Government exchanges national funds for European funds in Lisbon Metro works – Society

The Government reduced the State’s financial contributions for the expansion of the Red Line of the Lisbon Metro to Alcântara and for the modernization of the metro’s signaling system, allocating community funds to both works.

In the case of the expansion of the Red Line, between São Sebastião and Alcântara, the Lisbon Metro was authorized to use funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) of up to 405.4 million euros (ME), reducing the national contribution in the same proportion , according to a resolution published this Friday in the Diário da República.

In the diploma, the Government justifies the reprogramming with the fact that the completion of the Line and the entry into full operation of passenger transport between São Sebastião and Alcântara is scheduled for 2026, the deadline for the execution of the PRR, while other exterior works will continue beyond that date.

In 2027, already after the deadline for the PRR, work will be carried out to replace the urban surface in the area surrounding the new stations, which “does not impede or condition the operation of the Red Line”.

The reprogramming does not change the overall value of the investment, added the Government, highlighting that the amounts relating to each of the financing sources are adjusted.

According to the diploma, the Metropolitano can use 70 ME in 2024, 130.3 ME in 2025 and 190.4 ME in 2026, in addition to the 2.6 ME scheduled for 2023. For works to be carried out in 2027, expenditure of up to 12 ME.

Previously, in December 2022, the Government had already reprogrammed Metro’s expenditure for the extension of the Red Line up to the amount of 304 ME through the PRR.

A Government resolution was also published this Friday in the Official Gazette that changes the source of financing for the investments provided for in the contract for the acquisition of the Lisbon Metro’s rolling stock signaling system.

According to the diploma, the reprogramming of the 136.5 ME (plus VAT) foreseen for this modernization foresees that the budget will have as a new source of financing community funds from the Operational Program Sustainability and Efficiency in the Use of Resources, reducing in the same proportion the national counterpart through of the Environmental Fund.

This investment made it possible to modernize, among others, the signaling systems on the Blue, Green and Yellow Lines and in the Material Parks and Workshops (PMO).