The Sorocabana Railroad: the heyday, the decadence, the concession to private initiative and the reactivation proposal

Abstract

The Sorocabana Railway was created in 1876 and played an important role in the    organization of the territory of São Paulo, in the transport of cargo and passengers. With the development of industrialization from the 1950s on, the railways began to lose their importance by giving space to the highways and in the 1970s the Sorocabana Railway was administered by FEPASA – Ferrovia Paulista S/A. From the 1990s onif the process of privatization of federal and state railways, the railroad underwent transformations and was granted Latin America Logistics (ALL), being deactivated the stretch between Presidente Prudente and Presidente Epitácio. However, in recent years, a debate has begun on the reactivation of this stretch of the Sorocabana railway by some local and regional entities, including the Union of Presidente Prudente Entities. This article aims to make some considerations about the Sorocabana railway, highlighting its origin, its role, the concession to private initiative and the proposal for reactivation. The methodology was based on the literature review on the subject in question, on site surveys (DNIT – National Department of Transport Infrastructure, ANTT – National Land Transport Agency, ALL – América Latina Logística S.A., VLI – Integrated Logistics System), visit to the Sorocabana Railroad Museum in the city of Sorocaba/SP, interviews and application of questionnaires in public and private agencies, such as City Hall, Regional Development Center of Presidente Prudente and UEPP (Union of Entities of Presidente Prudente).