The completion of the Lisbon Metro Circular Line must take place by 2023 at the latest if Portugal is not to lose the European Union funds that will be essential to the project, despite the disputeIt promises to change mobility in the capital. The three contracts have been signed behind the scenes, showing that the Circular Line is moving forward.
A first of the contracts was signed in April this year and concerns the section between the current Rato station and the future Santos station. This work, by 48.6 million euros (plus VAT), was awarded to the company Zagope - Construção e Engenharia, SA.
A second The contract concerns the connection between Santos and Cais do Sodré stations, and was awarded to the consortium of companies formed by Mota Engil - Engenharia e Construção SA e SPIE Batignolles International. It will cost 73.5 million eurosplus VAT. The contract was awarded last September.
Finally, the third contract, the cheapest of all, was helped this October by 19.5 million euros (plus VAT) at Teixeira Duarte - Engenharia e Construções, SA / SOMAFEL- Engenharia e Obras Ferroviárias, SA. It involves the work that will connect the current Green and Yellow Lines at Campo Grande station to form the Circular Line.
The total investment planned for this phase of the expansion of the Lisbon Metro is 210.2 million euros, co-financed to the tune of 127.2 million by the Environmental Fund and 83.0 million by the Cohesion Fund, through POSEUR - Operational Program for Sustainability and Efficiency in the Use of Resources. According to the plan, the The Circular Line will be the future Green Line, which will connect Campo Grande to Cais do Sodré via the current section, then Cais to Rato via the tunnel that will be built and, finally, Rato to Campo Grande via the section that currently belongs to the Yellow Line.. After the works, Telheiras station will change from Green to Yellow and will connect directly to Odivelas.
The expansion will involve the creation of two new stations: one in Estrela, which will be located on the Calçada with the same name, in front of the Basilica and at the southern end of the Garden; another in Santos, which will be near the ISEG, to the west of the block defined by Av. D. Carlos I, Rua das Francesinhas, Rua dos Industriais and Travessa do Pasteleiro. The Cais do Sodré station will have a new exit to the Ribeira Market area.
The next step is for the Court of Auditors to approve each of the contracts. From that moment on, the works can be consigned and that's when the clocks start ticking for their completion: 960 days for the first and second contracts (about 2.5 years), 698 days for the third contract (close to 2 years).
