Plan in march despite the fall of the government

The railroad plan will continue to march. The government approved later this week, in the Council of Ministers, the great strategic priorities for this sector and there is no re -giving, even with the fall of the Executive, the sunrise learned.

At issue are several studies that will be carried out by Portugal's infrastructure, in relation to three road investments. We talk about modernization and electrification the Vouga line, connecting to the North Line « in full conditioning conditions », but also the evaluation of the options for a direct connection of the West to Lisbon, namely to the waistline and the reinforcement of the transionic connections to Spain, including the high speed connection between Porto/Bragança/Spain, the connection between Aveiro/Salamanca and the high -speed connection and the high speed call Between Faro/Huelva.

And the explanation is simple: 'affirming the rail network, in a medium and long term horizon, such as a high capacity and environmental sustainability mode, ensuring adequate territory coverage of the most relevant urban centers, as well as the Iberian transfrontic connections and integration into the transeuropeia network'.

The Council of Ministers' resolution also gives priority to the development of the high-speed rail network currently underway (Porto-Lisboa, Porto-Vigo and Lisbon-Madrid) as well as the conventional rail network. «It is decisive for Portugal to recover the delay in the railroad. Defining priorities and betting on rail modernization is a complex process that has been going on for years and we have to have the courage to continue if we want to honor international commitments and, above all, commitments to the Portuguese, ”said Miguel Pinto Luz, Minister of Infrastructure and Housing.

Risks on the table

The risks on the railroad have been given. At the end of last year, the Mobility and Transport Authority (AMT) launched a report on the execution of investments in the railway infrastructure where the railway 2020 plan began in 2015 and that it was expected to be completed in the last quarter of 2021, “with the completion of the works in the row of Cascais and the Aveiro-Mangualde itinerary, which, however, was removed to be completely expected to stay Completed in the 3rd quarter of 2028, that is, with a delay of at least about 7 years ».

And it points out that, in the budget execution of the railway plan 2020, « the maximum value reached in the 8 years already elapsed, was about 72 %, with approximately 62 %, which evidently competes for the delays verified. »

Still looking at the ongoing investments at this date, as is the case of the PNI 2030 and the Mondego Metro Mobility System that started in 2021, AMT warned that “it is noted in these initial three years, that the average budget execution was low, respectively 34 % and 52 %, which can now indicate delays in the completion of projects, with the consequent negative impacts on economy and economic terms and social ».

And left recommendations to the government to make an external audit to the railway investment plan which, it seems, was accepted, he assured IP. « The recommendation marked (from the Mobility and Transport Authority (AMT)), of conducting an external audit, with the intervention of a specialized entity in the field of public works, (…) will certainly be an essential element for process improvements and application of future corrective measures to investments, » said the company's official source to Lusa.

In numbers, the AMT report reveals that the investment value has already accumulated from 2015 to 2023 and what is expected to perform in the railway infrastructure up to 2028 and the following years, totals 6,202.3 million euros.

Airport is again headache

Unlike the railroad, the future location of Lisbon airport may be compromised. Although the government has advanced with Alcochete, the sunrise knows that there may not have been an agreement with the PS regarding the place of the new infrastructure. The decision was made by the executive, following the recommendation of the independent technical committee.

To our newspaper, José Furtado, a specialist in Strategic Transport Infrastructure Planning believes that this project will be suspended and that it is on the table, for now, is to increase Portela's current airport, as was expected. « There is no hurry at this time, » he said.