Government announces support of 9 million euros per year for the transport of goods by railway
The Government announced that it will support rail freight operators with €45 million until 2029 to encourage environmental sustainability and transport by rail.
In a statement released after the announcement of the approval by Brussels, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing stated that this is a measure that will represent annual support of nine million euros and that it will be assigned based on a value of 0.07 euros per ton/kilometer, being applied from this year onwards.
“Rail transport of goods is central to a national logistics strategy and this sector has been left behind. The Government recognizes its importance and is focused on promoting its growth and robustness” , stated the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, in the document.
According to the Secretary of State for Mobility, Cristina Pinto Dias, support for rail freight operators “was worked on with the European Commission and the IMT, and reflects the avoided external costs, such as gas emissions with greenhouse effect, congestion and accidents, by rail compared to road”.
The European Commission today gave the ‘green light’ to Portuguese state aid, with subsidies of 45 million euros until 2029, to encourage the transfer of freight transport from road to railway, aiming for a less polluting model.
In a statement released today, the community executive states that it “approved, under community rules on state aid, a Portuguese aid scheme worth 45 million euros intended to encourage the transfer of transporting goods from road to rail”.
“The aim of the scheme is to promote the modal shift from freight transport to rail, which is a more environmentally friendly mode of transport, and is in line with the objectives of the Sustainable Mobility Strategy and Smart Strategy of the Commission and the European Green Deal”, says the institution.
