As a result of the collaboration between the Brazilian Federal Government and the National Congress, the Social Infrastructure Investment Fund was ratified by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The initiative will lead to the allocation of R$3.6 billion (US$636 million) for the expansion of the 1,753 km of main line coverage Transnordestina railway, which currently connects 81 cities in the country.

The president made the statement during a ceremony in the port of Pecem, in the northeastern city of Natal, shedding light to the fact that the project of the railway tracks back many years and that it is a government commitment to integrate the region by completing three main branches: the states of Piauí, Ceará and Pernambuco.

Brazil’s transport minister, Renan Filho, also took part in the meeting and said that work should be made a priority and begin with immediate effect. This is reported by Brasil 247, a partner of TV BRICS.

The construction sites, passing through the port of Pecem, will include a footbridge to connect cargo ships to the railway tracks.

During the ceremony, it was also informed that the completion of the railway shall happen before 2027, which should coincide with the end of Lula’s current term, in 2026.

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