Alandroal, Portugal, Jan. 16, 2026 (Lusa) - Portugal's infrastructure minister announced on Friday the completion of work on the railway line between Évora and the Spanish border, but revealed that trains will only start running at the end of the year or in early 2027.
"Today is a historic day, because we have the largest substation feeding catenary on the railway in Portugal operational, and we have the track operational. Therefore, the track and catenary are complete," said Minister Miguel Pinto Luz.
After travelling in an inspection vehicle on the new high-speed line connecting Évora and Elvas/Caia/the Spanish border, on a half-hour journey, the minister responsible for Infrastructure and Housing told journalists that it would still be some time before freight and passenger trains run on the railway.
"What is missing" so as "not to create false expectations", asked Miguel Pinto Luz, answering immediately: "We have another year ahead of us for signalling and safety certification".
Therefore, it will only be "at the end of this year or the beginning of next year that we will actually have trains running here," he added, insisting that the line will be ready for freight and passenger trains.
The Évora Line, whose construction involved "almost €460 million," the minister pointed out today, is part of the future Southern International Corridor.
The Southern International Corridor, between Sines and the Caia border in Elvas, in the district of Portalegre, is part of the "Ferrovia 2020" Investment Programme for the Expansion and Modernisation of the National Railway Network.
According to Miguel Pinto Luz, this is "the first line in Portugal capable of reaching 250 kilometres per hour" and will make it possible to "reduce 140 kilometres" in the journey "that freight trains had to make on leaving Sines".
"Sines is the largest national Porto, handling more than 50 million tonnes of cargo per year, and was almost like an isolated island," he said.
But "today, with the work we are doing in Sines and with this, it is now prepared to be much closer, with a drastic reduction in travel time, particularly to Spain," he assured.
Accompanied by several officials, namely from Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) and also mayors from the municipalities through which the railway line passes, the minister acknowledged that this is a project that is "very penalising for the municipalities" it crosses.
"It is also an effort that is being asked of these municipalities, ultimately for the sake of the national economy, for the sake of the national interest," he said, saying that the Government is "working towards the technical station that is so much in demand for this region" and that "all the mayors are asking" to be implemented.
"We have the stone industry here, we have several industries, and we are studying it. It is economically and financially viable, and we will make every effort to ensure that, in some way, this is not just a liability for these municipalities, but an asset," he promised.
The minister said he was aware that the mayors "don't just want to stand here watching trains go by" and are instead interested in these trains bringing "economic growth and progress to these populations".
The overall objective established by Spain, according to Pinto Luz, is to "reach Madrid in three hours by 2034", but by 2028/2030, it will be possible to reach the Spanish capital "in five and a half hours", both for goods and passengers, which is "the polar opposite" of what was possible before the construction of this line.
And although the line is now Iberian gauge, like the one on the other side of the border, Pinto Luz pointed out that there is an agreement signed with Spain, and agreed with the European Commission, to migrate to European gauge: "When both sides are aligned on the final solution, we can move forward and migrate in that direction."
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