Court of Auditors gives prior approval to the extension of the Red Line of the Lisbon metro

The extension of the Red Line of the Lisbon Metro received prior approval from the Court of Auditors, but the work will have to await the decision of a legal action brought by a competitor in the competition, it was announced this Wednesday.

“The contract relating to the execution of the contract for the design and construction of the extension of the Red line between São Sebastião and Alcântara of the Metropolitano de Lisboa received prior approval from the Court of Auditors”, indicates the company in a statement.

However, the contract awaits the decision of the Lisbon Administrative Court “regarding the lifting of the automatic suspensive effect resulting from the action brought by one of the competitors in the competition”, the company FCC Construcción SA, Contratas Y Ventas, SAU and Alberto Couto Alves, SA, adds Metropolitano de Lisboa.

The contract for the extension of the Red Line was signed on December 22, with the “Complementary Group of Companies METRO S. SEBASTIÃO ALCÂNTARA, ACE”, which includes Mota-Engil — Engenharia e Construção, SA and SPIE Batignolles Internacional — Branch in Portugal, for 321,888,000 euros, plus VAT.

“The contract was signed in strict compliance with and respect for the regime set out in the Public Contracts Code, after the legal deadlines and the subsequent legally established procedure have elapsed. With the decision now known by the Court of Auditors, the contract would be in a position to begin its validity “, assures Metropolitano de Lisboa.

In the note, the company recalls that the total cost for extending the Red Line from São Sebastião station to Alcântara is 405.4 million euros and is foreseen in the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), counting on a European investment of 304 million euros and national financial support of 101.4 million euros.

According to Metropolitano de Lisboa, the extension of the Red Line to Alcântara “will serve areas with strong attraction and generation of trips, with significant housing and employment density, schools, commerce and services, as well as the target of major urban rehabilitation, as is example the Alcântara area”.

The work covers a length of around four kilometers and four new stations: Campolide/Amoreiras, Campo de Ourique, Infante Santo and Alcântara.

Alcântara station will connect to the future Sustainable Intermodal Line, promoting connection to the municipality of Oeiras (LIOS Oeste).

“It is estimated that the daily demand captured in the four stations that make up this extension will correspond to an increase of 4.7% of customers across the entire network, around 87.8% of the estimated increase in demand corresponds to current users of public transport . Demand captured from the segment of current users of individual transport represents 11.8%, corresponding to 3.7 thousand fewer individual vehicles circulating daily, with time gains of 72%, of which 53.2% correspond to current users” , reads the note.

On the other hand, adds the company, the transfer of passengers from road modes will allow the first year of operation to avoid the emission of 6.2 thousand tons of CO2 equivalent.

In an analysis over 30 years, avoided emissions will be 175.6 thousand tons of CO2 and energy savings will amount to 29.2 thousand toe (tonnes of oil equivalent), estimates Metropolitano de Lisboa.

The Red Line currently has 11 stations, connecting the airport to São Sebastião.

Previously, Metropolitano said it expected the extension of the Red Line “to be a reality in 2025/2026”.