Porto metro

The Metro do Porto is a key part of the local public transport infrastructure. Even so, private cars are still the main way people choose to get around, especially in the Porto Metropolitan Area where the metro network is less developed.

To make public transport more attractive and reduce the use of cars and its negative impacts (traffic jams, air and noise pollution), two new metro extensions will be built:

1.     Pink line: A new section will be built between the Casa da Música and San Bento stations in Porto. As the second largest municipality in the Porto Metropolitan Area, Porto is also the administrative and business centre of the region, which means there is a high number of regional commuters to the city. These users will benefit from an additional three kilometres of metro line and four new stations (Liberdade – S. Bento, Hospital Santo António, Galiza and Boavista – Casa da Música).

2.     Yellow line: Three new stations (Manuel Leão, Hospital Santos Silva and Vila d’Este) will be built between the current Santo Ovídio station and Vila d’Este, both in the Vila Nova da Gaia municipality. Gaia is the largest municipality in the Porto Metropolitan Area and its residents rely heavily on private cars.

Five JASPERS urban transport experts supported two entities – Portugal’s Operational Programme for Sustainability and Efficient Use of Resources (PO SEUR) and Metro do Porto – in the project preparation.

JASPERS reviewed these entities’ work on transport mode shifts, looking at the shift from private cars to the metro and the additional demand that will be generated by the metro extension. According to the assessments conducted, the new metro extensions have significant potential to attract demand, which will in turn generate value for the investment. Moreover, JASPERS took into account the different project risks. Demand risk, for instance, was crucial to ensure the economic viability of the project. JASPERS also considered procedural aspects, construction phases, archaeological findings and public opposition that could lead to delays, and foresaw practical solutions to meet the timeline.

On the engineering side, JASPERS evaluated the various construction approaches. As well as considering key technical criteria, the project sought to minimise any potential disruption to or impact on Porto’s residents during construction. 

After the advisory phase, five JASPERS independent quality reviewers teamed up for the post-submission appraisal at the request of the European Commission. No critical issues relating to compliance with the regulations were identified, which sped up the process for EU approval.

Users will save time on commuting and will enjoy better access to key destinations by public transport.

People will live in a greener city since the project is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3 780 tonnes CO₂ equivalent in the first year of operation.

Roads in the Porto Metropolitan Area will be less congested, meaning less noise and better air quality.

The project will also have a positive economic impact, with less road maintenance and accident-related costs and savings on car and bus operating costs.