Monitoring impacts

ALL installations and facilities are located along the 13 thousand kilometers of tracks in the company's operations, crossing six states and more than 500 municipal districts. The company's activities drive positive impacts such as economic development, job generation and integration between the different regions. These are complemented by the promotion of cultural and educational actions sponsored by the Instituto ALL in all the regions in which the company operates (see more in Instituto ALL).

The coexistence between trains and urban populations generates challenges which are inherent to railway operations. Noise, the interruption of thoroughfares and yielding preference to trains at level crossings are the main challenges in community relations. These problems are exacerbated by the presence of homes installed illegally on railway land after the construction of the line.

The company monitors these impacts and actively seeks to reduce them, going beyond the directives defined in concession and line conservation contracts and by the ANTT (Agência Nacional de Transportes Terrestres).

To ensure the maintenance and cleaning of the railway right-of-way areas, ALL follows a chronogram established by the production units and also meets eventual demands from the local municipal governments.

ALL also promotes initiatives aimed at reducing truck congestion in areas close to its terminals. In Rondonópolis, the dual carriageway access to the facility ensures fluid circulation for trucks and prevents bottlenecks on neighboring roads. The vehicles enter the yard before proceeding to the unloading area, preventing queues and congestion. Operations in the area are still awaiting the approval of the Rondonópolis municipal government. In 2014, the area's capacity could be expanded to hold 2 thousand vehicles. Additionally, in the municipalities of Rondonópolis and Alto do Araguaia, a password system permits only the trucks scheduled for unloading to enter, discouraging the formation of queues.

Noise control

In 2013, ALL reformulated its Noise Monitoring Program on the Southern and Western Networks. This was aimed at unifying the methodology used to measure the levels of noise generated by the passage of trains and to detect potential non-conformances and opportunities for improvement. The measurements are taken both during the daytime and at night, at potentially critical locations, such as urban areas, schools, and clinics. The main objective is to assess possible inconveniences caused by the noise generated in railway facilities covered by operating licenses, such as crossings, marshalling yards and workshops, as well as the noise generated by the passage of trains. The noise caused by horns, safety equipment which is indispensable to rail operations, is also measured in certain locations, but the scope for discussions about their use is more limited.

Since 2013, the methodology applied to monitoring combines requirements set forth in federal regulations on noise pollution (used up until this point, comprising Conama Resolution no 001/90 and the NBR 10.151 standard) with the methodology approved in the Cetesb decisions no 100/2009 and no 389/2010 – the only regulations in the country which are fully applicable to measuring noise levels on linear transport systems and which are recommended by Ibama.

The proposals have been under discussion by specialists in partnership with Ibama since 2012, both for the licensing of new ventures and for the environmental program for existing rail networks. The objective of this program is to mitigate impacts on the public by means of measures that are feasible from a technical, economic and environmental perspective.

In parallel, ALL has been working with the national railway agency ANTF (Agência Nacional dos Transportadores Ferroviários) and other sector bodies on the development of specific standards to assess the noise impacts caused by linear transportation systems.

The results show that the level of noise caused by the passage of trains is within the limits established in regulations, which is from 55 to 68 dB(A), with a tolerance of 3 dB(A). On the Southern Network, the results of 52 sound pressure measurements showed that only three (6.8%) were above the limits established by Cetesb. On the Western Network, all the 16 results are within established regulatory limits.

In addition to providing a basis for proposals to mitigate noise, the assessment will be used in ALL programs to be developed for the community in the short term to provide orientation about the use of horns and the need for the public to maintain a distance from railway tracks.

Mitigation measures underway include track and train maintenance to reduce the noise generated by attrition, the acquisition of more modern locomotives (which are more silent) and the closure of clandestine level crossings (neither authorized by ALL nor regulated by the ANTT), reducing the need to sound train horns.

In some situations, sounding the horn is mandatory and is in line with international rail transport safety standards. This should occur at most 200 meters away from crossings, alerting the public to the approach of the train in order to prevent collisions and hitting pedestrians. At crossings, the train always has right of way, in accordance with ANTT standards and standard 215 of the Railway Operations Regulations.

 

Communication

With a focus on open dialogue, the company has been expanding service channels for communities adjacent to its operations. It maintains a presence on the main internet social networks and has the Direct Channel, a toll-free 0800 number which is still the main point of contact between the community and the company. All requests received through these channels are forwarded to the ALL Call Center (CAALL) and receive a response within up to 24 hours. Information about the location of occurrences enables the company to operate in accordance with community needs.

