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5th – Sebastião Hermano Leite Cintra, from 1984 to 1987
6th – Antônio Carlos Rios Corral, from 1987 to 1990
7th – Sérgio Lorena de Mello, from 1990 to 1991
8th – Walter Pedro Bodini, from 1991 to 1994
9th – Oliver Hossepian Salles de Lima, from 1994 to 1995
10th – Renato Casale Pavan, from 1995 to 1997
11th – Silvio Augusto Minciotti, from 1997 to 1998
Number of employees
In 1970, the number of employees on the forming railroads was as follows: EFS (17,622), CPEF (11,185), CMEF (5,935), EFA (3,179) and EFSPM (603), totaling 38,524 employees. By 1971, the company's railroad workforce was down to 36,665 people,[9] and by 1972 it was drastically reduced to 29,347 people with the transfer of employees to various sectors of the state government.
This policy of reducing the operational staff was constant until the early 1980s, so that in 1982 the number of employees was 19,874, almost half compared to 1970. From then on, the staff was kept stable until, aiming to meet the National Privatization Plan, a process of reduction began in 1994, decreasing the number of employees from 17,029 to 13,432 in 1995, 8,971 in 1996, 8,453 in 1997 and, finally 6,448 in 1998.
Regional Units
FEPASA had eight regional units (UR), which were as follows:
UR-1 – Sorocaba
UR-2 – Botucatu
UR-3 – Bauru
UR-4 – Araraquara
UR-5 – Campinas
UR-6 – Ribeirão Preto
UR-7 – Santos
DRM (Metropolitan Regional Division) – São Paulo, former UR-Subúrbio
Railway network
FEPASA took over the metre-gauge lines of Sorocabana (2,016 km), Mogiana (1,744 km) and São Paulo-Minas (133 km), and the broad-gauge lines of Paulista (1,225 km) and Araraquara (431 km), totaling 5,549 km of railway lines in 1970. It also rectified several sections of the busiest lines, including electrification and implementation of dual gauge, in addition to building other branch lines (ramais and variantes). After the reforms and constructions in its network it now had 5,163 km of railroad lines, of which 3,337 km were mainlines and 1,826 km secondary lines or branch lines; not counting the 1,260 km of detours owned by the railroad and 292 km of private detours, totaling 6,715 km.
1.00 m gauge (metre-gauge)
FEPASA West Line (DRM) – former EFS, electrified.
FEPASA South Line ( DRM) – former EFS, electrified.
São Paulo-Presidente Epitácio Mainline (UR-1 and UR-2) – former EFS, electrified from São Paulo to Assis.
Ramal Itararé (UR-1) – former EFS, electrified from Iperó to Itapetininga, had the final Itapeva-Itararé line deactivated in the 1990s.
Ramal Apiaí (UR-1) – built by FEPASA and inaugurated in 1974.
Ramal Pinhalzinho (UR-1) – built by FEPASA and inaugurated in 1976.
Ramal Bauru (UR-2) – former EFS.
Ramal Dourados (UR-2) – former EFS, it was deactivated in the 1980s.
Ramal Campinas (UR-5) – former EFS, it was deactivated in the 1980s but a section was used by Campinas LRT in the 1990s.
Ramal Piracicaba (Sorocabana) (UR-5) – former EFS, it was deactivated in the 1980s.
Campinas-Araguari Mainline (UR-5 and UR-6) – former CMEF, the Campinas-Jaguariúna initial line was deactivated in the 1970s, and the remaining line was all rectified by FEPASA, being built the branch lines Guedes-Mato Seco, Lagoa-Tambaú, Tambaú-Bento Quirino, Bento Quirino-Entroncamento and Entroncamento-Amoroso Costa. It is part of the Araguari-Santos Export Corridor.
Variante Boa Vista-Guedes (UR-5) – built by FEPASA to replace the initial Campinas-Jaguariúna section of the mainline, it was inaugurated between 1972 and 1973 and is part of the Araguari-Santos Export Corridor.
Ramal Replan (UR-5) – built by FEPASA and inaugurated in 1972, it is directly connected to the Araguari-Santos Export Corridor.
Ramal Itapira (UR-5) – former CMEF, it was deactivated in the 1980s.
Ramal Caldas (UR-5) – former CMEF.
Ramal Guaxupé (UR-5) – former CMEF, it was deactivated in the 1970s.
Ramal Passos (UR-5 and UR-6) – former CMEF, had the initial section Guaxupé-São Sebastião do Paraíso deactivated in the 1970s and the rest of the branch was deactivated in the 1990s.
São Simão-São Sebastião do Paraíso Mainline (UR-6) – former EFSPM, it was deactivated in the 1990s.
Ramal Rio Grande (UR-6) – former CMEF, it was deactivated in the 1980s.
