Geosistemas to design Salgueiro – Suape section of Transnordestina railway

Geosistemas Engenharia e Defesa, a Recife-based company, has won the tender to develop engineering design and construction proposals for the 544 km Salgueiro – Suape section of the Transnordestina project in Pernambuco state.

During the bid opening on May 20, Geosistemas' proposal was valued at R$12.4 million, the next lowest bid being R$15.2 million from Estratégica Engenharia. The highest of the nine bids submitted to Infra SA, the federal entity managing the bidding process, came from Strate Engenharia Ltda at R$24.6 million.

To date, approximately 170 km of the line between Salgueiro and Custódia has been constructed, with preliminary work commenced on other segments and some land already expropriated.

Following the completion of the engineering design, the government plans to transition promptly to the construction phase. Infra SA aims to solicit bids for an initial 55 km segment, targeting a four-month completion period post-contract signing. Under the federal government's Growth Acceleration Programme, about R$450 million has been allocated to this project.

The Transnordestina initiative, launched in 2006, envisioned a Y-shaped network linking Eliseu Martins in Piauí state with Pecém near Fortaleza in Ceará state and Suape near Recife. This involved constructing new sections, upgrading 560 km of meter-gauge routes, and dual-gauging other segments.

However, cost overruns and various issues led to a halt in the project, with only half completed. It was not until 2019 that efforts to resume construction began.

In 2021, the Salgueiro – Suape section seemed redundant when mining group Bemisa announced the Sertão Railway to Suape, effectively duplicating the planned line from Salgueiro. However, two years later, Bemisa decided not to proceed with its plan, prompting the federal government to intervene.

In October 2023, Superintendent of the Northeast Development Agency Sudene, Danilo Cabral, confirmed an agreement with Federal Minister of Transport Renan Filho to resume the Salgueiro – Suape project, leading to the current round of bidding.