[1][2] In the 19th century, the economy of Maranhão was based on the export of cotton and operated by steamship companies on the Itapecuru River, which bordered the producing regions, such as the municipality of Caxias.

[4] Former President Afonso Pena visited Maranhão, took a trip down the Itapecuru River in the company of the then Governor Benedito Leite, noticed the difficulty of navigation and authorized the construction of the railway.

The stretch that goes through Campo de Perizes, in Bacabeira, required the removal of its tracks in the process of widening BR-135, to accommodate the central median that separates the two lanes.

[1] The São Luís-Teresina Railway was essential for the people who still live in the valleys of the Itapecuru, Mearim and Pindaré rivers, contributing to Maranhão's economic activity and the cultural formation of the region.

The João Pessoa Station in São Luís, which housed the railroad's administration and was a point of embarkation and disembarkation until the 1980s until it was transferred to the Tirirical neighborhood, was listed as a historic heritage site in 1986.

[53][54] In November 2020, the Maranhão Railway and Port Museum was inaugurated with the construction of a square in honor of carnival artist Joãosinho Trinta and an exhibition of the Benedito Leite locomotive.

[1][55][56][57] The landmark decree for the Teresina Railway Station, which opened in 1926, was published on March 25, 2013, in recognition of the building as a symbol of Brazil's integration process.

The measure also provided for the construction of the Citizenship Park and included music and dance schools, a library, a cinema and an amphitheater.