New concept for railroads to improve safety in Brazil

Our Urban Development team in Brazil is implementing a solution never before used in railroad infrastructure: applying Engineer of Record (EoR) concepts to monitor and improve railroad safety. 

The Vale railroad EoR pilot project 

Our experts have launched the EoR pilot project on the Carajás branch of global mining company Vale’s railroad, in the state of Pará in northern Brazil. If proven successful, the EoR solution could be extended to up to 2,000 additional kilometers of Vale’s rail network. The methodology offers greater reliability and safety, and increased quality in process monitoring and geotechnical structure safety reviews. The EoR is external to operations and is integrated into VALE's geotechnical lines. The project began on April 29, 2021 and is expected to run for one year. 

How can the EoR improve safety? 

The EoR performs, among other duties, regular inspections of geotechnical structures and issues reports on identifying and analyzing problems. The differentiator of the EoR application is that it allows, through specific technical analysis and the adoption of a robust governance structure, the establishment of a comprehensive and transparent flow of information. This ensures improved monitoring of the railway infrastructure life cycle, thereby safeguarding the system and all those involved in its operation and use. 

Rail transport crucial to Brazilian export 

To put the importance of railroads in logistics into perspective, according to the National Association of Railway Carriers (ANTF), more than 95% of minerals reach Brazilian ports by train. Over 45% of exported agricultural bulk solids are also transported via rail. 

“While it’s a new concept for railroads, Tractebel has extensive experience with Engineer of Record methodology for dams. Our proven expertise assured the client that we have the capacity to deliver. We are looking forward to a positive outcome of the Carajás line pilot project, so that we can implement EoR further to improve the reliability and quality of the structural safety monitoring process to help make additional railway lines safer.”  Felipe Bicalho, Business Unit Manager Urban in Latin America

“In line with the key behaviour “Obsession for safety and risk management,” Vale implemented the pilot project bringing the concept of the Engineer of Records (EoR), widely disseminated among dam structures, to the railroad. The EoR will work with Operational Geotechnics and will provide a routine view of the safety condition of structures, acting in the technical, technological and organizational spheres to ensure that risks are maintained at tolerable levels throughout the asset's life cycle, providing greater safety for rail operations.” José Geraldo de Souza Júnior, Vale SA Geotechnical Engineer of the Carajás Railroad