NOT one, but two milestones are likely to be achieved this year in Portugal’s long-anticipated development of a high-speed rail network: the completion of around 90km of mixed passenger and freight track on the new cross-border link with Spain from Évora, and the start of construction of the country’s first domestic high-speed line between Lisbon and Porto.
According to infrastructure manager Infrastructure Portugal (IP), the existing 337km Lisbon - Porto main line carries around 5.5 million passengers per year, while the new high-speed line is expected to carry 11 million passengers in its first year of operation. Around 5 million passengers are forecast to remain on the conventional main line.
Two other high-speed projects are also in the pipeline. Both are new cross-border lines to Spain: a northern extension of the Lisbon - Porto high-speed line towards Vigo in Spain; and an east-west line from Lisbon to Évora where it will join the new line to the Spanish border at Caia, continuing on a new alignment to join the Spanish high-speed network at Badajoz and enable direct services to Madrid.
At present all Portuguese high-speed lines are expected to be built initially to 1668mm-gauge on sleepers that will enable conversion to 1435mm at a later date to maximise interoperability with the existing conventional network, even though the European Union (EU) specifies 1435mm gauge for new lines. Portugal’s pragmatic approach underlines a clear determination to get track laid and trains running, with all other systems, including electrification at 25kV ac and ETCS Level 2, enabling interoperability with other EU-standard high-speed lines.
Lisbon - Porto
Portugal’s flagship high-speed project is the 290km Lisbon - Porto line. Currently costed at €7.8bn, trains will run at 300km/h to achieve an end-to-end journey time of around 1h 15min, compared with 2h 48min achieved by the existing Alfa Pendular service.
The new line is expected to be used by up to 60 high-speed trains in each direction per day, including direct high-speed services between Lisbon and Porto along with services stopping at Aveiro, Gaia and Coimbra and other services starting in either Lisbon or Porto and partially operating on the high-speed line before switching to the conventional network.
Photo: Shutterstock/Sergii Figurnyi
Construction of the new high-speed line is divided into three phases, running south from Porto (see panel below), where work at the city’s Campanhã station will be adapted to allow a future connection with the Northern Extension high-speed project via Porto Airport. The three-phase programme gives maximum operational flexibility by enabling high-speed trains to operate on new high-speed infrastructure as it is completed, and use the conventional network to complete their journey, rather than waiting for the whole line to be completed. It is planned that ETCS will be installed on all sections of the conventional network used by high-speed trains to access new infrastructure.
Phase 1 will run from Porto via Vila Nova de Gaia, Aveiro and Coimbra to Soure. Phase 2 will run from Soure via Leiria to Carregado on the outskirts of Lisbon, while Stage 3 will run from Carregado into Lisbon. Ahead of the construction of Phase 3, a 15km section of the conventional main line north of Lisbon will be widened to four tracks from Alverca via Castanheira do Ribatejo to Carregado, ensuring capacity for up to five high-speed trains per hour.
A new road-rail bridge will be built across the River Douro in Porto, as well as a new station at Vila Nova de Gaia that will be 50-60m below ground, served by the Yellow Line and under-construction Ruby Line of the Porto light metro network. In Aveiro and Coimbra the existing stations will be adapted to high-speed operation. In Leiria, an additional station will be built serving both high-speed and conventional services.
In Lisbon, a new rolling stock depot will be built near Lisbon Oriente station while another three tracks will be added on the west side of the station. The station will also be future-proofed for later expansion, including a new bridge over the River Tagus.
Concession agreements
After considerable evaluation of the alternatives, IP proposed a series of public-private partnership (PPP) concession agreements for the development of the project over traditional construction procurement processes, with the aim of avoiding the problems that have delayed other high-speed projects.
“Many in the industry are now looking at alternative models to finance high-speed projects to ensure that they can comply with the timeframes that have been set,” explains Helena Matos, director of IP’s high-speed division.
“The PPP model we have developed that provides for concessionaires to design, build, finance and maintain specified sections of line is now widely viewed as best practice, as it allows the risks and benefits to be allocated to the most appropriate party,” she says.
Not included in the PPP packages for the Lisbon - Porto line are modifications to Aveiro station, connections to the national electricity network to feed the traction power supply system, signalling and telecommunications systems, the upgrade of the 15km of conventional line between Alverca and Carregado, work at Lisbon Oriente, and maintenance facilities.
IP deputy CEO, Carlos Fernandes, notes that there has been great interest in the first tender for signalling and telecommunications systems for Phase 1 that is due to be launched this month and is worth around €300m. The contract will comprise the design, construction and maintenance of equipment for a 20-year period.
Much of the first stage of the environmental impact assessment for the Lisbon - Porto line has already been undertaken by IP, which has completed the declaration of environmental impact that defines a 400m-wide corridor reserved for the new line for both phases 1 and 2, from Porto to Carregado. As concessionaires are appointed it will be their responsibility to take on the second stage of the process by submitting detailed environmental plans for approval.
PPP1
So far three PPPs have been announced: two for Phase 1 and one for Phase 2. The first, PPP1, was tendered in 2024 and signed in July 2025 and involves a 30-year concession contract for the 71km Porto - Oiã section. A deal with a net present value (NPV) at December 2023 prices of €1.66bn was agreed by IP and Avan Norte, a company established by the LusoLav consortium of Mota-Engil, Teixeira Duarte, Casais, Alves Ribeiro, Conduril Engenharia and Gabriel Couto. LusoLav was awarded the concession in October 2024.
Avan Norte in turn signed an €875m financing agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB), the first tranche of a €3bn financing package for the Lisbon - Porto project that was approved by the EIB in 2024. The EIB loan for the Porto - Oiã section is partially guaranteed by the European Union’s (EU) InvestEU programme and is the largest single contract signed by the EIB under InvestEU, according to the bank.
In addition to the EIB loan, the Porto - Oiã concession will be funded with:
- €900m secured from national and international financial institutions
- €480m in EU grant support under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), and
- €150m subsidy from IP.
Local media reports suggested that LusoLav was proposing to move the planned underground station at Vila Nova de Gaia to a new surface-level location 2km outside the city centre, but Fernandes is clear that the new underground station will be built as specified in the concession contract.
Over the five-year development period, Avan Norte will design, plan and build all of the specified infrastructure, including 11km of tunnels, 13km of bridges and viaducts, and a 17km connection to the Lisbon - Porto main line near Canelas. Following completion, LusoLav will make the new infrastructure available and maintain it for a period of 25 years, excluding Porto Campanhã station and the surface component of the new station at Vila Nova de Gaia. “We expect construction of this section to start in the third quarter of this year,” Fernandes says.
PPP2
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing relaunched the tender for PPP2, covering the 61km section from Oiã to Soure. The project includes adapting Coimbra-B station for high-speed trains, 22km of connections to the conventional network near Oiã, Adémia and Taveiro, including an 8km section of the Lisbon - Porto main line to be widened from two to four tracks between Coimbra-B and Taveiro, 25km of bridges and viaducts and less than 1km of tunnels.
Bids are due to be submitted to IP by May 25 and Matos says that the 30-year concession contract will be awarded for a maximum NPV of €1.6bn at December 2023 prices. It will comprise a development and construction period, estimated at five-and-a-half years, and an infrastructure availability period of
24.5 years during which the concessionaire will maintain the new line.
The original tender for the Oiã - Soure concession for a total of 71km was launched in July 2024, but was terminated the following year “due to the lack of valid proposals received,” according to the government. The sole bidder was the LusoLav III consortium of Mota-Engil, Teixeira Duarte, Casais, Alves Ribeiro, Conduril, and Gabriel Couto. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing cancelled the contract following concerns raised about the consortium’s proposal to alter the location of the planned station at Coimbra-B to Taveiro, outside the city. This move would not have complied with the contract specifications.
Matos says that going through the original process for PPP2 was beneficial as it allowed IP to fine-tune the tender documents while it achieved a better understanding of how certain elements were priced by the private sector.
