Lisbon Metro to grow with new Violet Line to Loures and Odivelas

It will be the Violet Line of the Lisbon Metro. A light rail line between Loures and Odivelas, which will promote a fast and structuring connection between the important centers of the two municipalities, extending over corridor in "C", connecting Beatriz Ângelo Hospital to Infantadowith transfer and interface to Lisbon in the Odivelas Metro station. The project is registered in the PRR and has the end of 2025 as the conclusion date.

With a total of 19 stations and about 13 km in lengthThe Violet Line will serve the municipality of Loures with 11 stations in the parishes of Loures, Santo António dos Cavaleiros and Frielas in an extension of about 7.4 km, and in the municipality of Odivelas eight stations will be implemented in the parishes of Póvoa de Sto. Adrião and Olival de Basto, Odivelas, Ramada and Caneças in a total extension of about 5.1 km.

One line, 19 stations

Most of the stations (14) will be above ground, but there will be three underground stations and two in "trench" (that is, semi-underground). Most of the route (66%) will also be above ground; only in the municipality of Odivelas will the Violet Line run mostly underground. The underground and "trench" components will be 28% and 3% of the total route. That leaves 3% of the line (about 400 meters), which corresponds to the viaduct parts - one viaduct is planned in Póvoa de Santo Adrião and another in Infantado.

These will be the 19 stations of the Violet Line:

The Violet Line will start at the surface near the Beatriz Ângelo Hospitalwith a station right next to this hospital equipment and that will be made compatible with the so-called Detailed Plan of Quinta do Correio-Mor. From this point, the line follows in trench and tunnel to overcome an area of steeper relief towards Ramada.

The next station will be the Caldeira PlateauThe line continues in plain sight with the station on the surface, where there is a commercial area. The line continues in plain sight with the Bela Vista Towerswhere about 150 parking spaces are planned; it enters a tunnel with the stations Radial Gardenin a predominantly residential and high density area in the north of the Odivelas county, and Ramada SchoolsIt will serve an area that is also densely populated and where there are two schools and a health center.

Next, the Violet Line will walk to the surface, with the station Ribeirada in "trench", with a difference of about 15 meters in relation to Rua Hermínia Silva and practically level with Rua Combatentes do Ultramar. Here it is foreseen a total of 98 parking spaces and also the creation of a public green space in the surroundings of the station, preserving the existing vegetable gardens, cooking that entire urban area and extending to the south the already existing Integrated Park of Ribeirada.

After Ribeirada station, the line develops in trench, surface and tunnel until the next station, do Castelinho GardenIt will be underground and will serve a residential area, a school, a health center, and the Odivelas Municipal Swimming Pool. The project foresees the creation and reinforcement of trees and pedestrian and cycling corridors. Next, the subway will stop at Odivelas Station and make the connection to the Yellow Line. This station will occupy, as a trench, the central part of Rua José Gomes Monteiro, and its construction will be the pretext for requalifying a needy urban area, improving pedestrian accessibility and afforestation.

The Violet Line will follow the surface along the N8 national road and cross the A8 freeway to the next station, the Heroes of ChaimiteIt serves not only a commercial zone and a gymnasium, but also the urban core of Olival Basto and an industrial zone with a significant number of jobs. Next are the stations D'El-Rei Fountain e Póvoa de Santo Adrião. To ensure the preservation of the historic center of Póvoa de Santo Adrião, the route of the light rail line leaves the alignment of the EN8 and deviates to align itself parallel to the Póvoa stream, to the west of this water line and preserving the water domain, where a road variant to the EN8 would be planned. The station will serve the old core of Póvoa de Santo Adrião, providing the opportunity to create a new green space, permeable, and a new centrality.

After Póvoa de Santo Adrião, the line returns to the EN8 with the stations Flemish e St. Anthony of the Knightsboth on the surface, serving commercial and residential areas. At the exit of Santo António dos Cavaleiros station, the line plunges again into a tunnel to cross an urban residential, commercial and service area, and to overcome the increase in the slope of the terrain. The line returns to the surface again to the Santo António dos Cavaleiros station. Almirante's FarmThe station is the largest in the world, serving a growth and an old people's home, but also various economic activities and sports facilities. Next is the station Convent on the EN8, at km 9+445 of the Line, next to the Loures Municipal Museum.

The next station, the Loureswill be located on the west side of the Avenida das Descobertas, and will serve a school and also the historic core of Loures, about 600-800 meters away. After passing over the A8 on a dedicated viaduct (north of the existing viaduct), the line continues to develop over the Avenida das Descobertas, in Infantado, with the station Loures Valleynext to the LoureShopping commercial surface, and with the Infantadoalso on this avenue. Right after that comes the station Quinta de São RoqueThis will be the line's terminus station, also on Avenida das Descobertas, and will be located in an area of high urban density, with several commercial areas and various facilities, including a school. From this last station, the track continues to the Parque de Material e Oficinas (PMO), crossing the junction with the N115 road.

7 minutes in rush hour

The PMO will be where the Violet Line trains will "sleep" and be repaired. This park will be located in a forested and agricultural area of Quinta das Carrafouchas of about four hectares. The future Violet Line of the Lisbon Metro will have 11 trains running in the morning and afternoon rush hours in school term, which will mean waiting times of 7 minutes and an estimate of 2270 passengers carried per hour. The trains will take about 38 minutes to run the entire route, but will connect to the Yellow Line about halfway through. The maximum speed of circulation will be 50 km/h in urban areas and 70 km/h outside cities or in tunnels.

The proposed vehicles are 18 to 40 meters long, capable of carrying 40 to 80 seated passengers and 100 to 230 standing passengers, and have low floors for full accessibility. It is estimated that the Violet Line, with a restructuring of the public road transport offer, can attract close to 12 million annual passengers as soon as 2026the first year of operation, and more than 16 million after 30 years. The construction of the Violet Line will lead to urban redevelopment, especially in Loures, where it will be developed on the surface. There are plans to build bi-directional parking lots near some of the stations and, in Loures, a bidirectional bicycle path along the future line.

The Violet Line is expected to cost 250 million euros to be built and, like the expansion of the Red Line to Alcântara, it is an investment included in the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP)The expected completion date of the contract is last quarter of 2025. Metro de Lisboa, which is carrying out this project with the municipalities of Loures and Odivelas, has already received 32.5 million euros from the European "bazooka". It is estimated that the urban reorganization and the necessary expropriations will cost the municipalities of Loures and Odivelas between 80 and 70 million euros, respectively.

At this point, the diagnostic and feasibility phases of the project have been concluded, as well as the Preliminary Study, and alternatives for the route and location of the stations have been analyzed. The project is now in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) - in this scope, runs until February 14 a public consultationin which citizens and civil society in general are invited to learn about the work of the Violet Line and its technical documentation, and to share contributions such as suggestions and opinions. In this article we have highlighted the most important documents; you can consult and download the full documentation here.

Updated 9/01/2023: clarified information about the Environmental Impact Assessment.

Updated on 11/01/2023: correction on the travel time, previously mentioned as being 75 mins. As the project documentation was not clear, it was verified that the time presented corresponded to a round trip.