Visitando os Viadutos MAIS ALTOS do Brasil na Ferrovia do Trigo

Located in Rio Grande do Sul, between the cities of Passo Fundo and Roca Sales, the Ferrovia do Trigo is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and incredible railways in Brazil. Its history dates back to the early 20th century, when an ambitious railway project connecting Porto Alegre to Passo Fundo was announced, with a total length of almost 300 km, dubbed by the state press as the "Work of the Century." Studies began in 1911 but were soon interrupted by World War I, only resuming in 1948 under the management of the Viação Férrea do Rio Grande do Sul. Construction began in 1949, but was subject to numerous interruptions, until it was completely halted in 1968, due to financial difficulties at the VFRGS and mainly due to technical difficulties encountered on the stretch between Roca Sales and Passo Fundo, which has a very rugged terrain and proved to be an even greater challenge than initially anticipated. Faced with pressure from the municipalities that would benefit, the First Railway Battalion took over the construction, which was restarted in 1971 and finally completed in 1978. When completed, it had 32 tunnels and 23 viaducts, some of them true works of art, including Viaduct 13, 143 meters high, which at the time of its inauguration was the second-tallest viaduct in the world. The total length of the Trigo Railway is 152 km, connecting to the Southern Main Line in Roca Salles and the Marcelino Ramos-Santa Maria line in Passo Fundo, which is where the railway's Km 0 is located. When completed, it was handed over to the Federal Railway Network. When the latter was dissolved, it passed to the private sector and remains so to this day, managed by Rumo. Currently, train traffic is very low, with only two or three trains running in both directions combined. Due to its major engineering projects, tourist demand is high, and for this reason, the concessionaire and the municipalities reached an agreement to allow trains to operate at night, with rare exceptions, making it virtually impossible to record a train operating on the railway during daylight hours. Recently, a tourist train, called the Trem dos Vales, operated by the ABPF, also began operating. Some trips have already been made, and given the success of the operation, others are already scheduled, with the expectation of making this a regular train, which has all the makings of one of the most popular tourist trains in Brazil!