Ramal Sertãozinho (UR-6) – former CMEF.
Ramal Guatapará (UR-6) – former CMEF, it was deactivated in the 1970s.
Santos-Juquiá Line (UR-7) – former EFS.
Juquiá-Cajati Extension (UR-7) – built by FEPASA and inaugurated in 1981.
1.60 m gauge (broad-gauge)
Itirapina-Panorama West Mainline (UR-3) – former CPEF, electrified from Itirapina to Bauru, had part of the line rectified by FEPASA, and the Bauru-Garça Alternative was built, inaugurated in 1976.
Araraquara-Santa Fé do Sul Mainline (UR-4) – former EFA.
Jundiaí-Colombia Mainline (UR-4 and UR-5) – former CPEF, electrified from Jundiaí to Rincão, had part of the line rectified by FEPASA, being built the Variante Itirapina-Santa Gertrudes, inaugurated in 1976.
Ramal Piracicaba (Paulista) (UR-5) – former CPEF, it was deactivated in the 1990s.
Ramal Descalvado (UR-5) – former CPEF, it was deactivated in the 1980s.
Ramal Santa Cruz das Palmeiras (UR-5) – former CPEF, it was deactivated in the 1970s.
1.00 m and 1.60 m gauge (dual gauge)
Variante Boa Vista-Guaianã (UR-5) – built and electrified by FEPASA, one line was inaugurated in 1974 and another in 1985. It is part of the Araguari-Santos Export Corridor.
Mairinque-Santos Line (UR-1 and UR-7) – former EFS, it is part of the Araguari-Santos Export Corridor.
Ramal Perequê (UR-7) – built by FEPASA to give direct access to the right bank of the Port of Santos via the Santos-Jundiaí Line of RFFSA, it was inaugurated in 1978 and is part of the Araguari-Santos Export Corridor.
Ramal Conceiçãozinha (UR-7) – built by FEPASA and RFFSA on the left bank of the Port of Santos, was inaugurated in 1981 and is part of the Araguari-Santos Export Corridor.
Locomotive fleet
Initially, FEPASA had the following motive power:
Narrow-gauge locomotives: 243 locomotives (167 diesel and 76 electric) were received from Sorocabana and 91 diesel locomotives from Mogiana, totaling 334 locomotives.
Broad-gauge locomotives: 168 locomotives (79 diesel and 89 electric) were received from Paulista and 17 diesel locomotives from Araraquara, totaling 185 locomotives.
FEPASA received a total of 519 locomotives (354 diesel and 165 electric) from its predecessors. As the railroad continued with modernization, 164 of these locomotives were written off between 1971 and 1991, while 136 GE U20C diesel locomotives of both gauges were acquired in the period 1974–1979, this being the largest acquisition in Fepasa's history.
FEPASA also acquired 10 used GE 2-C+C-2 electric locomotives from RFFSA in 1981, 8 of which were completely rebuilt while 2 were retained for parts. Also part of the railroad's modernization process was the electrification of the entire Araguari-Santos Export Corridor, for which 80 Alstom EC-362 electric locomotives of both gauges were to be acquired, the first arriving from France in October 1987. However, these proved difficult to maintain and the railroad's substations could not produce sufficient power output for their operation, and ultimately only two of the 80 EC-362's delivered had ever been assembled and put into operation.
In March 1992, FEPASA had a total of 503 locomotives (357 diesel and 146 electric), and had acquired an additional 7 GE C30-7A diesel locomotives that year from the Cutrale Quintela company.
Between 1992 and 1998, FEPASA did not purchase any additional locomotives, only disposing of those no longer needed, including 11 diesel locomotives which had been transferred to CPTM in 1997. At the time of Brazilian railway privatization, the FEPASA had 291 diesels and 117 electrics, totaling 408 locomotives. Upon FEPASA's dissolution, 172 diesel and 114 electric locomotives were transferred to Ferrovia Bandeirantes S/A (FERROBAN, 286 locomotives total), Ferrovia Centro-Atlântica S/A (FCA) received 91 locomotives (only diesels), and Ferrovia Sul-Atlântico S/A (FSA) received 28 diesels and 3 electrics (31 total).
Most of the former FEPASA diesel locomotives continue to operate on Brazilian rail lines by various operators, primarily by Rumo Logística and VLI Multimodal S/A. All of the electric locomotives have been withdrawn, and have either been scrapped, remain derelict in various railroad yards, such as the Paulista Triage Yard, Sorocaba Yard, among others; or are owned by museums or preservation groups. The retired diesels similarly have been either scrapped or remain derelict in yards, such as Lapa Station, Pátio de Araraquara Station, Paulista Classification Yard, and Calsete Station (MG).
Services provided
Suburbs and urban trains
FEPASA West Line – remains active as the current Line 8 of São Paulo Metropolitan Trains.
FEPASA 's South Line – remains active as the present Line 9 São Paulo Metropolitan Trains.
Intra Metropolitan Trains – was created by FEPASA on July 12, 1990, to transport passengers from Samaritá Station in São Vicente to Ana Costa Station in Santos. Its tracks gave way to the present Baixada Santista LRT.
Campinas LRT.
Bauru's Urban Train.
Long distance passenger trains
When FEPASA was formed, services were maintained according to the pattern established by the now-defunct CPEF, with 60 trains a day in both directions and throughout the broad-gauge network. However, the degradation of the service and the age of the material used were already showing signs that passenger transport would enter an ultimate phase, as a survey carried out between 1970 and 1974 pointed out a decrease in passenger movement, comparing it with transport by road bus, where the train carried 10.6% of the total that buses had carried in 1970, and shows that already in 1974 it carried only 4.2% of the bus.
In this period few measures were taken, where traffic in the busiest areas was maintained, but with the suppression of service in the extensions and in some lines of the trunk line as well, such as the one from Barretos to Colombia.
So new train formats were applied, such as the regular PM, PS, and PP trains (Passenger Mogiana, Passenger Sorocabana, and Passenger Paulista). Among the stations that were in operation, only the busiest ones remained open. Services like the Pullman class cars were extinct, wooden cars were switched to "unpaid" service, and a first reform of the fleet was carried out. In 1983 the second painting pattern used by FEPASA on passenger cars appeared (blue with two white stripes), a little different from the first painting that was entirely blue as in the CPEF.
It was only during the Quércia administration, in 1988, that a new reformulation of the trains began, with the creation of the "Trem Diferenciado" (Differentiated Train). It was the way found to renew the image of passenger service, proposing improvements in the operation and rolling stock with moderate investment. At this time, the third painting pattern for the carbon steel cars (gray with three stripes: red, white, and black) was created. The project was inaugurated in September 1988 with 12 reformed carbon steel cars, where each composition was formed by six cars, one which ran the São Paulo-Barretos line and another which ran the São Paulo-Marília line. This train was considered "parador" (stopper) as it served all the stations open on the lines, with just over 30 on each line.
Also in September 1988 the "Trem Expresso" (Express Train) was introduced, which served the São Paulo-Araraquara section, and for this another 12 cars were selected and reformed, this time using only stainless steel cars, receiving also the new external paint pattern of the carbon steel cars and each composition was formed by six cars, the same way as the "Trem Diferenciado".
These services lasted until the mid-1990s but with several changes, such as the implantation of new cars to the compositions, schedule changes, and even the mixture between stainless and carbon steel cars with different types of painting, breaking the standardization of the compositions.
In 1995, during the Covas government, the new administration set some investment goals, which also included the reform and modernization of passenger trains. The proposal was based on the increase in revenue with a reduction in costs and the renovation of all the equipment and stations, with two fronts to be attacked: the traveler and the tourist – for the latter, TremTur was created, a division of FEPASA in partnership with EMBRATUR, which was given the mission of fomenting railway tourism in the state of São Paulo.
To offer these new services, FEPASA refurbished the stainless steel cars and also some carbon steel cars. At this time, the latest standard of painting for passenger cars appears (three thin continuous stripes – red, white and black – on the skirt of the car, and on the pediment over the windows carried, next to the new FEPASA logo, the name of the company in full, and to identify which train they belonged to, each of the compositions carried its name on a plate or sticker on the side of the car).
The new passenger trains were as follows:
Bandeirante Trains: to compete with road transport, they were equivalent to the old regular trains.
Express Trains: were the new models of the fast trains created in the second half of the 1980s, now with even luxurious refinements to attract tourists.
Special Train: created to serve the needy population.
All passenger trains still in operation were "suspended" by the new FERROBAN concessionaire on January 18, 1999, under the allegation that the service was precarious and offered risk to users. But as the concession notice for the São Paulo network required the maintenance of passenger services for another year, some lines were resumed on August 1, 1999, and the last trains had their operation stopped on March 15, 2001, when, 130 years after the first passenger train in the state of São Paulo circulated, its last attempts to continue were eradicated.
Freight transportation
EPASA was inserted in the Brazilian railway network as an important agent for the flow of production from the new agricultural frontiers of the Central-West to the highly industrialized region around São Paulo. It was also connected to the north–south rail link in Brazil, essential for the circulation and distribution of goods nationwide. In addition, its access to the country's most important port made it possible for Brazilian products with high added value to be present in the international market.
