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Transport

Public transport, infrastructure, and mobility in Portugal.

A yellow and silver Metro do Porto light-rail train at a station platform in Porto

Porto Readies Free Metropolitan-Area Public Transport for Residents, With a July 1 Start Riding on the Court of Auditors

Free travel across the Porto metropolitan area for Cartão Porto holders is set to begin on 1 July — or whenever the Court of Auditors signs off, with a January 2027 backstop. The city has budgeted up to €10.25 million for 2026.

The Portugal Brief 02 Jul 2026

A Portuguese motorway viaduct curving through green wooded hills under a cloudy sky

After an 18-Year Gap, Portugal Plans €6 Billion of New Road Concessions From 2029 as Brisa's A8 and A15 Deals Wind Down

The government has sketched more than €6 billion of new motorway concessions for 2029-2031 — its first road PPP in 18 years — while opening talks with Brisa over the A8 and A15. The tolling model is still undecided.

The Portugal Brief 02 Jul 2026

A yellow CP suburban train stopped at a Porto station platform under overhead electric lines

Alstom Breaks Ground on a Matosinhos Train Factory Set to Build 81 of CP's 153 New Carriages

PM Luís Montenegro laid the first stone of a ~€28 million Alstom train factory in Matosinhos on 30 June. It will build 81 of the 153 new trains CP ordered under a €746 million contract, create about 300 direct jobs and start production in 2028, with first deliveries in 2029.

The Portugal Brief 01 Jul 2026

A driver's hand gripping the steering wheel of a car travelling along a coastal road under a hazy sky

Portugal Lets Learner Drivers Train With a Tutor Instead of an Instructor Under a New July Rule

A decree published on 30 June lets category B learner drivers train with a private tutor, not only a paid instructor. The tutor needs a 10-year licence and takes on legal liability, schools must notify the IMT, and the exam is blocked for 90 days. It takes effect in late July.

The Portugal Brief 01 Jul 2026

A modern riverside building on the Tagus in Lisbon with the 25 de Abril bridge in the distance, illustrating the city's river-transport plans

Lisbon Targets a 2027 River-Ferry Return to Parque das Nações, While Transtejo Pegs the Restart No Earlier Than 2028

Lisbon's city hall says river ferries will once again call at Parque das Nações from 2027, reviving a stop that last operated during Expo'98. The operator, Transtejo Soflusa, is more cautious — its president has put the restart no earlier than 2028, pending dredging and demand studies.

The Portugal Brief 29 Jun 2026

Green volcanic cliffs and farmland headlands meeting the deep blue Atlantic on the coast of the Azores.

Azores Government Opens a Santa Maria Bypass and Hospital Scanner as the Island Council Presses Seven Demands

As the Azores government inaugurates a new Vila do Porto bypass and a hospital CT scanner on Santa Maria, the island's council hands over a seven-point memorandum of unmet needs, ranking health, transport and education at the top.

The Portugal Brief 28 Jun 2026

A silver high-speed train with red trim speeding along the tracks in a motion blur

CP Pilots Elon Musk's Starlink to Plug Mobile-Signal Gaps on Its Alfa Pendular Trains

CP is testing Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet on one Alfa Pendular trainset to fix patchy on-board Wi-Fi where the mobile network is weak. The €30,000 pilot runs four to six months, and the government has defended picking Starlink for its technological maturity.

The Portugal Brief 27 Jun 2026

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