Portugal has launched the tender for the second public-private partnership (PPP) of the Porto–Lisbon high-speed rail line, covering the Oiã to Soure section. The project marks “a new concrete phase” in national rail development, according to Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP).
The €2.4 billion investment includes 60 km of new high-speed track, 18 km of connections to the conventional network, and 30 years of development and operational availability. The maximum authorised cost is €1.603 billion, with payments planned between 2026 and 2056.
The project is expected to reduce around five million tonnes of CO₂ by 2050 by shifting passengers and freight from road and air to rail. Up to 60 daily services are planned, and freight transport could increase by more than eight million tonnes.
The Porto–Lisbon high-speed line will be developed through three PPPs, with the first section (Porto–Oiã) already contracted and the third (Soure–Carregado) set for tender in the first half of 2026. Work on the Lisbon–Madrid corridor, including the third crossing of the Tagus, is also progressing.
Minister of Infrastructure Miguel Pinto Luz described the project as “a strategic vision” and emphasised Portugal’s confidence in national engineering and companies to deliver it.