An extraordinary public meeting proposal involving the “representative of the Porto City Hall in the Metro Administration,” Gonçalo Mayan Gonçalves, and the president of the Sociedade de Transportes Coletivos do Porto (STCP), Cristina Pimentel, was presented at today’s executive meeting by the sole councilor of Chega, Miguel Corte-Real. Due to “formalities,” it was not voted on and will be reformulated as a request to the city council president.
President Pedro Duarte noted to the councilors that there is no municipal representative on the transport company’s administration and, “to avoid summoning someone with a status they do not hold,” suggested inviting the entire board of directors to a meeting that will not be extraordinary but will include the requested topic on the agenda.
Chega’s Miguel Corte-Real accepted the reformulation of the motion, as the goal is “to solve a problem affecting the people.”
PS councilor Manuel Pizarro warned that addressing this topic in an ordinary meeting might not suffice, suggesting “it would take two or three hours to discuss Metro do Porto projects,” emphasizing the need to address delays in the construction of the Rosa and Rubi lines beyond the metrobus project.
The socialist also questioned the city’s president about the start of the first phase of the metrobus. Pedro Duarte assured that work is ongoing with Metro do Porto and that “a solution to this problem” will be presented in January.
The first phase of the metrobus project, between Casa da Música and Praça do Império, was completed in the summer of 2024. The works for the second phase, suspended by Metro do Porto’s new administration in October, resumed on November 3 along Avenida da Boavista, from Colégio do Rosário to Fonte da Moura.
Metro do Porto had opted for a “temporary technical stop” on this second phase project a month prior.
The second phase of the metrobus began on September 22, in the dedicated bus corridor on Avenida da Boavista, stretching from Rua Jorge Reinel to Avenida do Dr. Antunes Guimarães. It faced opposition from mayoral candidates and the public, particularly regarding tree removal.
At the time the project began, Tiago Braga led the company, who was subsequently replaced by Emídio Gomes, former rector of the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro.
Just over two weeks ago, Pedro Duarte announced that the Porto City Council had received the final version of the memorandum of understanding required for the metrobus’s operation, stating the document’s signing was just “a matter of days.”
The operation of the metrobus hinges on the signing of this quadripartite memorandum among the State, Porto City Council, Metro do Porto, and STCP.
Porto’s metrobus will be a hydrogen bus service connecting Casa da Música to Praça do Império and Anémona (in the second phase) in 12 and 17 minutes, respectively.
The vehicles and energy production system cost 29.5 million euros, while the metrobus project itself is priced around 76 million euros.
