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Porto Metro
The Porto Metro (Portuguese: Metro do Porto) is a light rail network in Porto, Portugal and a key part of the city's public transport system.[3] Having a semi-metro alignment, it runs underground in central Porto and above ground into the city's suburbs while using low-floor tram vehicles.[4][5] The first parts of the system have been in operation since 2002.[6] It is a separate system to Porto's vintage trams. The network has 6 lines and reaches seven municipalities within the metropolitan Porto area: Porto, Gondomar, Maia, Matosinhos, Póvoa de Varzim, Vila do Conde and Vila Nova de Gaia. It currently has a total of 85 operational stations across 70 kilometres (43 mi) of double track commercial line. Most of the system is at ground level or elevated, but 8.3 kilometres (5.2 mi) of the network is underground. The system is run by ViaPORTO.[1][7] The Porto Metro has received the Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design from Harvard University's Graduate School of Design in 2013.[8] HistoryDuring the 1990s, political leaders started advocating for a partially underground electrified railway transport system to service the city of Porto and the surrounding municipalities. This culminated in the founding of Metro do Porto S.A. in 1993 and the start of planning and construction of the first expansion phase of the Porto Metro. This first phase was deemed completed in 2006 and saw the creation of lines A, B, C, D and E.[9][10] The project included the conversion of sections of the narrow gauge railway lines of Linha do Porto à Póvoa e Famalicão and Linha de Guimarães, including the section between Senhora da Hora and Trindade nowadays shared by 5 different lines. In 2001, train services came to an end as construction started.[11] Line A (blue line) was the first line to open on 7 December 2002, running between Senhor de Matosinhos and Trindade in central Porto. On 5 June 2004, the line was extended to Estádio do Dragão, Porto's largest football stadium, in time for the Euro 2004 Football championship.[9] On 3 March, 2005, Line B (red line) opened between Estádio do Dragão and Pedras Rubras. The remaining section between Pedras Rubras and Póvoa de Varzim was opened a year later in March 2006. This line replaced the Linha do Porto à Póvoa e Famalicão, a narrow gauge railway between Porto and Póvoa de Varzim.[9] The section between Póvoa de Varzim and Famalicão had already been closed in 1995 and was not included in the project. Instead, it got decommissioned and converted into a bicycle trail.[11][12] In July 2017, an infill station called VC Fashion Outlet - Modivas was added.[9][13] .jpg) Line C (green line) opened on July 30, 2005, until Fórum Maia in the centre of Maia and was extended until ISMAI in March 2006.[9] Line C was built using part of the Guimarães line between Senhora da Hora and ISMAI. A section of this railway line between ISMAI and Lousado was decommissioned and expected to be serviced by the Porto Metro, but as of 2024 it was only serviced by busses.[14] The Guimarães line continued to have train services from Lousado via Linha do Minho.[15] Line D (yellow line) proved the most problematic to excavate[citation needed] and opened on 17 September 2005 between Câmara Gaia in Vila Nova de Gaia and Pólo Universitário in the north. In the northern end, the São João Hospital and IPO stations, were not brought into service until March 2006 due to safety concerns[citation needed]. In the southern end, the line was expanded until D. João II in May 2008 and then to Santo Ovídio in October 2011.[9] In June 2024, the line was extended southwards by 3.15km with three new stations added, Manuel Leão, Hospital Santos Silva and Vila d'Este.[16] Line E (violet line) opened on May 27, 2006, connecting the Airport Francisco Sá Carneiro and Campanhã.[9] Several weeks later, the line was extended to Estádio do Dragão.[citation needed] Line F (orange line) opened on January 2, 2011, connecting the Porto city centre to the Gondomar region in the east, this line runs between Senhora da Hora and Fânzeres.[17] The Metro do Porto company managed and operated the Funicular of Guindais between 2004 and 2019. Management was transferred to Porto municipality in 2019 and to a municipal company called STCP Serviços in 2022.[9][18][19] Costs and financial resultsAs of 2007, the total cost of the Porto Metro public transport system stands at 3.5 billion euros - over 1% of Portugal's GDP. The first phase of the project alone, which was led by the mayors of several Grande Porto (Greater Porto) municipalities including Valentim Loureiro as a chairman of the state-owned company, was 140% more expensive than initially planned – a slippage of over 1,5 billion euros. The Porto Metro state-owned company has reported losses every year, reaching a record loss of 122 million euros in 2006.