On 25th May 2023, construction works were completed on the North-South Railway Line (FNS) through the completion of the last section between Palmeiras de Goiás and Goianira in the interior of the state of Goiás. The 2,200 km line comprises seven major sections between the cities of Açailândia in Maranhão and Estrela d'Oeste in São Paulo. Starting from now, the three states of Goiás, Tocantins and Minas Gerais, which have no access to the coast, will start sending their grain production and other freight via two railway interconnections to the north and south, to the ports of Itaqui and Santos. VLI, a company controlled by the mining company Vale, operates the concession of a 720 km section between Açailândia and Porto Nacional in Tocantins. With the inauguration of the FNS line, rail transport will account for 23% of freight transport in Brazil, which is still far from the comparable figures in the USA at 43% or Russia at 81%. Compared to road transport, which accounts for 60% of the country's freight, there is room for growth for rail.