Unlike the first time, more than one bidder is expected for PPP2. “Based on the requests we have received for clarifications, we have several consortia that are preparing to bid,” Matos says. “And we expect that we will be in a position to award the contract with the winning concessionaire by the end of this year, and to sign it next year.”
PPP3
The second phase of the Lisbon - Porto high-speed line will be constructed under a third PPP agreement, covering 130km (formerly 120km, but now including 10km originally included in PPP2) between Soure and Carregado, with 5km of tunnels, 31km of bridges and viaducts and 9km of connections to the conventional network, as well as the realignment of 8km of the Lisbon - Figueira da Foz line.
“We have a mandate from the government to release the tender documents for PPP3 later this year,” Matos says. “We expect this to be towards the end of the summer, and then to sign the contract with the winning concessionaire by the end of next year.”
The total investment value of this contract is still under discussion but likely to be over €3bn, compared with the previous two which are roughly €2.4bn each.
The final section of the Lisbon - Porto high-speed project, known as Phase 3, involves the construction of around 30km of new line through Lisbon’s northern suburbs. To be built under what is likely to be PPP4, it has effectively been put on the back burner and might not make progress until the mid-2030s. “We have enough capacity between Carregado and central Lisbon using the conventional main line, and the reduction in journey time for this phase would only amount to 3 minutes at the most, so we are focusing on other sections at present,” Fernandes explains.
Northern Extension
Even though construction has yet to start on the Lisbon - Porto high-speed line, a considerable amount of preliminary work has been undertaken to continue the northern trajectory of the line across the border to Vigo in Spain. Here it would connect with the existing Vigo - Santiago de Compostela - A Coruña 200km/h line, creating a high-speed corridor from Lisbon to A Coruña and potentially serving 10 million inhabitants across both countries.
The project, which includes the construction of 112km of new line, 30km of tunnels and 25km of bridges and viaducts, is due to be built in two phases. Phase 1 includes work on sections at both ends of the line in Portugal. One is between Braga and Valença on the Spanish border, and the other is a short section from Porto to Porto Airport. Phase 2 would run from the airport to Nine, leaving a short section of conventional line between Nine and Braga that, under current plans, will be used by high-speed trains but not upgraded. The project includes the construction of a new through station in Braga, along with the construction of a small maintenance depot.
Matos says that IP and its Spanish counterpart Adif are working together closely through a joint venture, Avep, to ensure coordinated development of the project.
“We expect the environmental declaration of approval by the end of this year,” Matos says. “At the moment we have a mandate from the government to tender a single PPP to cover all the works planned in Phase 1 and we expect this to happen before the end of this year.”
Lisbon - Madrid
Portugal’s third potential high-speed project is ironically at the most advanced stage, with 90km of new 250km/h line between Évora and the border at Caia, west of Badajoz in Spain, effectively completed and awaiting certification. Originally planned to improve cross-border freight connections with Spain, this section of line, designated as Phase 1, has been included in plans unveiled last autumn by Portugal, Spain and the European Commission (EC) for the development of a 500km high-speed line between Lisbon and Madrid.
The project falls within the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Atlantic Corridor, connecting Portugal and Spain with France and Germany. In Spain, the 195km Badajoz - Cáceres - Plasencia line, which is mainly designed for 200km/h operation, has been completed. The 300km/h 68.8km Plasencia - Talayuela section is due to enter service by the end of 2028. Combined with the progressive electrification of the conventional line from Talayuela to Humanes, this will reduce the journey times between the two capitals to 5 hours, prior to the completion of high-speed infrastructure between Talayuela and Madrid.
Photo: Infrastructure Portugal
To deliver a 3-hour journey time between Lisbon and Madrid by the end of 2034, studies for the Lisbon - Évora high-speed section will be completed by the end of 2027, the same deadline for studies relating to the high-speed section between Caia and Badajoz in Spain.
Construction of the 200km of line in Portugal is split into two phases. Phase 1, the single-track line between Évora, Elvas and the Spanish border at Caia, is virtually complete as mentioned above. Phase 2 from Lisbon to Évora could include new stations at Évora and Elvas and a loop to serve Lisbon’s new airport.
