Portugal has taken another decisive step toward advancing its long planned high speed rail network after the government authorised Infraestruturas de Portugal to relaunch the public tender for the Oiã to Soure section of the Porto to Lisbon line. The decision, formalised through a Council of Ministers resolution published this week, allows the state owned infrastructure manager to proceed with a new public private partnership covering the design, construction, financing and long term maintenance of the route. The concession carries an authorised net present expenditure ceiling of up to 1.6 billion euros, alongside a further allocation of up to 600 million euros for project development, land expropriations, site preparation and construction oversight. These commitments are spread across a 30 year period beginning in 2026, with initial charges scheduled to start in July of that year, reflecting the government’s intention to maintain continuity on one of the country’s most significant transport investments.
The renewed tender follows the cancellation of an earlier procedure in 2024, which was annulled after the sole bid submitted was excluded. Authorities have stressed that the revised process does not increase the overall cost of the project and incorporates technical optimisations to improve efficiency. A substantial share of the financing is expected to come from European sources, with more than 365 million euros already secured through the Connecting Europe Facility for Transport and a further 234 million euros planned from additional European funding applications. These funds are intended to support the second public private partnership phase of the high speed line, reinforcing Portugal’s strategy of aligning major infrastructure development with European transport and cohesion objectives while limiting pressure on national public finances.
Alongside the relaunch of the main construction tender, the government has also approved additional spending of up to 360 million euros for signalling, telecommunications and safety systems linked to the Porto to Lisbon corridor. This investment covers the installation of advanced systems on the Porto to Oiã high speed section, partial replacement of existing systems on the Northern Line, complementary safety upgrades and full lifecycle maintenance. Design and construction costs are projected at 268.5 million euros through 2031, with maintenance expenses of 91.5 million euros extending to 2051. Officials have previously stated that this section alone will involve around 60 kilometres of track, including tunnels, bridges and multiple connections to the conventional network, underscoring the scale and complexity of a project seen as central to modernising Portugal’s rail infrastructure.
