Lisbon, Jan. 23, 2026 (Lusa) - The launch of the tender for the second public-private partnership for Portugal's Porto-Lisbon high-speed railway line, between Oiã and Soure, marks the beginning of "a new concrete stage" in national railway development, according to the president of Infraestruturas de Portugal.
The public-private partnership now launched covers the design, construction, financing and maintenance of the Oiã-Soure section (PPP2) of the Porto-Lisbon high-speed line, with a duration of 30 years, including five years of development and 25 years of availability.
The maximum authorised cost in net present value is €1.603 billion, referenced to December 2023, with payments spread between 2026 and 2056, scheduled to begin in July 2026.
In addition, the Government has authorised expenditure of up to €600 million for projects, expropriations, construction site set-up and works supervision, which are eligible for EU funding.
This relaunch comes after the cancellation of the first tender in 2024, following the exclusion of the only bid submitted.
According to Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP), the country's road and rail infrastructure network managing company, the total investment associated with PPP2 amounts to around €2.4 billion and covers approximately 60 kilometres of new high-speed line, in addition to 18 kilometres of connections to the conventional rail network, including work on the current main Lisbon-Porto line.
During the presentation of the tender, which took place on Thursday at Culturgest in Lisbon, the president of IP, Miguel Cruz, stated that the launch of PPP2 marks "the beginning of a new concrete stage" in the development of high-speed rail in Portugal, highlighting the benefits in terms of mobility, territorial cohesion, economic competitiveness and environmental sustainability.
According to IP, the project will reduce around five million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050 by promoting the transfer of passengers and goods from road and air transport to rail, with up to 60 daily services and an increase in freight transport of over eight million tonnes.
IP also indicated that the Porto-Lisbon high-speed line will be developed in three public-private partnerships, the first between Porto and Oiã already contracted, and the third between Soure and Carregado, with the environmental impact assessment process completed and a tender planned for the first half of 2026.
In the context of the development of the high-speed rail network, IP also provided an update on the Lisbon-Madrid axis, indicating that the section relating to the third crossing of the river Tagus is in the final stages of development and should be submitted for environmental impact assessment in the coming months.
According to the company, work is underway with the Lisbon city council and the Barreiro city council on the northern and southern accesses to the future crossing, as well as with Portugal's airports managing company, ANA - Aeroportos de Portugal and the Institute for Mobility and Transport on the coordination of rail access to the new Luís de Camões airport.
The Minister of Infrastructure, Miguel Pinto Luz, stated that the launch of the tender reflects "the fulfilment of a strategic vision" and argued that high speed is "an opportunity that the country cannot afford to miss", highlighting his confidence in the engineering of national companies to carry out the project.
SCR/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
