ember 16, 1856. The
mountain section, 5-1/2 m. long, which uses the Riggenbach system from
the terminal to Petropolis, was constructed between 1881 and 1883. The
development of railway construction in Brazil has been impeded to a
great extent by two unfavourable conditions--by the chain of mountains
or plateau escarpments which follow the coast line and obstruct
communication with the interior, and by the detached positions of the
settlements along the Atlantic, which compel the building of lines
from many widely separated points on the coast into a sparsely
populated hinterland. A majority of the ports, from which these roads
are built, are small and difficult of access, and the coasting trade
is restricted to vessels carrying the Brazilian flag. The only ports
having a rich and well-populated country behind them are Rio de
Janeiro and Santos, and these are the terminals of long lines of
railway which are being slowly extended farther into the interior.

The total mileage under traffic at the beginning of 1905 was 10,600
m., divided into 94 separate lines. There were also 745 m. under
construction, 1740 m. under survey, and about 1600 m. projected. Of
the 94 lines under traffic, 45 were operating by virtue of national
and 49 by provincial and state concessions. They were grouped in the
official reports of 1905 as follows:--

Government lines (21):-- Miles.
Administered by the state (6) 2228
Leased to private parties (15) 2174
----- 4402
Private lines (24)--
With national interest guarantees (12) 1290
Without such guarantees (12) 815
----- 2105
Private and state lines operated by
virtue of state concessions, with and
without interest guarantees (49) 4093
------
10,600
======

The policy of the national government has been gradually to lease all
its lines except the Estrada de Ferro Central do Brazil, which is
retained for sentimental reasons. This great railway runs from the
city of Rio de Janeiro westward to the city of Sao Paulo and northward
into the interior of Minas Geraes, with a total len