Ferrogrão rainforest railway faces its moment of truth

A path to economic gain, or a track of environmental destruction. Infrastructure projects in Brazil’s Amazon region typically fall under both of these descriptions simultaneously, particularly when it comes to transport in an otherwise isolated and hard-to-navigate part of the world.

Among the most emblematic of these projects is EF-170, best known as the Ferrogrão, or Grain Railway. It consists of a 933-kilometer train track linking the soy and corn hub of Sinop, in the central-western Brazilian granary state of Mato Grosso, to the river port town of Miritituba, in the Amazonian state of Pará.

While the mere mention of the “Ferrogrão” sparks a glint in the eye of Mato Grosso soy producers, the railway could spell environmental catastrophe, inducing deforestation, contaminating rivers and reducing biodiversity.

And the project’s future hangs in the balance, with the Supreme Court analyzing a case that could make or break the Ferrogrão’s construction.