The first triple unit arrived today at the company's Material and Workshop Park, in Pontinha (municipality of Odivelas), coming from Spain in a TIR truck, and was transferred to the construction site where it will be tested before starting to operate, next year.
“There have been no new trains on the Metro for 22 years and this one had a huge particularity […] because it is the decades and decades of knowledge of the Lisbon Metro that also allowed these new trains to be designed. The drivers contributed to designing the cabins and the entire Metro designed and helped improve these triple units, and that is a source of pride”, said Miguel Pinto Luz.
The Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, who oversees urban transport, stressed that he has come across “accumulated knowledge and know-how” in all public companies, with “a lot of talent”, with which the Government (PSD/CDS-PP) is pleased.
Reaffirming that the new carriages “are completely different from the old ones”, especially since there is a 22-year difference, Miguel Pinto Luz explained that the trains will have telemetry capabilities, “important for monitoring what is happening in the carriages”, as well as video surveillance.
In addition, they will also have better conditions for the drivers and are already “prepared for almost automatic driving”.
“This is the beginning of a new era, as I wrote in the Metro guest book, and it is the beginning of a new era that leaves everyone very satisfied. The Metro is preparing for this future. Lisbon will be better served and, above all, it is the modal shift [to encourage the use of public transport] that the Government never tires of talking about”, he stated, recalling that the previous government had already been taking measures in this direction.
To achieve the “ambitious carbon neutrality goals” that have been defined, he added, this work must continue and the Portuguese must change their mode of transport on a daily basis.
The minister added that in September, during mobility week, more measures will be presented to “positively encourage modal shift”.
According to the Lisbon Metro, the 14 new triple units represent an investment of 72.7 million euros and are scheduled to enter service in January 2025.