The company has announced that the only change to note involves the operation of single train units (composed of four carriages) throughout all schedules during the day.
Tonight, changes are minimal, with the last trains departing from Roma/Areeiro at 00:53 (to Setúbal) and 01:23 (to Coina). On public holidays, the last trains usually leave at 23:33 and 00:43, respectively.
Lisbon is celebrating the Santo António holiday on June 13th, marked by festivities tonight, with disruptions expected in city transport due to a 24-hour Carris strike and a nighttime Metro assembly.
In response to the service suspension announced by the Lisbon Metro from 20:00, the Lisbon City Council (CML) has announced some alternatives to “mitigate the impacts” of the metro stoppage.
In a press release, the council stated that CP – Comboios de Portugal will provide one train per hour on the Cascais Line and a train every 30 minutes on the Sintra Line during the early morning hours (a period when services are typically suspended).
Trains will depart from Cais do Sodré towards Cascais at 02:30, 03:30, and 04:30; and from Rossio to Sintra at 01:30, 02:00, 02:30, 03:00, 03:30, 04:00, 04:30, 05:00, and 05:30.
The Azambuja Line will also be reinforced with two trains during the night, departing from Santa Apolónia at 01:30 and 03:30.
The 14 special trains represent 21,000 additional seats compared to the regular offer, according to CP’s press release.
Ferry services will be enhanced from Terreiro do Paço, with boats departing for Montijo/Seixal and Barreiro at 02:00 and 05:00.
Among other solutions, the council also mentioned that there will be more pick-up and drop-off stations for taxi and TVDE services in the areas of Martim Moniz, Praça da Alegria, and Marquês de Pombal.
Earlier, in statements to Lusa, CML President Carlos Moedas had announced that the use of Carris buses will be free from 18:00 today until 08:00 Friday morning.
The CML advises residents and visitors to use alternative public transport and to walk “whenever possible, especially those heading to the more central areas of the city.”
Carlos Moedas deemed it “unacceptable” that the CML was only informed of the Metro’s stoppage due to the workers’ assembly on Wednesday night.
The lack of advance notice does not allow for the arrangement of “minimal services” and will inconvenience Lisbon residents “on the city’s most important night,” he remarked, calling the stoppage “unprecedented and unusual.”
“This makes no sense, especially on such an important day for Lisbon. The people of Lisbon are being hurt by political decisions and motivations [and] we are harming an entire city. I think it is unacceptable. This goes beyond everything,” he lamented.
Despite the appeal from the company managing the Lisbon Metro to reschedule tonight’s assembly, the employees will maintain the assembly from 20:00.
“It’s neither an unprecedented nor an unusual idea. We often hold assemblies at night, and regarding claims that there are no negotiation topics warranting this, I would remind them that there are 14 issues which, if addressed, would have unlocked this assembly,” said Sara Gligó, from the Federation of Transport and Communications Unions (Fectrans), to Lusa.
