Rumo installs suspended walkways to protect fauna

Rumo, the leading company in rail freight transport in the country, expanded the installation of suspended passages for wildlife in sections of its railway network. Some of the structures are located in the stretch of Serra do Mar State Park, between São Vicente, on the coast of São Paulo, and the capital of São Paulo.

Elevated crossings are technically known as canopy bridges and are installed over the railway line to connect treetops and allow animals to safely cross, preventing them from having to descend to the ground to cross the tracks. When a railway divides a part of the forest in half, the result is the barrier effect (isolation of populations). Bridges try to undo this cut without influencing the operation.

Monitoring

Monitoring of the passages began at the end of 2025 and is carried out with the support of camera traps conducted by ViaFauna. Through them, it is possible to see unprecedented views of groups of different species, such as capuchin monkeys, wood ducks and the jacurutu, considered the largest owl in Brazil, using these passages, which highlights the effectiveness of the initiative.

With a decade of operation, Rumo manages more than 14 thousand kilometers of railways in nine states and has a fleet of 1,400 locomotives and 35 thousand wagons. With its network covering around 500 municipalities, the company is one of the main pillars of Brazilian agribusiness.

Currently, the company has 11 structures built in strategic locations. In Malha Paulista, the defined installation points were based on landscape and ecological connectivity studies. Two structures are located in the Serra do Mar State Park section, two are in Fernando Prestes and three in Cotia. In Malha Norte, the concessionaire has three new structures in Cassilândia (MS) and one unit in Malha Central, in São Simão (GO).

Predictions

Rumo intends to expand the project even further this year. The 2026 schedule includes the implementation of six new crossings in the state of São Paulo: three in Bauru, two in Serra do Mar State Park and a new unit in Cotia.

The planning of the facilities took into account specific characteristics of each section of the railway, such as relief, height of structures and safety conditions for railway operations. The installation was carried out by the company Tectom.

“Continuing field research in the coming years will allow us to convert the data collected into increasingly effective solutions for preserving biodiversity in the railway sector”, highlights Tatiane Bressan Moreira, coordinator of Rumo’s Fauna Protection Program.