Since the beginning of operations in 2014, Port of Açu has shown significant growth in relation to cargo handling, with all demand dependent on road transport. However, there is a proposal for the implementation of the EF-118 railway that would interconnect Rio de Janeiro and Vitória, serving the region of Port. This work seeks to economically evaluate the advantages of the implementation of the railway modal compared to the roadway already used in the region. Due to the intense flow of cargo in the Industrial-Port Complex, the possibility of building a new highway, the RJ-244, is being studied, extending from the industrial district to BR-101. For this purpose, surveys were conducted to determine the average daily volume of vehicles circulating in the region, in addition to the different types of cargo transported and their relationship with Port. Based on the information collected in the Traffic Studies Report issued, it was possible to relate data and achieve at the value of the average annual daily volume for each category of cargo handled in the Port. Bearing in mind that in 2019, Port of Açu handled approximately 751 thousand tons of cargo and analyzing the estimated costs by ABIFER for road and rail transport, the approximate cost values for each one per ton of cargo per kilometer were reached. Comparing values, it is possible to notice that the cost of transporting cargo by rail corresponds to about 16.6% of the amount spent on transporting of the same weight of cargo by road, which means a considerable advantage for its implementation.
The main objective of this study is to assess the reuse of naturally old ballast that was removed from an operating railroad. In order to verify the viability of its reuse, laboratory tests were carried out, based on the procedures and parameters established in literature. The reuse of ballast would reduce costs, minimize the disposal of this material and reduce quarry extraction. There are several standards regulations the ballast’s (gravel) properties, such as size, shape, hardness, abrasion resistance and composition to provide better performance of the rail platform, due to the wide variety of materials and environmental conditions to which they are subjected. Ballast specifications are based on the execution of characterization tests and can be divided according to strength properties and geometric properties. Thus, several specifications have been used by different railway organizations around the world to meet the needs of their projects. One test used to analyze ballast quality is the Los Angeles Abrasion, which provides data on resistance to fragmentation. The durability of the ballast depends on the quality of the gravel related to the original rock composition. This is an important parameter that can be associated with railroad maintenance, which is expensive. A series of tests were carried out to evaluate the ballast properties, as well as an analysis of the geometric and mineralogical characteristics of the gravel, and the impact of the variation of these properties in the performance of the ballast. The viability of reusing the ballast removed from an operating road was then evaluated, and it was concluded that the material is still suitable for reusing, although its properties have undergone a few changes, without modifying its main characteristics and functions.
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