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ML – Lisbon Metropolitan is currently studying four network expansion lines, within the city of Lisbon, and outside the municipality, for the neighboring municipalities of Oeiras and Loures (two lines), revealed a few minutes ago João Pedro Matos Fernandes, Minister of Environment, in a hearing that takes place in the Parliamentary Commission of Economy, Innovation and Public Works.
“All evaluations are being carried out, at the request of local authorities, of what should be the demand studies for the next lines. One, very early, the studies started in parallel [com os da linha circular], is the expansion of the red line, from São Sebastião to Amoreiras, Campo de Ourique, Infante Santo, Alcântara, Alto de Santo Amaro ”, announced the Minister of the Environment.
In this expansion project, Matos Fernandes highlighted the Infante Santo station: “For those who speak today about the complexity of the Estrela station project, when they hear about the Infante Santo station, in fact, they will be even more concerned. That difference in dimensions makes this job a much more complex engineering job than the job at the Estrela station. Engineering jobs for which Portuguese engineering knows and will certainly provide a solution. But for those who said ‘oh Jesus, Estrela station’, they will be more surprised here ”, warned the Minister of the Environment.
In addition to the expansion of the red line, within the city of Lisbon, the Lisbon Metro is also studying three other lines outside the municipality.
“In a protocol between the Lisbon City Council and the Oeiras City Council, an extension evaluation is being carried out, always comparing light rail, fast tram or BRT [‘Bus Rapid Transit’, ou sejam, autocarros rápidos, em via dedicada, com ou sem trilhos, possivelmente alimentados a energia elétrica], which runs from Alcântara, Alto de Santo Amaro, Ajuda, Miraflores, Linda-a-Velha and Cruz Quebrada. A stretch of ten kilometers ”, revealed Matos Fernandes.
The Minister of the Environment also said that “the same is being done for the municipality of Loures, of Santa Apolónia; Santa Apolónia, Expo, Portela, Sacavém ”.
“Also at the request of the Municipality of Loures, an extension linking the Odivelas station with the Beatriz Ângelo Hospital [em Loures] and it connects with the Infantado, passing through Santo António dos Cavaleiros, in the form of a U. They are about 12 kilometers ”, announced the Minister of the Environment.
“All these works are in progress. What we are doing is not making decisions, it is making rigorous studies, with comparable methodologies to allow the Lisbon Metropolitan Area to make the decisions it deems appropriate, obviously, subject to our critical judgment on what the future expansion of the Lisbon ”, explained João Pedro Matos Fernandes.
For the Minister of the Environment, “the supply of transport must obviously be concentrated where there is the most demand.”
“It is absolutely essential to close this great circular ring between Cais do Sodré and Campo Grande. The place where there is more demand and more continuity throughout the day, so that, afterwards, with all naturalness, all seriousness and all the technical information, it promotes the expansion of collective transport modes, radially outside this central area ” , defended Matos Fernandes.
The hearing with the Minister of the Environment follows a request presented by the PAN parliamentary group, questioning the Government’s option of moving forward with the circular line, between Rato and Cais do Sodré, which already received the award last week. of one of the project contracts.
It should be remembered that the design of the Lisbon Metro circular line has been involved in controversy and has even received opposition from the Assembly of the Republic.
Matos Fernandes was very critical of the PAN requirement, considering it “very doubtful from the point of view of intellectual honesty”, since, in his opinion, “he seriously omits what was the enactment of the Budget Law of the State of the President of the Republic “.
Using the text signed by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in the aforementioned enactment, Matos Fernandes stressed that “the Assembly of the Republic has not suspended any administrative decision”, guaranteeing that “it is not true that the Assembly of the Republic has avenged its decision, strange , that the circular line could not be made “.
The Minister of the Environment also referred to the fact that the decision on the Lisbon Metro circular line “is really the last decision that this Government decides in relation to the Lisbon Metropolitan Area.”
To justify the option to continue with the circular line of the Lisbon Metro, Matos Fernandes guaranteed that there were only two comparable projects, in terms of investment, in the range of 200 million euros: the extension of “half of the red line , to Campo de Ourique “, or the closure of the line between Rato and Cais do Sodré. And between these two alternatives, the demand studies concluded that there was a difference of two to one passengers in favor of the last project, the minister guaranteed.
“Being within the city of Lisbon, the circular line is the one that best serves those who come from outside Lisbon, who go to Cais do Sodré, those who come by boat from the south bank and those who come from the line Cascais. It is because there are more people than the line must be taken there. And I think the Cascais line should continue to Cais do Sodré ”, defended Matos Fernandes.
The Minister of the Environment also mentioned that for this investment of around 200 million euros, it was possible to attract community financing of the order of 83 million euros.
Matos Fernandes also spoke of other ongoing investments by the Lisbon Metropolitan, in the order of 12.5 million euros, since the renovation of the Arroios station, which, despite the delays, “should be ready by the middle of next year ” ; the remodeling of the Areeiro station, which should be completed in July; the new accesses to the Colégio Militar station, “which will end this month”; and the works at the Olivais station, “which have already been completed”.
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