The public tender has been launched for the construction of the Violet Line of the Lisbon Metro, which will serve the municipalities of Loures and Odivelas. This extension of the Metro network is expected to become a reality in the second half of 2026.
O Lisbon Metro has launched the tender for the construction of the Violet Line, which will serve the municipalities of Loures and Odivelasthrough a light rail solution. The construction of the Violet Line will cost at least 450 million euros and will be co-financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) and funds from the State Budget.
The Violet Line will include a total of 17 stations and about 11.5 km in length. In the municipality of Loures, nine stations will be built, serving the parishes of Loures, Santo António dos Cavaleiros and Frielasover a length of 6.4 km. Eight stations will be built in the municipality of Odivelas, serving the following areas parishes of Póvoa de Santo Adrião and Olival de Basto, Odivelas, Ramada and Caneçasfor a total length of 5.1 km. The stations Beatriz Ângelo Hospital e Loures Valley will be the end of the Violet Line, which was originally to have two more stations.
The stations on the Violet Line will be of different types: 12 above ground, three underground and two in trenches. Surface stations should look like this:
The Violet Line will be integrated with the Yellow Line at its terminus in Odivelas. The two stations will not be interconnected, but will be close together, separated by a pedestrian plaza. The Violet Line's Odivelas station will be one of two to be built in a trench:
There will also be underground stations, such as the Ramada Schools or Radial Gardenboth in the municipality of Odivelas, but which will have different depths:
Smaller project
During the public consultation period - and due to opposition from residents of Infantado, in Loures, who did not want to see the space dedicated to cars reduced -, o Violet Line project reduced from 19 to 17 stations. The seasons Quinta de São Roque e Infantado were cut, after the season Loures ValleyThe line was to terminate near the Loureshopping shopping center. This situation forced the project to be revised. The Infantado urbanization will have a Violet Line station, connected to the rest of the Lisbon Metro network, but significantly distant from the residential area. Next to the Loures ValleyThere are plans to build a 129-space parking lot.
By Loures Valley When the line is completed, the carriages will have to be parked at night, and this is planned to take place along Avenida das Descobertas, along a 150-meter stretch, ending in a support building, built on the alignment of the canal space, where there will be a room for drivers and a support room for cleaning the carriages. The parking of the carriages and the construction of the support building require the felling of some of the palm trees in the central separator. The remaining palm trees along the avenue, as well as its central divider, should be safeguarded. The existing cycle path is to be maintained, with a few adjustments, namely its transition from the road channel to the sidewalk area next to the Loureshopping building.
The route of the Violet Line has not only been revised in the Infantado area. In total, there have been five changes since the public consultation and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) phase.
Another significant change was made at the Beatriz Angelo Hospital. The station that will serve the Loures hospital will be closer to it, benefiting users, but also making it possible to make the Metro route compatible with the future Quinta do Correio-Mor tourist complex. The pedestrian plaza that was planned next to the Beatriz Ângelo Hospital station was canceled and replaced by an exclusive BUS access lane, next to which six stops could be installed. To the west of the station, a parking deterrent is planned, with capacity for 220 cars, and a support area for road transport, with parking capacity for 15 buses and a sanitary facility for the exclusive use of employees.
On the other hand, and due to the reduction of the Infantado project, the maintenance workshops that were planned at this end of the line were moved to the other end, next to the Hospital.
Contest for everything
The call for tenders now launched is aimed not only at design and construction of the light rail infrastructure, but also the urban redevelopment of the area surrounding the line and stations, the supply of vehicles (LRV type streetcars, i.e. Light Rail Vehicle) and the provision of maintenance services for the rail infrastructure and vehicles for a period of three years.. Bidders have 120 days to submit their bids.
As for the vehicles, Metro de Lisboa requires them to have a minimum useful life of 30 years, be between 30 and 40 meters long, have a maximum speed of 70 km/h, a capacity for 60 seated passengers and 180 standing passengers, and a minimum of four doors on each side.
The Violet Line is a project to expand the intermodal coverage of the current Yellow Line of the Lisbon Metro and is the result of a protocol signed in July 2021 between the transport company and the city councils of Loures and Odivelas. The total investment in the Violet Line will be 527.3 million euros, with 390 million euros coming from the PRR, in the form of a loan, and 137.3 million euros from the State Budget. The Violet Line is expected to be a reality in the second half of 2026.
You can consult the main Violet Line documents here:
