The Minister of Transport, Renan Filho, believes it is difficult for the high-speed train between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro to get off the ground with private resources alone. The minister said he was “skeptical” about private initiative taking the lead in a project of this magnitude which, according to him, could cost up to R$ 50 billion.
“All over the world, bullet trains, fast trains, are only built with public funds. The state has to enter, it is not easy”, said Renan Filho, this Monday (27), at the Arko Conference 2023 event, organized by the political analysis company Arko Advice. “I hope that the high-speed train in São Paulo follows this model of authorization [do novo Marco Ferroviário]but I am skeptical,” he added.
But he pointed out that, currently, the government cannot afford the resources to develop a railway project of this size. “It is worth mentioning that the bullet train costs approximately 50 billion reais and that Brazil invested, last year, R$ 5.5 billion in transport. So, the country that invests 5.5 billion cannot properly lead the construction of the bullet train”.
Renan Filho noted that a decade ago the country had the conditions to take on a railway project of this size. “When the bullet train was on the national agenda, by the way, this country had the capacity to implement it. We observed that, in 2012, the country invested BRL 45 billion in transport. In 2013, Brazil invested 30 billion”.
