“I think it is very worrying that CP, a public company directly managed by the government, makes such a decision, I would say secretly, in the middle of August, without providing a clear explanation of why it is necessary,” said the candidate to Lusa today.
The focus is on changes to the international Celta train service, which travels from Porto to Vigo and will require a transfer in Viana do Castelo starting Sunday to “ensure the continuity of service.”
According to CP, this is an “exceptional and temporary” measure, without indicating when the “transitional adjustments” will conclude. This service has been jointly operated with Spain’s Renfe since July 2013, connecting Vigo to Porto with stops in Valença, Viana do Castelo, and Nine.
Manuel Pizarro questions if the solution is indeed temporary, asking, “How long will it last?”
“This decision is a blow to the connection between the North and Galicia, because it is evident that a train connection with a mid-journey transfer loses its attractiveness, it is a false connection,” he argued.
The municipal candidate also criticized the “ill will of centralism that reigns in Portugal regarding connections between the North and Galicia,” which has now “become a concrete act of hostility against Porto and the North” by altering the link to Vigo.
“I think it is especially serious that no one from the government steps forward to provide an explanation. This means the government is ignoring Porto and the North with this decision, treating us like second-class citizens who do not even deserve an explanation,” he accused, considering the situation “worrying and unacceptable.”
Recalling that about 120,000 users use the line annually, Manuel Pizarro sees the need for a transfer as a harbinger of the “intention to definitively interrupt this connection,” asserting that if elected as the mayor of Porto, “there will be a voice” against the “absurd centralism.”
“No matter how well the high-speed operation connecting Porto and Vigo goes, it will not be operational in the next five, six, seven years,” so “it is unimaginable that during this very long period, the direct rail link between Porto, the North of Portugal, and Galicia disappears.”
Renfe assured that the international Celta train, between Porto and Vigo, will make a “simple transfer” in Viana do Castelo and will maintain the same schedules, citing only “operational reasons” as the cause for the service change.
The mayor of Viana do Castelo, Luís Nobre (PS) stated today that he will oversee the “temporary” implementation of the transfer on the Celta train, expected until “mid-December,” and demands investment in the Minho line.
The Eixo Atlântico of the Northwest Peninsula denounced the “betrayal” of making changes to the Celta international train in August, condemning “poor management” and guaranteeing that they will do everything to restore cross-border service levels.
Independent candidate for the Porto City Council Filipe Araújo also accused CP of disinvestment and lack of interest in the Porto-Vigo connection, a “strategic link for Porto and the Northern region.”
Diana Ferreira, CDU candidate for Porto, blamed the government for the changes to the Celta international train, including them in a “broad range of issues that need to be resolved,” and admitted that “the municipality could also have a say on this specific issue.”
BE candidate for Porto City Council, Sérgio Aires, also accused CP of disinvesting in the Celta international train.