Freight transportation was FEPASA's most important traffic and source of revenue. The main products transported were cement, cement clinker, iron, steel, fertilizers, paper, cellulose, bauxite, sulfur, ammonium, dolomite, limestone, hydrated lime, phosphates, fuels (alcohol and petroleum derivatives), coffee, sugar, cotton, meat, beans, rice, corn, wheat, soybeans, peanuts, wheat flour, bran in general, vegetable oils, oranges (citrus juices and pellets) and cattle The amount transported of each of these products has varied greatly over the years.
The company's cargo operation extended to the São Paulo coast, down the mountain range to Santos, then heading to Cajati, and on the other side to the extremes of the state of São Paulo, on the borders with Mato Grosso do Sul and Paraná, penetrating Minas Gerais and converging at various points with river navigation and RFFSA.
On the border with Mato Grosso do Sul, along the Paraná River, the rails reached as far as Santa Fé do Sul, Panorama and Presidente Epitácio, with direct loading and unloading operations at the local port.
The railroad's points of contact with the RFFSA, on the border with Paraná, were through the lines in Itararé and Ourinhos, as well as Pinhalzinho on the branch line built by FEPASA to serve the Southern Mainline. From Apiaí, passing through the regions of Itapeva and Sorocaba there was the transportation of industrial limestone and dolomite to the COSIPA facilities. Cement clinker transportation also followed a single flow from Sorocaba to São Paulo, serving the Votorantim Industries.
Minas Gerais was the state with which the São Paulo railroad network was most integrated. From Poços de Caldas, shipments of bauxite went directly to the CBA plant in the Sorocaba region.
The Ribeirão Preto-Araguari stretch, where FEPASA's penetration into Minas Gerais was most accentuated, was part of the railroad connection between the south of the country and the Federal District. For this reason, its entire route was remodeled and the Araguari-Santos Export Corridor, responsible for 60% of all cargo transported by the railroad, drained the crops of the Triângulo Mineiro and Goiás to the Port of Santos. This line, after the rectifications, started to have characteristics that made it possible to better serve a rich agricultural region, one of the largest sugar, alcohol and grain producing centers, absorbing almost all the phosphate rock production of the installed complexes. The stretch is also an indispensable element for the outflow of the most diverse products, both to the Triângulo Mineiro and Goiás, as well as to the Port of Santos and the Port of Paranaguá, axes of intense traffic of railway compositions that transport fertilizers, wheat, cement (in bags and in bulk), limestone for farming, hydrated lime, bran, sulfur and ammonia.
In addition to these connections, FEPASA relied on RFFSA in Jundiaí, which allowed trains traveling on its broad-gauge system access to São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, the Port of Santos, and Bauru, where direct metric gauge traffic was made possible to Santa Cruz de la Sierra on the Bolivian corridor.
Extinction and concession of the Paulista Network
On March 29, 1996, the CPTM absorbed the FEPASA DRM train systems, and started to effectively operate the current Line 8-Diamante and Line 9-Esmeralda, which were part of the railway network used for suburban transport in the western and southern regions of Greater São Paulo, and also the Intra Metropolitan Train (TIM) which served Baixada Santista. This split occurred so that the privatization of the FEPASA network could begin and the metropolitan passenger transport services would remain under state control.
On December 23, 1997, FEPASA was transferred to the Union as payment for debts of the São Paulo government and BANESPA by the then governor Mário Covas. On February 18, 1998, by Decree No. 2,502 of the Presidency of the Republic, FEPASA was authorized to be incorporated to RFFSA. The transfer was approved after the authorization given by the Extraordinary General Assembly on May 29, 1998. With this, the line corresponding to the railway network of the former FEPASA was then called Paulista Network of RFFSA.
In the auction for the concession of the Paulista Network by RFFSA, held on November 10, 1998, on B3 Stock Exchange, the winner was the consortium Ferroban for a period of 30 years, renewable for the same period beginning on January 1, 1999, when it took control of the São Paulo line.
In the concession process, FEPASA's original metre-gauge network suffered two splits: the section from Campinas to Uberlândia (MG), originating from CMEF, became under the control of FCA, and the lines from Iperó to Apiaí and from Rubião Junior to Presidente Epitácio, originating from EFS, became under the control of FSA.
In 2002, FERROBAN's control was taken over by the holding company Brasil Ferrovias (BF), which in 2004 transferred the metre-gauge line between Mairinque and Bauru to Ferrovia Novoeste. In 2006, BF was absorbed by América Latina Logística (ALL), in view of the share merger operation.
Since April 2015, the Paulista Network has been managed by Rumo Logística, which merged with ALL. In November 2015, Rumo filed a formal request with the National Land Transport Agency (ANTT) for the early renewal of the Paulista Network concession for another 30 years. The renewal contract was signed on May 27, 2020, extending the concession term until 2058.
In the concession renewal process, the line from Santos to Cajati, with 232 km in metre-gauge, and the Piracicaba Branch Line, with 42 kilometers in broad-gauge, were returned inoperative to the Federal Government.
