A proposal from the consortium comprising Mota-Engil, Teixeira Duarte, Alves Ribeiro, Casais, Conduril, and Gabriel Couto, responsible for the first section of the high-speed rail line between Porto and Oiã, suggests relocating the high-speed train station in Gaia from Santo Ovídio to Vilar do Paraíso.
If approved by Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP), this change would mean abandoning the planned connection to the Yellow Line at the D. João II and Santo Ovídio metro stations, as the original plan converged the high-speed line with Porto Metro’s Yellow and Rubi Lines at Santo Ovídio.
As compensation, the Lusolav consortium suggests extending the currently under-construction Rubi Line to the new station at Vilar do Paraíso, including the creation of a new intermediate station at Laborim, according to the project’s descriptive memorandum.
This would require passengers to make a transfer to reach the Yellow Line, rather than having direct access at Santo Ovídio.
Municipal documents regarding the proposal highlight the complexity of extending the Rubi Line from Santo Ovídio, due to the high density and overlapping infrastructures in the area. The work would necessitate diverting road access westward over a landscaped slope, which could negatively impact the nearby residential buildings.
Lusolav has also proposed sharing costs between the consortium (for heavy construction work) and Metro do Porto (for installing the line and related equipment) to connect to the potential new station.
Despite the station’s potential removal from between Santo Ovídio and D. João II metro stations, municipal services emphasize that the municipality should proceed with the detailed planning already in development for the area.
Architect and urban planner Joan Busquets proposed developing a ‘kiss and ride’ plaza at the current Santo Ovídio roundabout, envisioned as the convergence point for the high-speed rail line and Porto Metro’s Yellow and Rubi Lines.
In the November 2023 version of the plan, Busquets suggests paving to unify the urban space of Santo Ovídio, including the current roundabout, the upper part of the future Rubi line station, and a traffic island between Avenida da República and Rua de Soares dos Reis.
The plan also aims to use consistent paving to connect the old Santo Ovídio chapel with the new parish church, transforming the busy roundabout with seven intersections into a plaza.
A “great plaza” was also envisioned near the D. João II metro station for the subterranean Santo Ovídio high-speed rail station, as well as a large capacity terminal for both urban and regional buses.
Additionally, the plan foresaw reducing the prominence of vehicular traffic at the Santo Ovídio Roundabout, converting it into a plaza.
The Lusolav proposed alteration will be voted on in a special meeting of the Gaia City Council on Thursday at 4:00 PM, followed by a Municipal Assembly meeting the same day at 9:00 PM.
See also:
