“What is the current official and updated schedule for the full reopening of the Beira Alta Line?” asked Aida Carvalho in a question directed to Miguel Pinto Luz.
The request from the socialist is supported by deputies José Carlos Barbosa, Frederico Francisco, André Pinotes Batista, Hugo Oliveira, Humberto Brito, Marina Gonçalves, and Pedro Coimbra.
The deputy recalled that in December 2024, the Minister of Infrastructure committed to the full reopening of the line “in the first quarter of 2025” and questioned “why the deadline was not met.”
“What concrete factors continue to prevent the full reopening of the line, particularly in the sections between Mangualde and Pampilhosa?” is another question sent to Miguel Pinto Luz.
Aida Carvalho also wants to know if the government maintains its commitment that the Beira Alta Line, after its reopening, “will be equipped with all the technical conditions to meet the needs of international freight transport.”
Regarding passenger transport, the deputy questioned the administration about the service model that CP “plans to offer on the Beira Alta Line after its full reopening.”
“It should be ambitious, tailored to the real needs of the region, ensuring more frequency, more services, and better service quality, promoting more accessible, attractive, and efficient mobility,” she suggested.
Aida Carvalho further emphasized that “the perspective of a direct rail link between Lisbon and Porto via the Beiras should not be abandoned, enhancing the cities and populations of the interior, historically less served by major national infrastructures.”
In the question to the Minister of Infrastructure, it is recalled that the modernization of the Beira Alta Line, spanning 193 kilometers between Pampilhosa in the district of Coimbra and Vilar Formoso in the district of Guarda, is one of the country’s “most relevant” railway projects.
Integrated into the Northern International Corridor, the project has an estimated investment of about 500 million euros to strengthen the rail connection between the coast and the interior, as well as the connection with Spain.
Ongoing interventions include the complete renovation of the railway infrastructure, the elimination of level crossings, the rehabilitation of stations, the construction of variants, and the installation of the latest signaling systems.
A notable feature of the work is the construction of the Mealhada Bypass, which will shorten the route between Lisbon and Porto.
“However, the execution of the work has faced technical, contractual, and logistical difficulties, resulting in significant deviations from the initial schedule,” observed Aida Carvalho.
Train traffic has been suspended since April 2022, with the sections Mangualde-Celorico da Beira, Celorico da Beira-Guarda, and Guarda-Vilar Formoso reopened in the meantime.
