Lisbon, July 15, 2026 (Lusa) - The extension of the Metro Red Line in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, will go ahead, the secretary of state for mobility assured on Wednesday, explaining that the delay is due to the procedures involved in the “legislative process” for the approval of new funding.
“The Cabinet’s resolution to approve new funding for the Red Line is currently going through the legislative process; as the minister and the prime minister have repeatedly stated, construction work and structural infrastructure will never be called into question, so we will press ahead,” she said.
Cristina Dias was speaking at the Committee on Infrastructure and Housing in parliament in Lisbon, where she accompanied Minister Miguel Pinto Luz.
The minister highlighted the loss of funding from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), emphasising the need for a “financial rescheduling” of €405 million.
Cristina Dias also acknowledged the existence of “delays of various kinds”, ranging from property procedures to obtaining the Environmental Compliance Report for the Implementation Project (RECAPE) – which determines the environmental compliance of the implementation project – and the opinion of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority.
“[We have] a series of constraints here that have led us to where we are, and where we are is entering the legislative process to reschedule the multi-annual expenditure for this project,” she stated.
She also added that, at the same time, the Board of Directors of the Lisbon Metro is seeking alternative funding solutions from European bodies “so as not to place an even greater burden on taxpayers’ pockets”.
On 31 October last year, the minister told parliament that work on extending the Lisbon Metro Red Line to Alcântara would begin in December 2025.
The cost of extending the Red Line to Alcântara, via Campolide/Amoreiras, Campo de Ourique and Avenida Infante Santo, is €405 million, of which €357.5 million was to come from the PRR; however, the delay in starting the work has led to the loss of part of the European funding.
As for the Violet Line, Dias said that the Government is awaiting the “conclusion of the review” carried out by the European Union regarding the suspected state aid to one of the sub-concession consortia before a decision can be taken.
“Until this happens – that is, until the investigation is formally closed – Portugal, in this case the Lisbon Metro and the Independent Panel appointed for this purpose, cannot proceed with any decision-making,” she pointed out.
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