To use the train as a mean of transportation is to travel through an almost unknown Brazil.
"Ói, ói o trem
Vem surgindo de trás das montanhas azuis
Ói o trem"
(“O trem das 7,” Raul Seixas")
On the contrary to what it is imagined, it is possible to travel by train through Brazil. We are not talking about the tourists travels, intended for rides, but for passengers, used as means of transportation.
In Brazil, there are 31 railways stretches for passengers in the 5 regions of the country. They vary from short and straight stretches to long ones and with many stops along the way.
If you’ve never traveled by train, how about trying it in Brazil? While the locomotives are following the railways and passing through incredible landscapes and isolated cities, you will know a little more of the Country. To help with your decision, we've selected some of the routes you can take in this fascinating mean of transportation.
Paraná has one of the most beautiful railway stretches in Brazil, linking the capital Curitiba to Morretes, on the coast. The stretch of 150 km goes through, in 3 hours, the beautiful landscapes of The Sea Mountain, passing through bridges, tunnels and a lot of nature. The trip can be made in different classes, ranging from economy to cabin.
The route from São João del Rei to Tiradentes, in Minas Gerais, is very short, only 12 km, but is carried out in an old “Maria Fumaça,” which takes 40 minutes to link one city to another. It is widely used by the populations of both places, but also has great tourist appeal. After all, who can resist a journey through history?
In Minas Gerais there is also one of the longest railroad tracks in the country, linking Belo Horizonte to Vitória, in the state of Espírito Santo. The 664 km are won in 13 hours of a route that goes through 30 stations, many of them completely renovated, just as new are the trains. It is an ideal stretch for lovers of a contemplative and unhurried journey.
In a musical country like Brazil, the poetry of a train trip has been the inspiration for several songs, such as that of Raul Seixas, cited above. We cannot forget to remember the “Trem das Onze,” by Adoniran Barbosa. And the “Trem do Pantanal,” by Almir Sater (“While this old train crosses the Pantanal / People from my home expect me to send a postcard”), especially going through the stretch from Aquidauana to Miranda, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. In a 70 km route, supplanted in 4 hours, it is possible to observe the incredible variety of fauna and flora of the Brazilian Pantanal.
Finally, with almost 900 km, the railway journey from São Luís to Parauapebas connects the States of Maranhão and Pará and is the longest in Brazil, lasting between 16 and 20 hours. The train has all the necessary structure to distract the passengers: restaurant, televisions passing films in all the wagons and stops in several cities by the way. Our tip is: get off, talk to people who embark and disembark and let yourself be traveling, in every way, through this incredible country.