Infraestruturas de Portugal and the consortium of Sacyr Neopul/Sacyr Somague signed the electrification contract for the rail section between Faro and Vila Real de Santo António, on the Algarve Line.
EUR 20.45 million is the value of the contract which covers the electrification of 56 km of rail, the improvement of the exiting stations and stops, the installation of audio-information systems and replacement of the lighting system on the passenger platforms. The infrastructure will be equipped with new signalling and telecommunications systems, improving the operating and safety conditions.
At the signing ceremony held on November 2 at Vila Real de Santo António Station, the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Pedro Nuno Santos, the Mayor of Vila Real de Santo António, Álvaro Araújo attended.
This Algarve Line project is part of the Ferrovia 2020 rail modernisation plan and is implemented under two contracts. This electrification contract is the first one and the second contract covers the railway section between Tunes and Lagos for which a tender has been launched in August 2021. The electrification works for the 45-km long Tunes-Lagos section worth EUR 30 million and are expected to be carried out in the near future. The rail line between Tunes and Faro is already equipped with an electric traction system.
The EUR 80 million project supported by the European Union through the EUR 11.8 billion Compete2020 programme includes the development of the studies, the execution of the two electrification contracts (on the Tunes – Lagos and Faro – Vila Real de Santo António section), the construction of an electric traction substation in Olhão and the expansion of Tunes electric traction substation. The execution of the contracts are associated with railway telecommunications systems.
The electrification of the Algarve Line, covering a total of 140 km, will ensure important benefits in terms of safety, efficiency, quality of service and environmental sustainability. Following the project completion, the electric trains will provide modern, comfortable and fast services, reducing the journey time between Lagos and Vila Real de Santo António by 25 minutes. In addition to the advantages in terms of speed and safety, the reinforcement of the operating capacity will make it possible to increase the number of passengers in the Algarve’s metropolitan area.
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