“The Ministry of Communications stated today that the government is studying the possibility that the Mail and Telegraph Company (ECT) may become a fixed client of the bullet-train that will connect the cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Campinas.

According to the ministry, the minister Paulo Bernardo already solicited the new president of Correios, Wagner Pinheiro, to start talks with the National Agency of Land Transport (ANTT) to discuss the project. The minister estimates that close to 80% of Correios’ service traffic is concentrated in the metropolitan areas of Rio and São Paulo. The expectation is that, with Correios having a dedicated wagon for correspondences and parcels, the State can take a large quantity of trucks off the Via Dutra.

The minister believes that the anticipated contract with Correios could guarantee investors that the bullet-train could start right off with a fixed client. The transport of small parcels had already been announced by ANTT as an alternative for entrepreneurs to obtain extra revenues, which do not include direct compensation by means of passenger transport tariffs and economic exploitation of the stations.

The bullet-train auction, also known as the High Velocity Train (TAV), will occur in April. The estimated investment needed is R$33.1 billion, with a maximum timeframe of five years for construction and 40 years for service exploitation.” – Valor Online