Portugal officially began the construction of a new high-speed rail line (LAV) on Monday, marking the start of work on the initial section between Porto-Campanhã and Oiã, located in the Aveiro district. Once the full project is realized, the new infrastructure will allow passengers to commute between Lisbon and Porto in just 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Government officials have described the high-speed rail development as a cornerstone of the nation's airport strategy, noting that it will support the new Lisbon airport and improve rail integration with Spain. By 2034, the government aims to establish a roughly three-hour rail link between Lisbon and Madrid.
Miguel Pinto Luz, the minister of infrastructure and housing, emphasized the scale of the undertaking, stating, "Alongside the new Lisbon airport, high-speed rail lines represent the largest infrastructure projects the country will undertake this century." He further stressed the necessity of a strong national consensus regarding the importance of investing in the railway system.
The current phase, connecting Porto and Oiã, covers 71 kilometres of track. This section includes the construction of a new road-rail bridge over the Douro River, the establishment of a new station at Vila Nova de Gaia-Santo Ovídio, and a comprehensive redesign and expansion of the Porto-Campanhã Intermodal Station.
The concession contract for this segment was signed on 29 July 2025 and carries a total cost of approximately €2 billion. Financing for the project includes €875 million from the European Investment Bank and €480 million from the Connecting Europe Facility. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing highlighted that the project is structured as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), aligning with European Commission objectives to double passenger rail traffic and promote a sustainable, multimodal transport approach.
