[2] The 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge transcontinental railroad megaproject proposed to link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans by cutting through the Amazon rainforest.
[8] Past development projects have endangered native peoples with the introduction of violence from illegal loggers and cattle ranchers.
[citation needed] Some analysts believe that the railroad is preferential to a trans-continental highway network, as the majority of deforestation happens around roads.
[11] The proposed railway would re-use a good portion of already deforested land, reducing impact.
[13] China has encouraged this project both with direct funding and by lifting bans on South American beef imports.