1871 - 1889: Beginning In the mid-19th century,
coffee, the most important product of the Brazilian economy, was transported by mule to the ports on the coast. In order to improve the distribution of their products, farmers and merchants in the
Zona da Mata of Minas Gerais launched an initiative to build a railroad in the area. On October 10, 1891, Law No. 1826 of the
Province of Minas Gerais authorized President
Francisco Leite da Costa Belém to grant a subsidy of 9,000$000
réis per kilometer or to guarantee interest of 7% per year on the capital of 2,400:000$000
réis to the company that built a railroad. The line should connect Leopoldina to Porto Novo do Cunha (currently Além Paraíba), on the border between Minas Gerais and
Rio de Janeiro, where the tracks of the
Dom Pedro II Railway ended. Imperial Decree No. 4.914 of March 27, 1872 allowed engineer Antônio Paulo de Mello Barreto to organize a company to build the railroad. On June 5, 1892, the Companhia Estrada de Ferro Leopoldina was authorized to operate in Brazil under Decree No. 4,976. The studies for a 38-kilometer stretch began with engineer
João Gomes do Val on October 10 and were approved in February of the following year; in March the railroad started to be built. Along with the expansion of coffee production, government subsidies were one of the factors that stimulated the investment.The first stretch was inaugurated on October 8, 1874, in the presence of
Pedro II and civil and ecclesiastical authorities and had three stations: São José (
São José d'Além Parahyba), at kilometer 3, Pântano (now
Antônio Carlos), at kilometer 12, and
Volta Grande, at kilometer 27. Later, the São Luiz and Providência stations were inaugurated. It featured five locomotives (two
Rogers, two
Baldwin and one Belgian, named Visconde de Abaeté, Conselheiro Theodoro, Godoy, Cataguazes and Pomba, respectively), eight passenger cars and 48 freight wagons. Due to technical issues, the railroad suffered a detour in 1876, reaching Santa Rita do Meia Pataca (now
Cataguases) on July 2, 1877, instead of passing through Leopoldina. The change caused dissatisfaction among the residents of Leopoldina, who fought for the creation of a branch line to connect the city to Vista Alegre. Cataguases Station opened on July 2, 1877, and Leopoldina Station opened on July 31, 1877. Over the years, the railroad expanded and acquired smaller companies (the
Sumidouro and
Pirapetinga branches and the Cantagalo Railway) in order to eliminate competition and establish its hegemony. One of the new firm's main plans was to extend the line from São Francisco Xavier to the
port and the
center of Rio de Janeiro, which required the construction of a station to meet the new demand. The building, which would also house the British embassy, was designed by
Robert Prentice, a Scottish architect. On November 15, 1924, construction began, and on December 6, 1926, the
Barão de Mauá Station was inaugurated in the presence of
Artur Bernardes and the Minister of Transport and Public Works Francisco Sá. The name is a tribute to the
pioneer of national rail transport and patron of Brazilian railroads. The station had a 130-meter main facade and four floors. In 1931, The Leopoldina Railway's lines totaled 3,086 kilometers. The 598 kilometers stretch between Barão de Mauá and Vitória that crosses the
Baixada Fluminense to the city of Campos dos Goytacazes, on the north side of the
Paraíba do Sul River, and continues to
Vitória via Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, stands out. The trunk lines of Saracuruna and Capitinga (595 kilometers) and between Porto das Caixas and
Manhuaçu (500 kilometers) also stood out. The Leopoldina Railway faced difficulties with the decline of coffee plantations in the area covered by its lines, which was aggravated by the restrictions imposed during
World War II. Despite the subsidies, privileges and benefits, the company failed to recover and was incorporated by the Brazilian government on December 20, 1950, by Law No. 1,288. In 1996, during the privatization of RFFSA, the lines were transferred under concession to
Ferrovia Centro Atlântica (FCA), which was acquired by
Vale and incorporated into
VLI Multimodal S.A. Nearly 2,000 kilometers of railway network were deactivated, remaining 1,469 kilometers where the Campos Operating Division (CSP-3) transports oil products (
Duque de Caxias -
Macaé and Campos dos Goytacazes), steel products (Vitória -
Volta Redonda; Minas Gerais - Rio de Janeiro), cement (Minas Gerais - Rio de Janeiro), sugar and alcohol (
Campos dos Goytacazes - Rio de Janeiro), limestone (
Cachoeiro de Itapemirim - Vitória) and oil exploration equipment on the Campos dos Goytacazes offshore platform. Some buildings, such as the
Matilde Railway Station, have been listed as heritage sites. == Lines and branches ==