Federal Government announces rules for railway public calls

No chamamento público, o governo disponibiliza trechos ferroviários para manifestação do mercado (Vanessa Rodrigues/Arquivo AT)

The Ministry of Transport has announced the rules for the administrative procedure of public calls, regulating Federal Law 14.273, known as the Railways Legal Framework. The measure, published in the Official Gazette of the Union by the National Land Transport Agency (ANTT), seeks to enhance efficiency in the use of the federal railway network, aligning with the guidelines of the National Secretariat for Railway Transport.

How it works Unlike the authorization model, where interested parties propose the construction of new railways to the government, the public call reverses the logic: the government identifies and makes railway sections available for market interest. This mechanism attracts new operators to explore or revitalize underused sections, fostering better utilization of these assets.

“The resolution opens the door for new players in the railway sector interested in operating underused sections of the federal railway network. In this sense, we will enable new opportunities for the use of our railway assets, generating jobs and income. Undoubtedly, this is an institutional tool to identify opportunities for reactivating currently underused sections”, emphasized the National Secretary for Railway Transport, Leonardo Ribeiro.

Applications Under the new rules, the Ministry of Transport will be responsible for drafting and publishing the notices, as well as overseeing all stages of the process. The public call can also apply to deactivated, returned, or unimplemented railways, reinforcing the commitment to the reactivation and modernization of the national railway infrastructure.