Evora, Portugal, Aug. 27, 2026 (Lusa) - Portuguese road and rail infrastructure manager, Infraestruturas de Portugal, is carrying out tests on the new Evora–Spanish border railway line, but thefts and acts of vandalism have caused «additional constraints» in the planning of certification activities, the Government has revealed.
In a response to a question tabled in parliament by six MPs from the Livre party, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, led by Miguel Pinto Luz, stated that Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) «has been carrying out various dynamic tests» on the new railway line.
These tests, for which IP has used its own resources and specialist consultancy, include «track geometry, overhead power line and bridge load tests», the Ministry clarified in its response sent to parliament on Friday and seen on Wednesday by the Lusa news agency.
On 7 July, Lusa reported that Livre had questioned the Government about the certification process and the entry into service of the new railway line between Évora and the Spanish border, and had requested clarification on the planned timetable for the completion of the process.
The question, addressed to Miguel Pinto Luz, was co-signed by MPs Paulo Muacho, Filipa Pinto, Isabel Mendes Lopes, Jorge Pinto, Patrícia Gonçalves and Rui Tavares.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, with regard to this railway line, revealed that «the interoperability certification process by a Notified Body (NoBo) is also underway».
Furthermore, according to the Ministry, IP will submit to the National Railway Safety Authority (ANSF), «by the end of September, the Interim Verification Statements for the Design Phase of the Infrastructure (INF) and Energy (ENE) subsystems».
In its response, the Government also stated that «it has ensured that IP has all the necessary conditions in place to launch the procurement procedures for the certifications», although it acknowledges that there have been constraints.
«Incidents of theft and vandalism affecting the infrastructure built, particularly overhead power lines, signalling and telecommunications equipment, have caused further constraints, with repercussions on the timetables and planning of certification activities,» it acknowledged.
Furthermore, «the engagement of independent external bodies, accredited in the railway sector in accordance with the applicable regulations, has proved to be more time-consuming than initially anticipated».
The delay, it explained, is due «to the scarcity of such bodies in Portugal and the increasing involvement of foreign companies in similar processes, initiated by their railway counterparts as part of ongoing investments across Europe».
In Wednesday's edition, the Jornal de Negócios newspaper, which also reviewed the response from the Ministry headed by Pinto Luz, runs the headline: «Theft and vandalism delay certification of the new Évora line».
The Ministry, in the document consulted by Lusa, pointed out that «the entry into service of fixed railway installations requires a wide range of tests, validations and certification processes», carried out by the infrastructure manager – in this case IP – and by specialised independent bodies.
In the case of the Southern International Corridor, the project involves «technologically innovative subsystems within the national rail context, namely the ERTMS signalling system and the high-performance catenary, designed for speeds of up to 300 km/h», it stated.
Furthermore, «the need to demonstrate the compliance of more advanced technical solutions, which are being used for the first time in Portugal, contributes to increasing the complexity and duration of the certification process associated with this project».
On 16 January, during a visit to the Évora–Spanish border line, Minister Pinto Luz declared the construction works to be complete, but revealed that trains would not begin running until the end of the year or early 2027.
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