Federal Government Responds to PG Request and Points to Alternatives to the Railway Bypass
Response Sent to the Municipality on October 26 Features Conclusion from DNIT and Points to Interventions at the Welding Yard and Crossings as Alternatives
The Ministry of Transport sent to Prefeitura de Ponta Grossa, on October 26, a response to the request for a study for the implementation of a new railway outline in the municipality, the document was obtained exclusively by BnT Online. The documentation informs that an evaluation completed by the National Department of Transportation Infrastructure (DNIT) considered the implementation of the outline unviable and identified other solutions to reduce the conflicts between the railway and urban traffic.
The news is the formal communication sent this week to the municipal administration. The technical conclusion of the DNIT is contained in a letter signed on November 17, 2025, now sent to the City Hall with the clarifications of the National Secretariat of Railway Transport. According to the municipality, the Technical, Economic and Environmental Feasibility Study (EVTEA) pointed to feasibility for interventions in the Welding Patio and for adaptations of the railway crossings, at level or at a gradient, according to each situation.
Five alternatives were evaluated.
The study mentioned by DNIT deals with the resolution of railway conflicts in urban areas of Ponta Grossa and Piraquara. Five alternatives were examined: change of location of courtyards and railway facilities; construction of viaducts or lower passages; combination of interventions and signalling; lowering of the railway line; and implementation of a railway outline or variant.
After the analysis, the body concluded that the intended contour for Ponta Grossa was not feasible. However, the notices presented do not detail the costs of each alternative or the parameters that led to this conclusion.
The DNIT recognizes that crossings between roads and rails cause restraints, risks to road safety and restrictions on mobility. It also highlights the strategic importance of Ponta Grossa as a junction of railway routes connecting Southern states and São Paulo and allowing the transport of cargo towards ports.
The City Council proposed integration with highways
The municipal application was filed by prefeita Elizabeth Schmidt on June 25, 2025. The proposal requested the inclusion of a specific study for a new outline in the planning of the Southern Mesh.
In the justification, the City Council related the railway route to the limitations of planned growth of the city and urban expansion towards the Environmental Protection Area of the Devonian Escarpment. It also suggested evaluating the integration of the railway with existing and planned highways, taking advantage of the domain lanes provided for in the new concessions.
Documents do not confirm contracting or beginning of works
In the November 2025 letter, the DNIT planned to publish, in the first half of 2026, the notice to hire the engineering projects of the solutions considered feasible. The documentation forwarded now does not confirm whether this bid was made or whether there was hiring.
Read also: Marcelo Rangel asks DNIT to take action to reduce the risk of accidents on BR 376 in PG
The body also conditioned the execution of the works on the availability of budgetary and financial resources.
If you disagree with the proposed solutions, the guidance recorded by the DNIT is that the City Council formally communicates its position and presents technical rationale to justify a review. The documents provided do not include a municipal demonstration after the response sent on October 26.
