Fantástico shows the saga of the North-South Railway.
A program on Rede Globo aired a series about the country's bottlenecks, and this Sunday featured a report on the North-South Railway, which passes through Goiás and, after 26 years, is still not completed. Journalist Sônia Bridi visited sections of the railway in the state and highlighted irregularities surrounding the project, such as overpricing, shoddy construction, and corruption scandals. The former president of Valec, Juquinha das Neves, from Goiás, was even arrested on charges of diverting funds from the project, which began during the Sarney administration 26 years ago.
Goiás 247_ Fantástico airs a special series about Brazil's bottlenecks. Yesterday, the program showed the deficiencies in railways and ports, and one of the main topics was the North-South Railway and its unfinished section that passes through Goiás.
"Between Palmas, in Tocantins, and Anápolis, in Goiás, there are 700 kilometers that still cannot be called railways. The country spent R$ 5,1 billion and, after two decades, is still waiting for the train," says the Fantástico report.
Journalist Sôna Bridi stated that the Court of Auditors proved that the project was overpriced and poorly executed in several sections. Construction of the railway began during José Sarney's administration and continues to this day.
"It's more than 700 kilometers from Palmas, in Tocantins, to the urban perimeter of Anápolis, in Goiás. And there, just six kilometers from the shunting yard, is the end of the line. Not that this yard exists. After the tunnel, there's the space and the piles of rails, which, after being stored for so long, are losing their warranty," the article says.
Fantástico spoke to authorities, and they unanimously stated that one of the main reasons for the delay and overall shortcomings of the project is the absence of a detailed design plan.
The report also covers the Juquinha das Neves case, the man from Goiás who headed Valec (a federal government state-owned company responsible for the project) and was arrested on charges of illicit enrichment.
"The person responsible for the project, the then president of Valec, José Francisco das Neves, known as Juquinha, was arrested in July 2012 by the Federal Police. The investigation showed that while he was in charge of Valec, Juquinha's assets jumped from R$ 500 to more than R$ 60 million. The wiretaps that implicated him in corruption were annulled by the courts. Juquinha was released, but not exonerated. He is still facing charges for embezzling money from the North-South Railway project. Juquinha's lawyer says he will prove his innocence in court," reports the newspaper this Sunday.