[20][21] Rolling Stock The Metro uses 72 modern Eurotram low-floor, articulated trams. Flexity Swift LRVs are used on line B, Bx and occasionally line C since 2008, and can reach 100 km/h (62.1 mph). They also have more seats, and can, in common with most modern light rail systems, recover 30% of the total of consumed energy during braking.[citation needed] The LRVs from CRRC Tangshan, dubbed CRRC Tram or CT,[22] are the latest to be introduced on the network, running since 2023 on line C.[23] The majority of services run with two LRVs coupled together. The Eurotram consists of four main compartments, two in each carriage linked by short corridors, and also features an articulation between the two carriages. They have a capacity of 80 seated and 134 standing passengers. The Flexity Swift consists of three components linked by articulations, with a capacity of 100 seated and 148 standing passengers. The CT consists of four articulated components, having a capacity of 244 passengers, 64 of which are seated.[24] Tickets The system uses the "Andante" ticketing system, used for public transport in the Porto Metropolitan Area. Under this system, a ticket holder can use multiple modes of transportation by various providers within a certain time period. Ticket prices and single ticket duration can vary depending on the number of zones that the ticket includes. The Andante system divides the Porto metropolitan area into fare zones, each representing a geographic area. The number of zones required is determined by the traveler's starting zone. A Z2 ticket allows the traveler go to all adjacent zones. A Z3 ticket lets the traveler go to all adjacent zones and to all zones adjacent to those.[25][26][27] Various ticketing options exist to use the Porto Metro. Paper tickets called Blue Andante (Andante azul) can be bought and recharged in machines in stations. These can be charged with single trips or 24 hour tickets. Monthly passes called Silver Andante (Andante prateado) can be purchased in Lojas Andante (Andante Shops) and topped up at Multibanco ATM terminals. They are personalized PVC cards with the name and picture of the holder. They are free for students between the ages of 4 and 18 and discounts exist for families, seniors, veterans and lower income households. Other ticketing options under the Andante system include Andante Tour, a 24 or 78 hour ticket for tourists, the Anda App, an app available for Android and contactless card payments on some readers. Children under 4 years old do not require a ticket if they are accompanied by an adult.[25][26] The Porto Metro operates on a proof-of-payment system. Tickets must be validated before travel by scanning them in front of the yellow machines located in stations. Instead, groups of fare inspectors randomly check tickets with hand-held scanners. The current penalty for travelling without a validated ticket is €95.[28] Network
 Line A – Senhor de Matosinhos – Estádio do Dragão
_(5760545159).jpg) Line A or the Blue Line is the earliest of the five Porto Metro lines. It runs between Senhor de Matosinhos and Estádio do Dragão stations, with 21 intermediate stations. Services run every 12 to 15 minutes with an end to end travel time of approximately 40 minutes.[9][2][29] Between Trindade and Senhora da Hora stations, the line uses the inner part of the route of the old Porto to Póvoa de Varzim railway line. Between Trindade and Estádio do Dragão stations it uses a new tunnelled alignment, whilst between Senhora da Hora and Senhor de Matosinhos stations it mostly uses a new surface alignment, albeit with short sections coinciding with the route of the Matosinhos branch railway. The line was opened between Trindade and Senhor de Matosinhos stations on 7 December 2002, by then Prime Minister Barroso. On June 5, 2004, on the occasion of the Euro 2004 European Football Championship, the section between Trindade and Estádio do Dragão was opened.[9] Flexity Outlook Eurotrams number 001–072 service the line.[citation needed] Line B/Bx – Póvoa de Varzim – Estádio do Dragão
 Line B or the Red Line runs between Póvoa de Varzim and Estádio do Dragão stations, has 34 intermediate stations and is the longest line of the system. Because of its length, the line provides two types of services, the B and the Bx.[2] The basic line B service stops at all stations between Póvoa de Varzim and Senhora da Hora, whilst the express Bx service stops only at principal stations. Both services observe all stops between Senhora da Hora and Estádio do Dragão stations. On weekdays during the day, both services provide two trains per hour in both directions, thus providing four trains per hour in both directions between Póvoa de Varzim and Porto. At weekends and in the evenings only the basic service runs and provides two or three trains per hour in both directions. The basic service takes just over an hour between Póvoa de Varzim and Estádio do Dragão, with the express service saving some 10 minutes.