The German-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and Industry analysed the opportunities to innovate and the challenges of the Portugal railway sector, during an event also attended by the representatives of Infraestruturas de Portugal.
For Portugal, the resumption and stability of investment in railways is of great importance for ongoing and future projects for 2030 and post-2030-time horizon. This is an essential factor for predictability that is necessary for the resizing of the construction and public works sector, as well as for the management of knowledge, critical skills and talent management and retention.
Infraestruturas de Portugal is committed to efficiency, decarbonisation and the use of renewable energy in its activities, which contributes to Portugal’s competitiveness at international scale. With ambitious targets for the mobility and transport sector for 2030 and 2040, Infraestruturas de Portugal is making its contribution, including, for example, the production of photovoltaic solar energy for traction or the transformation of some processes incorporating circular economy concerns.
The infrastructure manager is modernising and expanding the rail network with projects including the Porto – Lisbon, Porto – Vigo or Lisbon – Madrid high-speed lines, and the new connection to Sines. These are some of the most important expansion projects that aim to overcome transport capacity restrictions, modernising the network and increasing competitiveness and cohesion of the territory and delivering passengers with better connections and fast services.
The German-Portuguese Symposium “Opportunities and challenges of Portugal railway sector” was attended by 12 German companies, as well as the representatives of Infraestruturas de Portugal, CP-Comboios de Portugal, Metro do Porto and the Portuguese Railway Competence Centre (Associação Centro de Competências Ferroviário).
Portugal aims at a 43% reduction of GHG emissions by 2030, 85% by 2040 and 98% by 2050 compared to the 2005 levels of the transport sector. The contribution of rail transport is essential for achieving these objectives. The country intends to double the market share of railway passenger and freight transport by 2050 which means rail passenger transport should achieve a market share of 20% while the freight sector, to 40%.
In 2023, EUR 621 million was the investment in railways, which increased by 31% compared to the previous year. From 2024 to 2026, Portugal plans a EUR 3 billion investment in transport infrastructure, of which the largest portion, of over EUR 2 billion, will be used for the modernisation of 1,000 km of railway infrastructure. In 2025, the investment to support rail projects is estimated at EUR 597.8 million, increasing to EUR 709 million in 2026.
Infraestruturas de Portugal is focused on the improvement of international connections which include the North Corridor on the Leixões/Aveiro – Vilar Formoso route, the South Corridor, connecting Sines and Caia and on the enhancement on the railway in accessibility to national ports.
Portugal’s railway sector will benefit from increased competitiveness through the reduction of time travel and transport costs as well as increased capacity allowing more services and longer freight trains (750m). In addition, Portugal is committed to increase the interoperability which will be achieved by the electrification of the network from currently 65% to 85% and the installation of the ERTMS on 30% of the national network.
Some the priority projects are:
- Porto – Lisbon high-speed railway;
- Porto – Valença with the first phase between Braga-Valença – to the Spanish Border;
- Quadrupling Contumil (neighborhood in Porto) – Ermesinde on the Minho Line;
- Quadrupling Alverca – Castanheira do Ribatejo on the Linha Norte;
- Doubling the Poceirão – Bombel section on the Alentejo Line;
- The modernisation and expansion of Sines – Grândola connection;
- Modernisation and electrification of the Caldas da Rainha – Louriçal section of the Oeste Linha;
- Modernisation and electrification of the Régua – Pocinho section on Douro Linha;
- Modernisation and electrification of the Casa Branca – Beja section on Alentejo Line;
- Upgrading the Vouga Line;
- Increasing capacity on the Ramal de Alfarelos (rail branch connecting Oeste and Norte lines);
- Developing studies for Linha do Leste electrification.
Other projects to be implemented include the increase of renewable energy consumption targets, the total decarbonisation and promoting the competitiveness of Portugal railway sector by making traction energy available to railway companies at lower and more stable prices.
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