In 1859, Brazilian industrialist Irineu Evangelista de Sousa (better known as the Viscount of Mauá) championed the need to connect São Paulo with the port at Santos by train. The goal was to facilitate coffee exportation. The difficulty was laying a rail over the steep 2,624 foot incline of Serra do Mar (Sea Ridge). A British company accepted the challenge. The São Paulo Railway was finished and this Valongo Station opened in 1867. Today, Estação de Valongo is the departure point for streetcars around Centro Histórico. Tickets are available from the Pelé Museum across the street.