Entry into Lisbon will be provided by the new Third Tagus Bridge (TTT), a 7km double-deck structure with four tracks below and a six-lane road above, estimated to cost €2.1bn. The bridge is critical to a 3-hour capital-to-capital journey time as it is expected to enable a 30 minute reduction in total journey time.
“What is new here is combining the high-speed project with the new airport project,” Matos says. Luís de Camões Airport is currently under construction at Alcochete on the south bank of the River Tagus. The project, aimed at relieving congestion at the existing Humberto Delgado Airport in northern Lisbon, is expected to be completed in 2034 at an estimated cost of €9bn.
“We are working closely with the airport team and the preliminary designs for Phase 2 of the high-speed line include a direct line that avoids the airport and a loop line to enable some services to call there,” Matos says. “Providing a direct line with a potential maximum speed of 300km/h will enable us to meet the planned journey times, without having to go much slower on the loop line.”
Matos says she expects designs to be finalised, along with the environmental studies, during the first half of this year, with a PPP tender likely to follow in 2028.
Future projects
Spain and Portugal are also in discussions on the development of other high-speed corridors, such as a line between Aveiro and Salamanca and a line between Faro and Seville, which would connect with the Seville - Madrid high-speed line.
“We are looking into a number of studies for these links and working jointly with Adif, but at the moment our attention is focused mainly on the other cross-border links: Porto - Vigo and Lisbon - Madrid,” Fernandes says. With momentum for high-speed projects building across Europe and Portugal aiming to complete new lines as soon as possible, it might well be that other corridors are completed much faster than anyone could imagine.
High-speed development timetable
Lisbon - Porto:
Phase 1: Porto – Soure 2024
• PPP1 and PPP2 tenders launched.
2025
• Contract and financing signed for PPP1, Porto - Oiã section.
2026
• PPP2 tender relaunched.
2026-2030
• Construction of Porto - Oiã section
2027
• PPP2 contract signed
2027-2032
• Construction of Oiã - Soure section
Phase 2: Soure – Carregado
2026-2027
• Tender launched for Soure - Carregado PP3 package.
2028–2033
• Construction of Soure - Leiria - Carregado section
Phase 3: Carregado - Lisbon
2032 onwards
• Construction of Carregado - Lisbon Oriente section
Northern Extension: Porto - Vigo
Phase 1: Valença - Braga and Porto Airport - Porto
2026-2028
• Single PPP tendered for both Phase 1 sections
2028-2033
• Construction of both Phase 1 sections
Phase 2: Porto Airport - Nine
2032 onwards
• Construction of Phase 2
Lisbon - Madrid
Phase 1: Évora - Elvas
2023-2026
• Construction of Évora - Elvas - Caia section
Phase 2: Lisbon - Évora
2026-2027
• Environmental impact assessment (EIA) undertaken.
2028-2029
• PPP tendered for Phase 2.
2029-2034
• Construction of Phase 2
• Target Lisbon - Madrid journey time by 2030: 5 hours
• Target Lisbon - Madrid journey time by 2034: 3 hours
Portugal’s first high-speed fleet
AT the start of this year, the Portuguese cabinet granted approval for national operator Portuguese Trains (CP) to purchase up to 20 high-speed trains for services between Lisbon and Porto.
This comprises a firm order for 12 and an option for a further eight trains, each accommodating 500 passengers and capable of operating at up to 300km/h. According to the government, this represents an investment of €584m, including €45m to build and equip a new dedicated fleet maintenance facility at Contumil, near Porto.
The order is intended to prepare CP to be become the dominant high-speed operator in Portugal, establishing a dedicated subsidiary and also preparing for eventual cross-border operation to Spain.
However, open-access operators are already eyeing up the Portuguese market. Last year Iryo, which launched services in Spain in 2022, said it was considering operating on two routes in Portugal: the Atlantic Corridor, linking Lisbon with northern Spain via Porto, and Lisbon - Madrid.
