Tourist Train
UNCONFIDENT TRAIN
The Railway
The Estrada de Ferro Melhoramentos do Brasil - EFMB, inaugurated in the 19th century on March 28, 1898, and with over a century of existence, was a railroad created mainly for the flow of coffee production, with one of its engineers being the famous Paulo de Frontin, responsible for several grandiose works in Brazil. In 1903, the EFMB was incorporated into the Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil - EFCB and became known as Linha Auxiliar. Other railroads were incorporated into it, as well as new branches were built, giving rise to the Rede de Viação Fluminense, whose main line was the Linha Auxiliar and was managed by the EFCB. In the late 1950s, the EFCB transferred the operation of the Linha Auxiliar to the Estrada de Ferro Leopoldina - EFL, which was beginning to deactivate the railroad in the Petrópolis mountains. As a result, all trains that went up through Petrópolis to the interior of Minas Gerais began to go up the Linha Auxiliar, as is the case with the Trem Inconfidente. In 1996, the former Auxiliary Line and the entire EFL network were granted to the company Ferrovia Centro-Atlântica -FCA by RFFSA. The section between Japeri and Paraíba do Sul has been abandoned and fragmented since then.
This section of the railway, where we will implement the TT – Trem Inconfidente, has several natural landscapes and historical buildings, such as forests, the rivers that run along the section, waterfalls, valleys, mountains, among others.
The Inconfident Train
The Trem Inconfidente was a luxury night express train inaugurated on July 19, 1968 by the Estrada de Ferro Leopoldina - EFL, which came to replace the wooden night train (wooden passenger cars) that was destined for the Rede Mineira, leaving the center of Rio de Janeiro (Barão de Mauá Station, better known as Leopoldina Station) bound for the interior of Minas Gerais, more precisely to the city of São Geraldo. This train was an initiative of the Federal Government as an incentive to modernize the national railways, aiming to provide greater comfort to its users.
The Inconfidente Train was a modern train manufactured in Brazil by Santa Matilde and COBRASMA, with reclining seats, luxury bedrooms, a restaurant and a bathroom on board. The train departed from Barão de Mauá station on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8:40 p.m., and from São Geraldo on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 6 p.m., and provided faster and more comfortable journeys, stopping at the stations of Japeri, Gov. Portela, Miguel Pereira, Três Rios, Porto Novo, Volta Grande, Recreio, Cataguazes, Ubá, Visconde do Rio Branco and São Geraldo.
From January 7, 1969, the Trem Inconfidente had its route extended to Caratinga/MG. The measure benefited users of the Zona da Mata Mineira, considering that it was a train equipped with all the comfort requirements and its journeys were faster.
The Project
Between 2003 and 2009, Paraíba do Sul/RJ had a Tourist Train - TT called "Trem da Estrada Real", which ran from the station in the center of Paraíba do Sul to the Cavarú station, in the neighborhood of the same name. This trip was 14.32 km long, passing through the Médio Paraíba valley and crossing the Paraíba do Sul River via the Leopoldo Teixeira Leite Bridge (Ponte Preta), which is 260 m long. This trip was always crowded, with people from different locations and ages going to Paraíba do Sul just to take the train. However, due to an accident (no injuries as the train was empty), the Estrada Real Train had its operation halted and has never resumed operation since.
The AFMB, through the development of the TT – Trem Inconfidente project in Paraíba do Sul/RJ, aims to rescue this train that has not run on the EFMB tracks since the 1980s, and also to rescue the railway's memory, inventory, and preservation of movable and immovable assets and rolling stock of our railways. We also seek to engage the railway sector with the surrounding communities, generating jobs in the revitalization of the railway and in the operation of the Tourist Train. Promoting development and sustainability with social and cultural projects that will benefit the entire community.
AFMB, in partnership with Public and Private entities, will be responsible for the renovation of the railway and the implementation of the Tourist Train, counting on experienced and qualified professionals who are accredited by the National Land Transport Agency -ANTT, guaranteeing the safety and quality of the operation.
As this is a railway that has been out of use for almost 15 years, the section requires severe interventions, such as complete replacement of sleepers, decontamination and replacement of the ballast, so we decided to divide the section into three parts, renovating and making the railway operational, gradually implementing the Train; they are:
Section 1: Paraíba do Sul (Km 169.256) x Andrade Costa (Km 152.087) = 17.169 km;
Section 2: Andrade Costa (Km 152.087) x Avelar (Km 140.854) = 11.233 km;
Section 3: Avelar (Km 140.854) x Paty do Alferes (Km 125.767) = 15.087 km, totaling 43.489 km in length.
With this train, a trip will be made once a month, with part of the ticket prices going to social institutions, such as APAE, Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, among others. And also, at least once a month on a business day, we intend to offer completely free trips to students from the public and private schools in Paraíba do Sul, thus encouraging these students' interest in railway history and culture.
The Trem Inconfidente has a privileged location, as it is close to several renowned tourist attractions in the region, bringing a large audience of tourists to it, thus proving to be a safe project.
The Associação Ferroviária Melhoramentos do Brasil – AFMB, thanks DNIT – National Department of Infrastructure and Transport, Federal, State, Municipal Government and Organized Civil Society for all their support to the TT - Trem Inconfidente, characterized as a project of public interest, social, cultural and touristic nature, which will generate new jobs, income and development of tourism for the population of the city of Paraíba do Sul – RJ.