The Estrada de Ferro São Paulo-Rio Grande in regional economic formation in Santa Catarina

Abstract

This paper aims at analyzing and discussing the construction
and expansion of São Paulo–Rio Grande Railroad (EFSPRG) in
Santa Catarina. The text is divided into three topics. There is a brief introduction that analyzes the reasons for the railway expansion in the southern Brazil. In the sequence, the text studies the building of Santa Catarina’s line in the tea plantation and wood exploration region, between Porto União and the Uruguay River. Finally, the paper discusses the integration of the northern plateau through the line Porto União–São Francisco do Sul. The first railway, in the
middle west of Santa Catarina, was built between 1907 and 1910; the second railway, in the north plateau, was built between 1906 and 1917. Both railways were part of the fragmented railway system in Santa Catarina, which was concentrated in the exporting regions integrated by the ports, without an intra-regional integration.