A group of state-owned Chinese companies intends to form a consortium to bid next year for the contract to build and operate the Ferrogrão railway in Brazil, Reuters reports.
The news agency quotes the Brazilian official in charge of co-operation between the public and private sectors, Adalberto Vasconcelos, as saying so, without disclosing the identity of the Chinese companies.
The report says the 1,100km railway will connect grain-producing regions in western central Brazil with the port of Miritituba on the northern coast, giving exporters an alternative to transporting their grain to the port by road.
The estimated cost of the project is 12.6 billion reais ($3.89 billion), Reuters says.
