Between Almada and Lisbon, each ferry can carry only four bicycles, although there is room for 12 more in the hold. The Ministry of Environment, which oversees the TTSL, says that the new fleet will allow the "transport of a minimum of 20 bicycles" and that there is no point in messing with the current supply.
Only when the fleet of TTSL (Transtejo/Soflusa) cacilheiros is renewed will bicycle transportation between Almada and Lisbon be reinforced. In a clarification from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Action, which oversees the river operator, to members of Parliament, it was learned that "the future electric catamaran fleet is expected to transport a minimum of 20 bicycles on each regular trip, and a higher number may be defined, depending on the increase in the need for bicycle transportation".
Although bicycles are allowed and free of charge between the two banks of the Tagus on the public boats of TTSL (Transtejo/Soflusa), it is extremely limited. On the ferries that run between Cacilhas, in Almada, and Cais do Sodré, in Lisbon, for example, only four bicycles are allowed per vessel. On the catamarans that make the connection between Barreiro, Seixal or Montijo and the capital, it is already possible to take nine bicycles.
However, these limits on the number of bicycles allowed may vary depending on the vessels that are put into service. In case you catch the ship St. George between Cacilhas and Cais do Sodré, 14 bicycles can already be transported; but in the case of catamarans Pedro Nunes e Cesário Verde making the connection between Seixal or Montijo and Lisbon, the limitation drops from nine to six bicycles. Only on the ferries that make the Trafaria - Porto Brandão - Belém line is it possible to transport a few dozen bicycles: 30 to be concrete. But that's if you don't have the misfortune to catch a ferry with room for only four cyclists.
According to the Ministry headed by Duarte Cordeiro, the current fleet of cacilheiros.., "due to its age, characteristics and operating specificities, it can carry up to four bicycles on each regular trip"In special situations, such as mobility events or sporting events, TTSL usually extends the limit to 20 bicycles per trip. "It does not seem feasible in the short term to increase the legal capacity in force, given the last maritime operational resources and the technical constraints in the maintenance of the current fleet, which will be discontinued in the near future, with the entry into operation of the future electric catamaran fleet."The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Action also reports.
PS had questioned Ministry
On October 6thIn a statement, thirteen Socialist MEPs left four questions for Duarte Cordeiro, including "what is being done to increase the capacity for transporting bicycles on vessels" and if "considers the Government to reinforce the crew or adapt existing vessels to increase the capacity to transport bicycles".
Members argued that "The vessels that transport citizens from Cacilhas to Cais do Sodré were adapted in 2015 and are authorized by the Directorate-General for Natural Resources, Safety and Maritime Services (DGRM) to carry four bicycles in forward gangways, plus 12 bicycles in the vessel's hold room. However, according to the license issued by DGRM, the use of the hold room is only allowed with an extra crew member to support the loading and unloading of bicycles through the stairs to the hold. Therefore, it would be essential to ensure that either the crew is reinforced, especially at peak times, or that the vessels are adapted so that the DGRM license allows transport without the need to reinforce the crew"..
According to TTSL, the transport of bicycles on the cacilheiros is limited to four vehicles because only the forward portal is available for that purposeand not also the ship's hold room - where a TTSL crew member would be needed for the operation.
| Link | Lot. | Transport area |
|---|---|---|
| Cacilhas - Cais do Sodré | ||
| 🛳️ Cacilheiros | 4 🚲 | Forward portals |
| 🛳️ St. George | 14 🚲 | Forward portals |
| Barreiro - Terreiro do Paço | ||
| 🛳️ Catamarans | 9 🚲 | Lounge next to the bar (4) and bicycle storage room (5) |
| Seixal - Cais do Sodré | ||
| 🛳️ Catamarans | 9 🚲 | Lounge by the bar (5) and bow (4) |
| 🛳️ Pedro Nunes e Cesário Verde | 6 🚲 | Salon aft |
| Montijo - Cais do Sodré | ||
| 🛳️ Catamarans | 9 🚲 | Lounge by the bar (5) and bow (4) |
| 🛳️ Pedro Nunes e Cesário Verde | 6 🚲 | Salon aft |
| Trafaria - Porto Brandão - Belém | ||
| ⛴️ Ferries | 30 🚲 | Vehicle park |
| 🛳️ Cacilheiros | 4 🚲 | Forward portals |
Rui Sebastian, 29, an environmental engineer and cycling commuter, says he has even taken his bike in the hold of the cacilheiros. "They only let you when they have an extra worker on that shift to help specifically with the descent into the basement, which has to be requested in advance"tells Lisboa Para Pessoas. "The DGRM licenses this kind of thing, and they made that limitation: you need a worker to help, maybe because the stairs are so steep and because they have to put a little ramp/climb."
Rui is one of the authors of an open letter that he circulated on June 3, World Bicycle Day, and which has already been sent to both TTSL and Duarte Cordeiro's Ministry. "We are urban bicycle users, as a means of transportation, in Almada and in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, which need better bicycle transportation conditions between the two banks of the Tagus River", reads the still lengthy and comprehensive document, also available on this site. "Transtejo is required to adapt its current and future fleet to the needs of these users by increasing the number of bicycles allowed per vessel."
New boats delayed
If TTSL's ferries could each carry at least 12 more bikes - i.e. a total of 16 bikes per trip - already today, the ministry that oversees the river company wants to get rid of the bikes. wait for the arrival of the new fleet.
We are talking about 10 electric propulsion vessels being specifically designed for TTSL's operating needsThey are the result of a specific execution project. The contract for the supply of the new boats was signed with the Asturian shipyard Gondán in February 2021, following an international public tender launched in early 2020, for a total value of €52.44 million.
Initially, the first electric catamaran was scheduled to arrive in April this year and three more by the end of the year but, sccording to statements made by TTSL to the Lusa agency earlier this monththe first four ships are due to be delivered between December this year and June 2023Another four by the end of 2023 and the last two in 2024. According to the company, the entry into service of the new electric catamarans "will take place after their arrival and the formation of their crews".
But for that, TTSL will still need to have the batteries for the boats and the charging stations on its side - both acquisitions are already contracted, as recently assured by the Secretary of State for Urban Mobility, Jorge Delgado, in Parliament. "We believe that during the year 2023 the renewal of Transtejo's fleet will happen. I don't know if we will be able to have the 10 ships here, but we believe that a large part of it will arrive"he told MPs at a hearing to discuss the draft state budget for 2023.
