New Malha Sul concession advances with public hearing and investments of R$ 14.4 billion

The National Land Transport Agency (ANTT) approved the opening of a Public Hearing for the new concession of the Malha Sul railway system, which connects São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. The project has three corridors that, together, account for 4,248.45 kilometers of railway network and has planned investments of R$4.8 billion.

Since the privatization of the former RFFSA, Rede Ferroviária Federal SA, the current contract, which ends in 2027, is operated by Rumo Malha Sul SA. The approval of the opening of the Public Hearing opens the stage of social participation that precedes the publication of the notice and the future auction of the three railway corridors.

Participation

With the decision, society, economic agents and other interested parties can contribute with suggestions and contributions to the preliminary versions of the notice and the concession contract. The deadline for submitting contributions is from June 15 to August 10, 2026.

The in-person sessions will take place in Brasília (DF), on July 16, in hybrid mode (in-person and virtual), with live transmission on the ANTT YouTube channel; Curitiba (PR), on July 27; Porto Alegre (RS), on July 29; and Florianópolis (SC), on July 31st.

“The infrastructure needs to work in practice and generate results perceived by the user. The Public Hearing is the moment in which society contributes so that this project reaches the auction with the best possible design”, stated the General Director of ANTT, Guilherme Theo Sampaio.

Hallways

The railway network has the following corridors: Paraná-Santa Catarina, the Rio Grande Corridor and the Mercosul Corridor. Each corridor has a different profile, extension and functions within the system.

The Paraná-Santa Catarina Corridor is 1,502.26 km long and concentrates 78% of Malha Sul’s cargo, having a strong export vocation for grains, sugar, cellulose and fertilizers. It connects Maringá and Ourinhos to Apucarana, continuing to the ports of Paranaguá and São Francisco do Sul. It also passes through Guarapuava, Rio Branco do Sul and Curitiba, and is considered the structuring axis of the enterprise.

The Rio Grande Corridor, measuring 880.3 km, connects Cruz Alta to Cacequi, with a branch to Santiago, and continues to the Port of Rio Grande. It accounts for 16.6% of Malha Sul’s movement, with a predominance of grains, fertilizers and fuels.

The Mercosul Corridor provides an interstate connection from Iperó, in São Paulo, to Ponta Grossa for 1,865.78 km. The corridor starts again in Mafra, passing through Passo Fundo, Porto Alegre, Santa Maria, Cacequi to Uruguaiana on the border with Argentina.

Investments

The three corridors will be bid on together, in a single tender with three lots. The approved model foresees that the Paraná-Santa Catarina Corridor, which is the most financially robust, will transfer resources to the others through cross-investments: R$1.47 billion to the Rio Grande Corridor and R$3.46 billion to the Mercosul Corridor. This arrangement guarantees the viability of the set without depending on direct contributions from the National Treasury as a primary source.

The total investment planned over the 30 years of the concession is R$14.4 billion in CAPEX and R$38.6 billion in OPEX.