The request by Portugal’s PSD party for a hearing with IP Infraestruturas de Portugal, S.A., regarding the Porto-Lisboa High-Speed Rail Line (Porto/Oiã section) and the PS party’s request for a hearing with the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing regarding the alteration of the Gaia Station location on the Porto-Lisboa High-Speed Rail Line, were unanimously approved today by a commission of the Assembly of the Republic.
The focus is an alternative proposal for the high-speed rail station in Gaia, whose concession contract stipulates it will be in Santo Ovídio. However, the AVAN Norte consortium (comprising Mota-Engil, Teixeira Duarte, Alves Ribeiro, Casais, Conduril, and Gabriel Couto) aims to construct it elsewhere, in Vilar do Paraíso, an area designated as a National Ecological and Agricultural Reserve.
Last week, the spokesperson for the Association of Companies in the São Caetano Industrial Zone in Gaia expressed to Lusa that the high-speed rail project is “full of opacity,” urging the Government to “assume its responsibilities.” In a parliamentary hearing, they confirmed the existence of “blackmail.”
The association argues that relocating the station, which involves a more surface-level route, would require changes to the layout and lead to previously unplanned expropriations in the São Caetano industrial zone.
The Environmental Compliance Report of the Execution Project (RECAPE) for the Porto-Oiã rail section was made available for public consultation on the portal participa.pt and will remain open until November 11.
The number of demolitions planned for the high-speed rail project between Porto and Oiã is 236, including 185 houses and 45 businesses, according to the RECAPE.
IP is conducting a “technical and legal analysis” of the consortium’s proposal for the Gaia high-speed station, confirming receipt of elements beyond what was submitted in the public tender.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) stated to Lusa in September that its financing of the high-speed line was based on the proposal that met the public tender’s specifications. The initial consortium proposal “reflects the depth and specifications approved during the public tender process and outlined in the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).” It noted that “any material changes to the project would require a formal review by creditors and relevant authorities.”
The Porto-Oiã section of the high-speed rail received EIB funding of 875 million euros, with the section’s total cost being 1.661 billion euros.
The Gaia high-speed station location in Santo Ovídio, with connections to two metro lines (Yellow and Ruby), and the solution of a road-rail bridge over the Douro, have been planned since September 2022, during the project’s initial presentation.
Minister Miguel Pinto Luz stated on October 11 that “as of today, for the State, the station will remain in the planned location,” while noting that the tender document allowed for “solution optimization.” He emphasized the importance of clarifying the matter legally and judicially in September.
In April, the Government assured that “any potential changes must be fully safeguarded from a legal perspective, completely align with the tender document requirements, and ensure municipal agreement.”
The first phase (Porto-Soure) of Portugal’s high-speed line is expected to be completed by 2030, with the second phase (Soure-Carregado) anticipated to finish by 2032, ensuring connection to Lisbon via the Northern Line.
The Porto-Vigo link in Galicia (Spain), set for completion by 2032, is slated to have stations at Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport, Braga, Ponte de Lima, and Valença (Viana do Castelo district).
According to the previous government, the investment costs for the Lisbon-Valença axis are estimated to be between seven and eight billion euros.
