The city of Juruti, located in western Pará, underwent many promoted actions with the start of the bauxite transmission activities. One of those was the implementation of a 55 km railroad, designed by Alcoa Juruti, which seeks to combine speed, safety, and agility in productions. In the surroundings were located dozens of communities that participated in the program 'Espia o Trem' (Look the train), an expression that became popular among residents due to the coming and going of the wagons, and which aims at harmonious coexistence between the activities of the railroad and of the region’s residents.
Created in 2009, the program seeks to raise everyone’s awareness on maintaining safety in local traffic rail. For this, Alcoa Juruti provides teams that travel through the locations with cultural and pedagogical activities that strengthen important values such as citizenship, safety, and sustainability. Among the actions are theatrical stagings and film exhibitions with awareness messages related to the railroad.
We focused our actions on railroad safety with the goal of bringing a message of safety and sustainability to the communities’ residents in the railroad's direct influence area. Guidance is given on how to use level crossings, about not making risky crossings, about signaling and tips for a harmonious coexistence with the railroad in order to avoid possible incidents”, highlights Sabrina Batista, environmental educator who works in the Department of Biodiversity.
Two compositions with a locomotive and 34 wagons circulate on the railroad, making 16 trips a day, lasting approximately 1 hour, transporting 22,000 tons, each reaching a speed of up to 50 km/h. Therefore, the prevention of incidents on the railway is also a concern for those who work on the tracks. According to the railroad's operations coordinator, Kergi Chagas, there were no records of this nature in the last 2 years. “This result came from a lot of dedication, attention and compliance with the necessary rules, which is a constant concern in our activities”.
Railroad - The railway operation’s goal is to transport the bauxite mine production to the ships moored in the port that carry on with sending the material for export. It is also from the port that various inputs are sent to the mine, including fuel, which feeds the benefication area.
Locomotiva Verde (Green Locomotive)
Also thinking about sustainability, to offset carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the railroad system, the Projeto Locomotiva Verde (The Green Locomotive Project) was improved in Juruti, which goal is to neutralize the impact caused by locomotive operation in transporting ore to the port through reforestation with the planting of native seedlings. Beginning in 2015, the project is fostered by the Alcoa Foundation in partnership with the American Forest and the Vitória Régia Institute, and in just over 7 years, 40,000 tree seedlings were planted in 24 hectares distributed in six communities; among them, the Galiléia community, in the region of Juruti Velho. In the future, in 20 years, is it expected that the seedlings will offset 1,600 tons of CO2 emitted by the locomotive.
