About this journey

Vila Pindaré station is the starting point of this journey through the western reaches of Maranhão State, running along the Carajás Railway toward the industrial city of Açailândia. The Carajás Railway is one of Brazil's major freight corridors, and Açailândia holds one of its most important stations along that line.

Açailândia's origins trace to 1958, when construction of the Belém-Brasília highway drew the first settlers to the fertile lands near the Açailândia Creek. The city that grew from that highway camp has since become a significant industrial centre: pig iron production is today its largest single economic activity, sustained in part by the Carajás Development Corridor the railway serves. The SD70M locomotive hauls this working route through the western part of Maranhão State, arriving at Açailândia station at an elevation of 240 m — a destination that marks both the end of the cab ride and the meeting point of Brazil's road and rail frontiers.