“There is no privatization of the CP. Will there be sub-concessions for the system to work better? Yes,” stated Miguel Pinto Luz at the Infrastructure, Mobility and Housing Commission in the Assembly of the Republic in Lisbon, responding to questions from PS deputy and former Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Frederico Francisco.
The sub-concessions refer to the possibility, as outlined in legislation, for CP to temporarily grant the operation of part of its passenger rail transport services to a private company through a tender, without CP losing its position as the network’s concessionaire.
This process involves the temporary transfer of assets and workers to the sub-concessionaire, which takes over the operation.
The Government’s Program already mentioned “launching tenders for the concession of specific railway lines and accelerating the opening to competition on lines that allow the simultaneous operation of several operators.”
According to the Secretary of State for Mobility, Cristina Pinto Dias, within this framework, necessary studies will be conducted to analyze the various options.
Regarding the high-speed railway line, the Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Hugo Espírito Santo, indicated that timelines are being “scrupulously met,” with plans to launch and approve “very soon” the second tender for the section between Oiã (Oliveira do Bairro) and Coimbra.
