About this journey

The journey begins at Estação Central in Belo Horizonte, the dedicated EFVM terminal building on Praça Rui Barbosa, one of three independent station buildings sharing the city-centre site. From here the Estrada de Ferro Vitória a Minas heads east, following the Rio Doce valley toward the coast of Espírito Santo. The line is operated by the mining company Vale and carries both freight and daily passenger trains, connecting the metropolitan regions of Belo Horizonte and Vitória through numerous towns along the valley.

The EFVM's first stations in the Colatina area opened in 1906, and the railway went on to shape the region's development — the construction of the first bridge over the Rio Doce at Colatina in 1928 combined with the line to establish the logistical axis that made the town a regional hub. Through that stretch the terrain is gently undulating, with granitic rock outcrops appearing across the landscape and few points rising above 600 m. For communities along the route, the railway has long been regarded as one of the more affordable and reliable connections available between the towns served by its stations. The nearly four-hour cab ride from Belo Horizonte's urban centre to Desembargador Drummond captures both the industrial scale of a Vale-operated freight corridor and the quieter rhythms of the Rio Doce valley it has served for more than a century.