Lisbon, Oct. 11, 2024 (Lusa) - The Board of Directors of Portugal's incumbent train operator, CP - Comboios de Portugal. insisted on Friday on the value of the Green Rail Pass, criticising the position of the company's Workers' Committee (CT), which said that the cost “will not be enough to ensure supply”.
"The implementation of the Green Rail Pass reinforces our commitment to green mobility, encouraging more and more citizens to opt for rail transport," the railway company said in a statement in which it emphasised the “positive environmental impact” of the measure.
The government announced the creation of the €20 monthly Green Rail Pass, which will cost the state an estimated €18.9 million CP's CT criticised this figure on Tuesday, arguing that it might not be enough to ensure supply.
Today, in response to the workers' representative body, the CP Board of Directors issued a note, signed by its chairman, Pedro Moreira, expressing its “surprise and disgust” at the CT's position.
"The figure of €18.9 million mentioned was rigorously calculated by CP's commercial and financial services, which worked dedicatedly to develop this new pass under the best standards of analysis and planning," points out the clarification note.
Likewise, CP's leadership considers that "it is unacceptable" for the CT to go public "disrespecting and calling into question the competence and professionalism of the workers, passing on a certificate of incompetence to all those who dedicated themselves to this project".
Despite insisting that rolling stock reinforcement is necessary—and referring to what is "the largest acquisition of trains in the company's history"- CP also emphasised that the availability of rolling stock is now "significantly higher than three years ago" after the repair of dozens of carriages.
"We vehemently repudiate the statements made by the Workers' Committee, which are unfounded and reveal a profound lack of knowledge about CP's accounts and operations. The statements made, in an attempt to discredit the implementation of the Green Rail Pass, not only disregard the work of countless colleagues but also convey an unfounded image of a lack of professionalism and responsibility on the part of this administration," said CP.
JO/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
