Between Lisbon and Vigo, high-speed train progress moves at uneven speeds. The Portuguese government issued a tender this Friday for the first 71 kilometers from Porto to Aveiro, valued at 2.14 billion euros; deadlines span the Douro and Minho river corridors as expansion continues. During a briefing at the Portuguese Infrastructure headquarters in Pragal, railway deputy head Carlos Fernandes announced that in the coming weeks work will be updated on the Braga to Valença segment, a project that has lingered for more than a decade. He suggested that under normal conditions the competition could commence within one to two years.
However, under the current timetable, construction of the new high-speed line would not begin until 2027 or 2028, making completion by 2030 unlikely by the standards used at that event. That information surfaced at the conference on Transport and Logistics Networks along the Atlantic edge, organized by the European Economic Community and Eixo Atlântico in November 2013. Recent updates from the Costa management team have confirmed these timelines. When the project was presented in September 2022, planning and start of implementation were projected for mid-2026, yet the Portuguese administration argues that European Union rules do not require completing the project by 2040, allowing the arrival of EU funds.
The key technical note from the IP emphasized that the 68-kilometer segment between Braga and Porto marks the initial phase of a longer corridor. Over the next decade, the existing bridge and station framework from Nine to Porto will be used while the second stop at Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport is brought online. On the Spanish side, the Informative Study on the Vigo Southern Railway Exit, a cornerstone for extending the 150-kilometer Southern Axis from A Coruña to Portugal, is already underway. This Atlantic Axis links A Coruña to Portugal. The section is slated to receive more than 1.25 billion euros in investment, creating a brand-new route that will avoid detours along the older line, with a maximum speed of 250 kilometers per hour. The planned upgrade will reduce travel times from about 140 minutes to just over 60 minutes for the Braga to Vigo corridor, including Viana do Castelo.
In the interim, the route connecting Portugal’s two largest cities is expected to operate like a rail highway, with branches that link to growing segments as new sections open. Projections indicate as many as 60 trains per direction each day and about 16 million passengers annually, a share of the overall intercity traffic that now travels by road.
Recent decisions by the Portuguese Council of Ministers have raised the budget for this project by roughly one third, lifting the tender cap from 1.6 billion to 2.14 billion euros. Of that total, about 1.66 billion euros will be funded by the government, with roughly 480 million euros coming from the Connecting Europe mechanism.
Political debate over the rail plan
The infrastructure project continues to be a focal point as campaigns gear up ahead of the March elections. Lisbon mayor Carlos Moedas has criticized the absence of a Lisbon to Madrid high-speed line, calling it a missed opportunity for regional competitiveness. The right-leaning politician argues that the project would boost links with Spain and reinforce Atlantic axis interests, including Vigo and Galicia. He contends that the Lisbon-Madrid connection should be the first cross-border link in the region and remains committed to pressing for it.
Moedas has emphasized that two capitals of this scale should be connected, suggesting the new line could unlock significant economic potential. He also noted his support for Madrid regional leadership in pursuing stronger Iberian rail ties. In recent public appearances, he connected the Lisbon-Porto-Braga-Vigo corridor to the broader European and Iberian network, underscoring its central role in future integration with Barcelona or Valencia, and of course Madrid. In May, the Lisbon leadership backed Madrid’s regional plans as part of a broader Atlantic strategy.
The stance of the leadership in Beja, along with other party figures, has intensified scrutiny of the high-speed rail initiative in Portugal after years of stalled efforts. One opposing candidate suggested not supporting the tender, while supporters argue the project remains a cornerstone for Portugal’s participation in a modern European rail network. The overarching message from officials has been clear: the Lisbon to Vigo link is fundamental for regional economic cohesion and should be prioritized as part of the wider Iberian rail expansion. As the talks progress, officials say the project will be integrated with the Iberian network, linking Lisbon, Porto, Braga, and Vigo into a more seamless cross-border corridor.