High-speed train "is a project that unites the country"

Prime Minister António Costa stated that the High-Speed train between Porto and Lisbon "is a project that unites the country" and that strengthens our Atlantic line, improving "our projection in the world".

António Costa was speaking at the ceremony that unveiled the new High-Speed train in Porto, together with the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Pedro Nuno Santos, who also gave a speech.

During his speech, the Prime Minister noted the fact that the project will serve the entire country, as regular trains will also circulate on this line, thereby meeting two fundamental goals: strengthening internal cohesion and strengthening our foreign competitiveness.

"We won’t just be bringing the two metropolitan areas closer, that is essential to be able to have a competitive dimension on an Iberian scale. The entire country will be served because on this line we will have not just high-speed trains circulating, rather the ones that serve the rest" of the country, he explained.

António Costa also said that this connection to Spain will boost our Atlantic Line and that the connection between Porto and Vigo "is the first step" towards integrating Portugal "in the Iberian High-Speed network".

Opportunity for national industry

In his speech, the Prime Minister also mentioned that the investment in rail industry in the last few years is "a huge opportunity for national industry", corresponding to "a paradigm shift" after decades of investing in roads.

"Everything was set on the rails; the train was set in motion and it hasn’t stopped. There is no line that isn’t being built or repaired, except for the ones that have finished, and that is a huge paradigm shift", he claimed.

In this sense, António Costa offered as an example procuring carriages, reactivating the Guifões workshops, creating an Expertise Centre and the mobilising agendas under the Recovery and Resilience Facility for rebuilding "a true rail cluster" in Portugal.

António Costa noted the "very positive response" by national industry in the sector, namely refurbishing the carriages bought from Spain, which is being done in Guifões, Matosinhos.