On April 3, five new lines will be launched and there will be changes to 62 lines in the municipalities of Loures and Vila Franca de Xira. This is the biggest update to the Carris Metropolitana network in this territory since the start of the operation.
It's becoming a habit: at the beginning of each month, adjustments are made to the Carris Metropolitana network. Sometimes it's in one of the four areas of operation, sometimes in another. The aim is to improve the public service provided and fine-tune details, for example, reducing the number of lines (and therefore numbers) and introducing alternative variants. On April 3, the municipalities of Loures and Vila Franca de Xira will receive more than 60 adjustments to the existing offer.
Five new lines will be launched and 62 changed, in what is the biggest upgrade to the Carris Metropolitana network in Loures and Vila Franca de Xira since the start of operations in January 2023. The changes include schedule reinforcements, route adjustments and the introduction of new connections. The changes have the "objective of optimizing the service, providing more comprehensive coverage and more convenient schedules to meet the needs of passengers".
The main changes are in Loures. Where, for example, there will be direct connections from Infantado to Bucelas on Sundays. Villages such as Ribas de Cima and Ribas de Baixo will now have weekend services and, consequently, so will the Cabeço de Montachique Maintenance Park. Another new feature is line 2727, which will terminate at the Beatriz Ângelo Hospital, departing from Gare do Oriente. There will also be "inter-village" connections which, from Loures, go directly to the Campo Grande terminal in Lisbon.
As there are many changes in Loures, Carris Metropolitana has set up a page where you can see what's new by parish. In February, the Carris Metropolitana operation in this municipality recorded a number of more than 1.7 million passengers transported and a record 78,871 passengers carried on a school working day.
Regarding Vila Franca de Xira, you can see what's new here. The Carris Metropolitana helpline is available to help all passengers learn more about the new optimized network and plan their journeys: 210 418 800.
The changes in Loures and Vila Franca start on Wednesday, April 3, but on Monday, April 1, there will be minor adjustments to the supply in the municipalities of Palmela, Moita and Setúbal (area 4). The introduction of two ring roads in Alhos Vedros, Moita.
Main changes
The new lines
- In the municipality of Lourestwo new lines will come into operation: the 2038a ring road linking Bucelas to Loures via Riba, and the 2039which will connect Bucelas to Zambujal by Sete Casas and Loures. Since these new lines will serve the towns of Loures, Infantado, Santo Antão do Tojal and Manjoeira more efficiently, the current 2021 line will be decommissioned;
- Still in Loures, the 2761, which will connect Bucelas to Lisbon (Campo Grande terminal), passing through Cabeço de Montachique and Ramada. Since line 2761 will now serve the towns of Bucelas, Odivelas and Ramada more effectively, the current 2512 will be decommissioned. Between Bucelas and Santo Antão do Tojal, via Zambujal, the area will be better served by the new line 2039;
- On the other hand, the 2782, which will also connect Bucelas to Lisbon (Campo Grande), passing through Ribas and Manjoeira. This line 2782 promises to better serve the towns of Santo Antão do Tojal and Odivelas, and the current line 2779 will be decommissioned;
- At Vila Franca de Xira the 2337This is a circular line around the city, which aims to guarantee service to the two main schools in Vila Franca, EB Vasco Moniz and ES Alves Redol, as well as providing a link between the outlying areas and the city center.
Other changes
- Lines 2022 and 2778 will be integrated into line 2719, which connects the Campo Grande terminal in Lisbon to Louresand will now make its way to Monte Esperança;
- Line 2023 will be integrated into the 2725, between Gare do Oriente and the shopping area of Loures, which will now have a single route and timetable adjustments;
- The line 2727 to be extended to Beatriz Ângelo HospitalIt will now offer a direct link between the Oriente terminal in Lisbon and the largest hospital in the east. The current line 2025 will be deactivated and replaced by line 2727, which will have its timetables increased in order to guarantee greater hourly coverage;
- The lines 2036 e 2709The 2036 line, which serves Bairro de Angola and Camarate, will have changes to its routes and adjustments to its timetable. Line 2036 will now start and end at Avenida das Comunidades, in Sacavém. Line 2709, which is a circular route, will start and end in Bairro de Angola, next to the secondary school;
- The line 2533The route between Alverca station and Santo Antão do Tojal will become a single route, passing through Bairro da Chasa, Urbanização da Malvarosa and Bairro Casal das Areias, and will be adjusted with eight new timetables;
- The lines 2503, 2510 and 2520 will be integrated into line 2750It will run through the interior of Chamboeira, LouresShoping, the Odivelas Metro and Avenida Padre Cruz in Lisbon.
- The line 2537between Póvoa de Santa Iria station and Santo Antão Tojal, will now have a single route and seven new timetablesIn the morning and afternoon, the line departs every 30 minutes and runs every 50 minutes during the day. The 2538, which has a similar route to the 2537 with the difference of going to Zambujal, will have timetable adjustments in order to maintain a cadence of every 45 minutes;
- Line 2732 will be integrated into line 2711The new line, which connects Charneca to the Oriente terminal in Lisbon, will now take a single route through Bairro de Santiago, Urbanização Parque das Oliveiras and Bairro da Car;
- The line 2778 will disappear and be integrated into lines 2719, between Lisbon (Campo Grande) and Loures, and 2525, between Santo Antão do Tojal and the Senhor Roubado Metro.
