The report accompanying the 2026 State Budget proposal outlines a projected increase in costs for road services in 2026. It anticipates net expenses of 802 million euros, compared to the current year’s forecast of 950 million euros.
The increase in gross expenses is attributed to “higher estimated costs for major pavement repairs, based on the latest estimates from the Institute for Mobility and Transport.”
Additionally, it is due to “increased costs from rebalancing/compensations, with higher estimated payments to the Beira Interior concessionaire. This results from the implementation of Law No. 37/2024, dated August 7, and Decree-Law No. 119/2024, dated December 31. These laws established a temporary regime where the concessionaire is annually prepaid 80% of the estimated gross revenue until the dispute regarding toll elimination in this concession is resolved.”
There is also an “increase in costs related to subcontractor service fees, due to higher projected traffic growth compared to the 2025 State Budget Report projections,” it noted.
Railway PPPs are also expected to incur higher than estimated expenses.
“Comparing the 2026 State Budget Report projection with the previous one, there is a noticeable increase in net expenses for the period from 2026 to the end of the railway partnerships. This is evident when comparing the projected figure for 2026 in the current report (231 million euros) with the previous report’s figure (23 million euros),” it indicated.
The cost increase is primarily due to “the extension of the Metro do Porto partnership’s subcontract until the first quarter of 2027, following prior negotiations. Initially, it was scheduled to end in the first quarter of 2025.” Additionally, the contract for the first high-speed rail line concession has been signed.
Concurrently, the report projects increased revenue from PPPs, mainly due to inflation and anticipated traffic growth in road services.
In the railway sector, it forecasts “the start of a revenue projection driven by projected infrastructure usage fees associated with the high-speed rail line partnership,.”
