Rosário Partidário considers that TGV between Porto and Lisbon airports can boost flight sharing
The future direct high-speed rail connection between Porto and Lisbon airports could enhance “flight sharing”, Rosário Partidário, coordinator of the Independent Technical Commission for the new airport, told Lusa this Friday.
“I see this in a positive light. It is, for example, sharing flights. Imagine that someone comes from Brazil to Lisbon and there is a flight that leaves Porto to somewhere else in Europe. Instead of waiting for a flight from Lisbon to Porto, go by high-speed train”, said Rosário Partidário, after being questioned by Lusa.
The professor and researcher in Planning, Urbanism and Environment at the Instituto Superior Técnico of the University of Lisbon spoke on the sidelines of the seminar O Que Faz Falta: Portugal S, M, L, XL, which took place this Friday at Casa da Arquitetura, in Matosinhos (Porto district).
“There will be an hour and a half connection. I see this as an opportunity and not as a problem”, he stressed, acknowledging that “it could be seen as an outflow of passengers”, by “emptying the Port and putting [os passageiros] in Lisbon, and vice versa”. However, this will be “a management issue that will be up to whoever manages the airports – at the moment it is Vinci, assuming that it continues to manage this”.
The expert also argued that “high speed should connect other areas of the country”, in addition to “the North with Lisbon and Spain”. “Or, if it’s not high speed, there should be, in fact, in the National Railway Plan, a concern to connect all of Portugal with railways”, he advocated.
The CTI coordinator listed that “one of the concerns that exists at the moment” are the connections of the new Lisbon airport “to other areas of the country, in the interior of Alentejo, in the interior of Beiras, in the interior of Trás-os-Montes”. “It’s not just a question of line, it’s a question of frequency. It’s a question of the development of these areas”, he highlighted.
Rosário Partidário also contested the idea that the Alcochete Shooting Field is “in the south of the country” because it is south of the Tagus (it is even aligned, in latitude, with Lisbon). For the specialist, the centrality of an infrastructure “is given, precisely, by accessibility, mobility, and the ability to be used and available across the various regions of the country”.
The new Lisbon airport, called Luís de Camões, will be connected to the high-speed line, which was one of the premises of all members of the Independent Technical Commission, Rosário Partidário also revealed today.
The first phase (Porto-Soure) of the high-speed line in Portugal should be ready in 2030, and the second phase (Soure-Carregado) is scheduled to be completed in 2032, with a connection to Lisbon via the Northern Line.
The connection from Porto to Vigo, in Galicia (Spain), scheduled for 2032, will have stations at Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport, Braga, Ponte de Lima and Valença (district of Viana do Castelo).
In total, according to the previous government, investment costs on the Lisbon-Valença axis are around seven to eight billion euros. This value does not take into account the Lisbon – Madrid connection and the third crossing over the Tagus, already promoted by the current Government.
