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Transport

Public transport, infrastructure, and mobility in Portugal.

The yellow domed tower of the Palácio da Pena above Sintra, with visitors gathered on the terrace below and the Portuguese flag flying

A Court Takes Up Tour Operators' Fight Against Sintra's New Coach Limits, Handing the Council Ten Days to Respond

The Sintra Administrative and Fiscal Court has agreed to hear tour operators' injunction against the town's summer curbs on coaches and animation vehicles, giving the council ten days to justify a plan that pushes buses to a car park on the edge of the village.

The Portugal Brief 30 Jul 2026

The interior of a Lisbon Metro station with its distinctive yellow patterned azulejo tiles and a stairway handrail

A Burst Water Main Floods a Tunnel and Empties the Lisbon Metro's Red Line onto the Tracks

A water pipe burst near Encarnação station at around 5.20pm on 28 July, flooding a Red Line tunnel and stranding a train. After a passenger forced a door and walked onto the tracks, the Metro cut power to the whole line. No injuries were reported; EPAL was to repair the pipe that evening.

The Portugal Brief 29 Jul 2026

A yellow Comboios de Portugal locomotive and carriages at a rural station on the Linha do Alentejo in southern Portugal

Infraestruturas de Portugal Awards Zagope a €167 Million Contract to Rebuild the Poceirão–Bombel Line for the Lisbon–Madrid High-Speed Link

Infraestruturas de Portugal has handed Zagope a €167 million contract to rebuild and double the Poceirão–Bombel section of the Alentejo Line, part of the future Lisbon–Madrid high-speed route. The €270 million project, with €97.94 million in EU funding, runs about four years.

The Portugal Brief 28 Jul 2026

The Ponte do Freixo motorway viaduct carrying Porto's ring road high over the River Douro, with a lorry crossing and a small boat on the water below

Porto's Inner Ring Road Will Bar Heavy Lorries on Weekdays From September, With a Toll-Free Detour on the Outer Ring

President Seguro has promulgated the decree keeping commercial heavy goods vehicles off Porto's VCI (Inner Ring Road) on weekdays from 07:00 to 21:00, effective 15 September. The outer CREP ring becomes toll-free for lorries so the through-traffic diverts around the city.

The Portugal Brief 25 Jul 2026

Aerial view of the historic centre of Sintra, Portugal, with the white National Palace and its twin conical chimneys surrounded by red-tiled roofs and forested hills

Sintra's Tour Operators Take the Village's New Coach Ban to Court, Seeking to Freeze the Historic-Centre Traffic Plan

Coach and tour operators have asked the Sintra Administrative and Tax Court to suspend the traffic restrictions the town hall imposed on the historic centre this month, arguing the rules were rushed in at peak season and are strangling their business.

The Portugal Brief 24 Jul 2026

A Tesla Model 3 with Portuguese plates crossing tram tracks on a cobbled street in Lisbon

Portugal's New-Car Market Outpaces the EU, With Electrified Models at Nearly Seven in Ten Sales

ACEA data show 137,080 new cars registered in Portugal in H1 2026, up 10.5% against the EU's 5.7%. Battery-electric models took a 25.3% share — above the EU's 20.7% — while diesel collapsed to 3.7%. Some 68% of new Portuguese cars now carry an electric motor.

The Portugal Brief 23 Jul 2026

The Funicular dos Guindais carriage on its steep track above the Douro in Porto, with the Gaia wine lodges in the background

Porto Suspends the Guindais Funicular as Its Post-Glória Safety Certification Runs Its Course

Porto's Funicular dos Guindais has been idle since 19 July while STCP renews its IMT certification — a precaution shaped by the post-Glória audits. The audit found no safety problems, but the line stays shut until pending recommendations are complete and the regulator signs off.

The Portugal Brief 23 Jul 2026

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