Portugal begins construction of high-speed rail line linking Lisbon and Porto

Portugal initiated construction on Monday of a high-speed rail line connecting Lisbon and Porto. The inaugural segment will link Porto-Campanhã and Oiã in the Aveiro district, cutting the travel time between the two cities to just 1 hour and 15 minutes upon completion. The government views this high-speed project as a crucial component of Portugal's national airport strategy, supporting the emerging Lisbon airport and strengthening rail connections with Spain.

By 2034, the project aims to reduce the journey between Lisbon and Madrid to approximately three hours. Miguel Pinto Luz, Portugal's minister of infrastructure and housing, emphasized that high-speed rail lines, alongside the new Lisbon airport, represent the country's most significant infrastructure undertakings this century. Minister Luz stressed the importance of broad national consensus on high-speed rail and the need for substantial investment in the railway system.

The Porto-Oiã section, spanning 71 kilometers, will feature a new road-rail bridge over the Douro River, a new station at Vila Nova de Gaia-Santo Ovídio, and upgrades to the Porto-Campanhã Intermodal Station. The concession contract for this section, signed on July 29, 2025, is valued at around €2 billion and will be partly financed by the European Investment Bank at €875 million and the Connecting Europe Facility at €480 million.

This Public-Private Partnership project is vital for the public passenger transport ecosystem and serves as a foundational element for the region, aligning with the European Commission's goal of doubling passenger rail traffic and promoting a multimodal, sustainable transportation approach.