PORTUGUESE infrastructure manager Infrastructure Portugal (IP) has awarded Hitachi Rail and partners two contracts for the Lisbon - Cascais commuter line. Hitachi, together with SISINT and Conecticabo will modernise telecommunications and passenger information systems on the 25km line, one of Lisbon’s busiest.
The partners will deliver a new passenger information system to all stations on the line to provide real-time updates on train operations. Upgrades to the line’s telecoms include revamping data, time, energy and Scada systems.
The contracts build on an existing agreement to upgrade the line’s signalling system by installing an ETCS Level 2 interlocking.
“Hitachi Rail’s involvement demonstrates our commitment to delivering digital solutions that enhance both operational efficiency and the passenger experience,” says Joaquim Santos, vice-president, ICS Business Line, of Hitachi Rail.
In 2023 state-owned operator Portuguese Railways (CP) selected a consortium of Alstom and Domingos da Silva Teixeira to supply 34 new EMUs to replace 29 older trains on the Cascais line. The trains were part of a wider order for 117 new trains.
This followed the contract award a year earlier to the Fergrupo consortium of Comsa and CTF to modernise the line’s track and catenary, including changing the overhead electrification system from 1.5kV dc to 25V ac, as used elsewhere on the national network.
