The project foresees the creation of a 37.6-kilometre route between the municipalities of Faro, Loulé and Olhão, with connections to Gago Coutinho Airport, the University of Algarve, Montenegro and Parque das Cidades.

The construction project has an estimated value of 203.1 million euros (ME), an average price of 5.4 ME per kilometre, says the document that went into public consultation on January 30.

The electric public road transport system aims to “promote sustainable multimodal urban mobility, a structuring project for the transition to an economy with zero net carbon emissions”, as part of the Algarve 2030 regional programme. The proposal under consultation, promoted by the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR), “provides for the creation of a dedicated public transport corridor, operated by a Metrobus or Rapid Bus Transit (BRT)”, a system with greater efficiency and adapted to the needs of users, with integration into the current railway network.

The Metrobus is an electric vehicle which will travel along rails, with 24 stops, serving around 185,000 residents in the three municipalities, that is, 40% of the population of the Algarve.

According to the document, the project foresees the construction of new highways, intermediate and terminal stations, containment structures, viaducts and tunnels, in addition to the energy supply and signalling system necessary for the system to operate.

The expansion of the electric public road transport system to other locations in the district of Faro, namely the cities of Quarteira and Almancil, in the municipalities of Loulé, and Albufeira, is another of the proposals included in the document under public consultation on the Participa portal.