History

1976 – SA concession is awarded to build and operate a railroad linking Carajás to Ponta da Madeira Seaport in São Luís, Maranhão (under decree 77,608).
1982 – Work on building the Carajás Railroad (EFC) begins.
1983 – The first freight train uses the railroad.
1985 – EFC is officially inaugurated by Brazilian president, João Baptista Figueiredo, with the first iron ore freight train entering service.
1986 – EFC’s passenger train begins operating.
1988 – EFC is used to export pig iron for the first time.
1991 – The federal government hands over the first completed stretch of the North-South Railroad, between Açailândia and Imperatriz, in Maranhão, to the company.
1992 – The “North Corridor” is officially inaugurated, as the first shipment of soy leaves Ponta da Madeira Seaport in São Luís, Maranhão.
1993 – A passenger train service is introduced between Açailândia and Imperatriz, along the North-South Railroad.
1997 – Vale obtains the right to operate EFC for 30 years, renewable for another 30 years.
1999 – EFC reaches a milestone of 500 million metric tons transported (in accumulated volume).
The “Vale School” program is created, improving the quality of elementary education at municipal schools in São Luís, Açailândia and Alto Alegre do Pindaré, all in Maranhão.
2000 – A total of 1.5 million metric tons of pig iron is exported from Ponta da Madeira Seaport in Maranhão.
The “Education on the Tracks” project is launched, providing information and raising awareness of citizenship issues in partnership with educational TV channel Futura. The project’s activities are carried out on EFC’s passenger train service and in communities along the railroad.
A “Citizenship Train” is created, with train cars offering health services and assistance in obtaining government documentation.
2001 – AEFC reaches a milestone of 650 million metric tons transported (in accumulated volume). The “Vale Information Technology” project is launched, in which IT and citizenship classes are given to young people in six municipalities in Maranhão.
2002 – EFC tests a 412-car train. A customer service helpline is launched.
2003 – The railroad reaches a milestone of 750 million metric tons transported and 950 billion gross metric ton-kilometers (in accumulated volume).
The “Urban Cleanliness Education” project is created to show communities how to develop selective waste collection schemes. The program is implemented in five micro-regions in Maranhão.
The “Watch Out for the Train!” project is created to promote safe behavior in communities close to the railroad. The railroad opens an operational control center, one of the most advanced in Latin America.
A railroad management system is implemented at the operational control center, optimizing train movements and crossovers in real time.
2004 – The first shipment of copper concentrate – totaling 1,084.3 metric tons – from the Sossego project is transported on EFC.
Trains with 208 cars begin operating on the railroad.
From 1997 to 2004, R$1.2 billion is invested in the railroad.
“Vale Literacy,” a project to help eradicate illiteracy in Maranhão, is developed.
2005 – EFC celebrates its 20th anniversary, operating with 127 locomotives and 8,519 train cars.
The railroad carries 5.1 billion metric ton-kilometers of general freight during the year, against 2 billion in 2001 – an increase of 155%.
EFC transports 64.6 billion metric ton-kilometers of iron ore during the year, a rise of 50% on 2001’s figure of 43 billion metric ton-kilometers.
A total of 2.5 million metric tons of pig iron is exported from Ponta da Madeira Seaport in São Luís, Maranhão.
The “Cinema on the Tracks” program is launched, improving access to movies among people living in cities along the railroad.
A Hazardous Freight Transportation Control and Strategy Plan is implemented, based on the mapping of vulnerable ecosystems along the railroad.
2006 – EFC wins an award for Best Railroad Freight Operator (2006), given by Revista Ferroviária, a railroad magazine.
2007 – Vale’s railroads become the first in Brazil to use biofuels to power locomotives.
2010 – IA US$7 billion investment to double-track 68 km of the railroad and build Pier 4 at Ponta da Madeira Terminal in São Luís, Maranhão, is initiated.
2011 – A dynamic helper – an auxiliary locomotive that helps trains up steep sections of track – enters service on a 130-km stretch of EFC.