About this journey

Parauapebas station stands at the western end of the Estrada de Ferro Carajás (EFC), the broad-gauge line operated by Vale S.A. that stretches 892 km from the Serra dos Carajás mining complex toward the coast. Construction began in August 1982 with the first 15 km of track laid, and the line was inaugurated on 28 February 1985 by President João Figueiredo — built specifically to carry iron ore extracted under the Programa Grande Carajás to ports on São Marcos Bay for export.

The infrastructure reflects that industrial purpose at every point. The line is engineered to a minimum curve radius of 860 m and a maximum gradient of 0.4% in the export direction, permitting speeds of up to 132 km/h. The SD70M locomotive at the head of this journey is rated at 4,300 hp and ranks among the most modern in the EFC fleet — the same fleet that regularly hauls trains of up to 330 wagons. The journey ends at Marabá station, where the city sits at the confluence of the Tocantins and Itacaiúnas rivers; a critical milestone during construction was the completion of the bridge over the Rio Tocantins in October 1984, after which final track-laying was finished on 15 February 1985. The run from Parauapebas to Marabá thus traces the opening chapter of a railway that moved 179.5 million tonnes of freight in 2024 alone.