Lisbon, May 28, 2026 (Lusa) - The Court of Auditors has approved the amendment to the CP - Comboios de Portugal's contract for the purchase of 153 railcars, representing an investment of €1.064 billion, which the government described as the largest ever spent on the purchase of trains in Portugal.

The contract, signed between the CP, the French multinational Alstom, and the Portuguese company DST, provides for the purchase of 98 urban railcars and 55 regional railcars, intended to modernise and strengthen services, the infrastructure ministry said in a statement.

The expansion of the rolling stock fleet includes 117 initial railcars and 36 additional ones, now totalling 153 units.

With these changes, the contract value has risen from €746 million to €1.064 billion, spread across the period from 2025 to 2031.

This expansion of the rolling stock fleet has also been brought forward, with the final delivery of trains scheduled for 2031, two years earlier than in the original contract.

“No new trains have arrived in Portugal for over two decades".

"This government’s strong commitment to the railways is reflected in the acquisition of modern, comfortable and sustainable rolling stock,” the infrastructure and housing minister, Miguel Pinto Luz, said in a statement.

He said that mobility must be synonymous with inclusion and that the government is working to attract more people to public transport by expanding services.

The new trains will begin arriving in Portugal in 2029 and will also be manufactured domestically, as the contract provides for the establishment of a factory in Matosinhos, in northern Portugal.

The project is expected to create around 300 direct jobs and 1,500 indirect jobs, helping strengthen industry and professional skills within the rail sector.

SCR/MYAL // ADB.

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