The international tender for the first portion of the high-speed rail line is now open

This Friday (12 January) the international tender for the first portion of the high-speed rail line connecting Lisbon and Porto was opened. A "particularly significant moment", stressed Prime Minister António Costa at the closing of the ceremony that launched the tender this morning at the Infraestruturas de Portugal headquarters in Pragal, Almada.  

The first portion of this line will ensure the connection between Porto and Oiã, in Aveiro district, 70 km of line. The works are quoted at 1950 million euros and will operate as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). 

At the closing of the ceremony, the Prime Minister noted the "long road" to get here and the "broad political consensus" that sustains "launching a tender of this scale", a "sign of our democracy’s maturity, which honours us all and honours the country". 

This week, a recommendation made by the Socialist Parliament to the Government to launch the international tender was voted in parliament, a document voted on by the Socialists, the Socialist Democrats, the Liberals, the Communist Party, the Animal and Nature party and Livre. Chega abstained. A "historical day", the Prime Minister stated, underlining that opening the tender at this time allows Portugal to "have access to 729 million euros that are in Brussels, reserved for these works". 

The Parliament’s recommendation, António Costa recalled, tasked the Government with "doing everything it can to make sure the next tenders are launched on time". Building the high-speed line between Lisbon and Porto is split into three stages: the first one between Porto and Soure (subdivided into Porto-Oiã and Oiã-Soure); the second, which will connect Soure and Carregado; then, at a later time, the connection between Carregado and Lisbon will be built. 

In a speech where he stressed the importance of this project for the country’s foreign competitiveness and for territorial cohesion alike, the Prime Minister also noted that "no country will be modernised without a strong civil construction and public works sector".  "Our country needs strong national companies in the construction and public works area. I wish them all the best of luck when they submit their bids for tender". 

The Prime Minister, currently charged with Infrastructure, also recalled that railroads are a fundamental instrument to prepare the country for the decarbonisation transition, underlining that in addition to high-speed rail, the country is concluding the investments set in PT2020 and implementing the National Rail Plan, which offers "a global vision of the country’s strategy to invest in railroads".