCP reported that the expansion of the railway is part of plans to expand the handling capacity of the Paranaguá Container Terminal, in which around R$500 million was invested over five years. The company explained that, to keep up with the growth in movement by rail, it began operating with three RTG (Rubber Tyred Gantry) cranes, one more than previously.

According to the company, the equipment underwent an electrification process, with the installation of electrical buses along the railway area. The initiative allowed the reduction of approximately 771 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year in the operation of the three pieces of equipment.