[2][30] The line reuses, for almost its entire length, the route of the old Porto to Póvoa de Varzim railway line, which connected Porto-Trindade railway station to the city of Póvoa de Varzim. On 13 March 2005, line B was Porto Metro's second line to open, initially running between Estádio do Dragão and Pedras Rubras stations, and sharing tracks with line A between Estádio do Dragão and Senhora da Hora stations. On 18 March 2006, the final section to Póvoa de Varzim station was officially inaugurated. On 27 July 2017, the new Modivas station was opened serving the VC Fashion Outlet.[9] Although no extensions are planned, consideration was given to use the abandoned Famalicão branch of the old Póvoa Line, converted to a cycle path after closure, to reach Mourões and Barreiros, near Avenida 25 de Abril.[citation needed] Line C – ISMAI – Campanhã
.jpg) Line C or the Green Line runs between ISMAI and Campanhã stations, with 22 intermediate stations. The line has a basic frequency of four trains per hour, but some trains on the line terminate at Fórum da Maia, resulting in ISMAI having a reduced frequency. Travel time between ISMAI and Campanhã stations is just over 40 minutes.[2][31] The line diverges from lines A and B to the north of Senhora da Hora and reuses part of the route of the old Porto to Guimarães railway line, albeit with a significant section of new alignment through the city of Maia. The line opened between Estádio do Dragão and Fórum da Maia stations on 30 July 2005, and it was extended to ISMAI station on 31 March 2006. The Porto terminus of the line was cut back by one station from Estádio do Dragão to Campanhã on 6 September 2010.[9] At the time the old Porto to Guimarães railway line was closed to allow the construction of line C, it was the intention that line C would eventually be extended to Trofa, to meet up with the main line railway north out of Porto, and the rump of the Guimarães line, which was converted to Iberian gauge and connected to the main line in the same timescales the Porto Metro was built. However work on the remaining section of the line from ISMAI to Trofa stalled, and it remains unserved, although the Porto Metro provides a bus link between the two points.[2][32][33] Line D – Vila d'Este – Hospital São João
.jpg) Line D or the Yellow Line runs between Vila d'Este and Hospital São João stations, with 17 intermediate stations and a very visible crossing of the River Douro on the upper level of the iconic Dom Luís I bridge.[2] Line D runs on an entirely new alignment, partly on the surface and partly underground, separate from all the other lines of the Porto Metro. It connects with lines A, B, C, E and F at Trindade station. The part of the line between Hospital São João and Santo Ovídio stations, which includes the underground section through central Porto and the river crossing to Vila Nova de Gaia, has trains every 5 to 6 minutes, declining to every 10 minutes on weekends and evenings. Alternate trains from the north terminate at Santo Ovídio, meaning that towards Vila d'Este trains run every 10 to 12 minutes, declining to every 20 minutes on weekends and evenings. The travel time for the whole line is just over 30 minutes.[2][34] Line D opened on 17 September 2005, with trains initially running between Câmara de Gaia and Pólo Universitário. It was extended northwards from Pólo Universitário to Hospital São João on 31 March 2006. In a southerly direction, from Câmara de Gaia, it reached D. João II on 27 May 2008, Santo Ovídio on 15 October 2011, and Vila d'Este on 28 June 2024.[9] Line E – Aeroporto – Trindade (– Estádio do Dragão)
.jpg) Line E or the Violet Line runs between Aeroporto and Trindade stations, with 13 intermediate stations. Trains run as far as Trindade every 15 minutes, with a journey time of around 30 minutes. Depending on day and time, between one and three trains an hour continue beyond Trindade to Estádio do Dragão, serving a further four intermediate stations and taking about 10 more minutes.[2][35] Line E was specifically built to serve Porto Airport, and Aeroporto station is directly accessible from the terminal building. The station is at the end of a short branch off line B of the Metro, which it joins at Verdes station, sharing tracks variously with lines A, B, C and F for the rest of its route. The line opened on 27 May 2006.[9][2] Line F – Senhora da Hora – Fânzeres
Line F or the Orange Line is since January 2011 the sixth line and connects Fânzeres with Senhor de Matosinhos. Future expansion
See also
References
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Metro do Porto.
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