Consultation seeks suggestions for passenger rail transport
The public consultation period for the presentation of proposals for the National Policy for Rail Passenger Transport, which is being prepared by the Ministry of Infrastructure in partnership with the National Association of Passenger Transporters, started today (15) and runs until the end of January. sobre Trilhos (ANPTrails), an entity representing operators, industries and entities in the metro-railway sector.
According to the National Secretary for Land Transport, Marcello da Costa Vieira, the consultation will be open to society as a whole over the next 45 days, in the search for manifestations and contributions aiming at a legislative proposal for a bill that is “adherent to the anxieties and expectations” of the population. Suggestions can be presented through the Participa+Brasil portal .
"We need specific legislation for the sector, in order to encourage and support this initiative, with regard to passenger rail transport", said Marcello Costa when presenting the draft of the National Policy for Rail Passenger Transport, a document that will define strategies for the use of this type of rail transport collectively by the population.
Potential
According to Lorena Martins Duarte, director of Management Planning and Special Projects at the National Secretariat for Land Transport, the proposal of this public policy intends to “equate the problem of the reduced participation of rail transport in meeting the needs of people on the federal rail network”.
Therefore, according to her, it will seek to encourage better use of the existing federal rail network. “We have idle stretches and we are aware of the potential for using this railway network to encourage the transport of passengers by rail. We want to strengthen the users' power of choice, proposing guidelines for the formulation of a business model that is attractive to the market, which maximizes the social and environmental benefits characteristic of the railway mode, for the transport of passengers”, argued the director of the Ministry of Infrastructure.
Goals
Among the objectives mentioned by Lorena for the policy that is being planned, emphasis is placed on the optimization and expansion of the infrastructure that make up the current railway network; the improvement of its connectivity and accessibility, with the expansion of the offer of the passenger rail transport service, strengthening the users' power of choice; and regional and national integration.
The director adds that, for the initiative to be successful, it will be necessary to promote private investment in this mode of transport for passengers. For that, it will be necessary, according to her, “to provide operational security” to the companies.
Another positive point mentioned by the director, based on the boost that will be given to the industry and the railway operation, will be the generation of direct and indirect jobs, which, in her assessment, will foster regional and national development, in addition to economically favoring the localities close to stations and terminals.
The expectation is that, with the rail modal freeing Brazilian roads, the number of accidents and costs arising from the road transport of passengers will be reduced, which will also enable a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Text translated using artificial intelligence.
