The government plans to appoint Professor Emídio Gomes as both President of the Board of Directors and CEO of the Metro do Porto for the 2025-2027 term, as stated in a letter from the Ministry of Infrastructures and Housing to the Metropolitan Area of Porto (AMP).
The office of Miguel Pinto Luz noted that, according to Metro do Porto’s statutes, this appointment requires consultation with the AMP as a shareholder. Therefore, the government requested a formal opinion from the AMP regarding the proposed candidate.
The agenda for the Metropolitan Council of Porto meeting, scheduled for Friday, includes items concerning Metro do Porto, such as the “opinion on the government’s proposed candidate for President of the Board of Directors” and the “appointment of AMP representatives, non-executive members, to the Board of Directors.”
Emídio Gomes, current rector of UTAD and former head of the Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Norte from 2013 to 2016, holds a degree in Zootechnical Engineering (UTAD) and a master’s and doctorate in Biomedical Sciences (University of Porto). He has been a tenured professor at the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar in Porto since 2000.
He also served as Pro-Rector of the University of Porto for Innovation and Business Relations (2009-2011) and as Executive Administrator of the Metropolitan Junta of Porto (2005-2009), predecessor to the current AMP.
His curriculum includes chairmanship of the Board of the Innovation Agency (2002-2005) and membership in the Consulting Board of COTEC (2003-2006) and the Strategic Council of the University of Minho (2003-2009).
He will replace Tiago Braga, who transitioned from the administration of Metro do Porto, where he had been since 2016, to presidency in 2019, appointed by the PS government. His term was renewed in 2022.
The formal mandate of the current president ended in late 2024, but he has continued his duties since.
On July 1, the subcontract for the operation and maintenance of Metro do Porto with ViaPorto was extended until March 2027, allowing the company to spend up to 435 million euros.
The contract with the Barraqueiro Group company, dating back to 2018, ended on June 30 of this year and was extended for 21 months, after already being prolonged for three months on April 1.
As of June 30, the process for awarding a new “Subcontract for the Operation and Maintenance of the Light Rail System in the Metropolitan Area of Porto” had not concluded, prompting the government to extend the contract for a maximum of 21 months.
In October 2024, the Technical Project Monitoring Unit of the Ministry of Finance formed a project team to prepare a new subcontract for Metro do Porto.
Inquiries to the ministries of Infrastructure and Housing and Finance regarding this contract renewal remain unanswered.
Currently, Metro do Porto operates six lines with 85 stations across the municipalities of Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, Matosinhos, Maia, Gondomar, Vila do Conde, and Póvoa de Varzim.
Under construction are the Rosa Line (G) between São Bento and Casa da Música (Porto) and the Rubi Line (H) between Santo Ovídio (Vila Nova de Gaia) and Casa da Música (Porto).
The Casa da Música – Império metrobus, contracted and executed by Metro do Porto and to be operated by Sociedade de Transportes Coletivos do Porto (STCP), is also pending operational status.
