The terminal was inaugurated on Monday by the Secretary of State for Planning and Regional Development, Hélder Reis, but its opening to the public will be “done gradually”, and should take “about a week”, the councillor for mobility at the Nazaré Council, Regina da Piedade (PS), told Lusa.

The president of the Nazaré Municipal Services (SMN) also explained to Lusa that “the transfer of effective management [of the terminal] to these services was made on Friday, at the Municipal Assembly”, and that “the regulations for transport and use of the terminal” are now being finalised.

According to the president of SMN, “contacts are also being made with the operators that operate there [Rodoviária do Oeste, Rodoviária do Lis, Rede de Expressos, FlixBus and international transport] to indicate the ‘stocks’ they need and the timetables they practice so that these dynamics can be managed”.

Together, the ticketing systems and the installation of furniture and signage for the public are being finalised, Regina da Piedade also reported.

In a statement, the Nazaré Council, in the district of Leiria, considered that “the new infrastructure represents an advance in accessibility and quality of life for citizens, replacing the temporary space previously used”.

The new terminal is a multimodal interface, integrating urban, regional and national routes, as well as connections to the express network.

The total investment exceeded 1.7 million euros, financed by the community programs Centro 2020 and Centro 2030.