The two railway projects under development in Santa Catarina were presented to representatives of the China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), one of the largest construction companies in the world. The Chinese leaders were welcomed by Governor Jorginho Mello and the Secretaries of State for Ports, Airports and Railways (SPAF), Beto Martins, and for Foreign Affairs, Juliano Froehner.

The delegation was shown the details of the executive project for the section that connects Araquari to Navegantes. There are 60 kilometers that will connect the Itajaí Port Complex to the national railway network.

The other study presented was the basic project of 319 kilometers of the railway that will connect Chapecó to Correia Pinto. The proposal will connect the west of Santa Catarina with the national network, also allowing access to the coast of Santa Catarina.

“We are convinced that the economy of Santa Catarina will benefit from these connections. We are in a hurry for these projects and we are open to being partners both in railways and in other areas such as sanitation and highways. We know how important this is for our growth and we will work to get these partnerships off the ground”, said governor Jorginho Mello.

“The important thing at this moment is that we have started approaching investors. We know that there is an interest in cargo to be transported, which makes the railways viable. We will continue discussing to advance the proposals”, stated SPAF secretary, Beto Martins.

According to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs (SAI), Juliano Froehner, this Tuesday’s meeting attests that Governor Jorginho Mello is right in working on the internationalization of Santa Catarina for the benefit of its population. “SAI works daily to create connections and commercial cooperation with foreign companies that want to invest and set up in the state.”

“We will study the information we received today and verify the technical feasibility and demand of the projects. Our company has expertise in the construction of railways and large works. We are interested in this and other areas such as sanitation and infrastructure”, said CRCC’s Regional Director for Latin America, Raul Liu.

CRCC has operations in more than 130 countries. It operates in contraction, planning, investments, development of real estate and industrial projects, logistics, environmental protection, industrial financing and other businesses.

Text: Rafael Matos/SPAF
Photo: Eduardo Valente/SECOM