In 2013, ALL received 309 complaints through its call center. Most of these were related to the noise caused by train horns. All the complaints were forwarded to the managers of the production units and the ALL Operational Control Center, which then check that the horn was used correctly and, if necessary, provide orientation for the locomotive engineers.

Preventive measures

During the work on the implantation of the railway between Alto Araguaia (Mato Grosso) and Rondonópolis (Mato Grosso), for example, measures were implanted to raise awareness about safety, health and the environment among surrounding communities and the employees involved in the work. The subjects were addressed in daily meetings (Daily Excellence Training). While the work was in progress, from 2009 to 2013, these meetings reached a total of 125,300 people.

In the activities organized in the municipalities of Itiquira, Ouro Branco and Rondonópolis, communication was focused on proper waste disposal, preservation of natural resources, environmental care, historical heritage and wild animals in the region.

During the duplication of the Paulista Network, the company organized environmental education campaigns in adjacent communities in the São Paulo municipalities of Campinas, Indaiatuba, Salto, Itu, Alumínio, Mairinque, São Roque, Cotia and Embu-Guaçu. In the period from April to September, 4,500 school students in the region took part in these activities.

Two initiatives ensure the systematic provision of information for employees: the Daily Safety Dialogue and the Daily Environmental Dialogue, which take place on the work site, normally at the beginning of the day or soon after lunch, lasting at most 20 minutes. Participations totaled 2,900. The subjects addressed include the typical vegetation of Atlantic Rainforest and measures to protect it, types of pollution and waste generated by the works, water resources and prevention of dengue.

 

Concession model

ALL has sought to publicize information about the concession model under which it operates. This is to increase public knowledge about the system as a means of improving company relations with surrounding communities. Under the division of responsibilities between the concessionaire and the federal government, the company has exclusive responsibility for the works necessary to ensure the maintenance and operation of the railway lines, while the diverse public authorities are charged with the maintenance and improvements to the interfaces between the rail network and the areas around it.

To reduce this impact, ALL seeks to act proactively, developing or supporting projects that benefit the public. By establishing close links with these communities and listening to their demands, the company intends to provide speedier responses to questions for which it is responsible and also to act as a facilitator in issues which depend on the federal government, such as railway bypasses – normally one of the most frequent complaints of municipalities cut by railways.

 

Traditional communities

In 2014, the company intends to invest in strengthening its relations with the traditional communities living in the areas impacted by the railway. Aware that these relations are an integral part of its social license to operate (society's approval for its activities, principally in regions in which the rail network is expanding), ALL has been paying special attention to six indigenous communities that live along two sub-stretches of the Campinas-Santos railway that are to be duplicated, between Embu-Guaçu and Evangelista de Souza and between Paratinga and Perequê, in the Paulista Network.

At the beginning of 2014, ALL was granted the installation license for the works to duplicate these two stretches. In the sections in question, there are six indigenous lands that will be impacted by the duplication of the railway. Accordingly, the company reached an agreement with the indigenous peoples' agency Funai (Fundação Nacional do Índio) to carry out eight social and environmental programs and three sub-programs: Reinforcement Program for Indigenous Organizations; Yvy Rupa Territorial Management program; Rail Safety sub-program; Environmental Management program; Socio-Economic Management Program; Yvy Rupa Guarani Culture Center sub-program; Indigenous Communication program; Differentiated Indigenous Healthcare program; Differentiated Indigenous Education program; Indigenous Environmental Education sub-program; and Indigenous Support and Relocation program for families in traditional areas.

The initiatives were developed with the participation of the six communities living in the region where the line is to be duplicated and were aimed at preventing, mitigating and offsetting risks to the physical and mental well-being of the indigenous population as a result of the works in question. These projects will be executed by ALL over a period of five years. After this, the continuity of the programs will be evaluated.

In Brazil, Funai acts as an intermediary in all relations with indigenous peoples, and ALL has depended on support from this institution in the implantation of a number of projects. The company also relies on its partnership with Funai in negotiations and in conflict management. In 2013, the foundation's support was key in enabling ALL to reach an agreement and reestablish good relations with the indigenous peoples in the Queimada indigenous territory in Ortigueira (Paraná).

In relation to the expansion project and construction of 85 yards and two rail loops in the Western Network for the transportation of iron ore from the Vetria venture in Corumbá, ALL has already forwarded a work plan for the six indigenous territories that will be affected by the project in the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and Sao Paulo. Once this work plan has been approved, ALL will prepare a diagnosis and estimate of the social and environmental impacts of the project in conjunction with the affected communities. As is the case in all projects that cross lands inhabited by traditional communities, ALL's objective is to mitigate and compensate these impacts, with a view to promoting the well-being and autonomy of the indigenous communities.