Metro Mondego starts operating on Friday, limited to the route in Coimbra

The start of the operation, which the ministry calls the “Mondego Metro”, “responds to a long-standing aspiration of the populations of that region in the center of the country”, the Government highlighted.

The project involved the closure of the Lousã railway branch and experienced several delays, changes and suspensions over more than 30 years, having been halted after the rails were removed in 2010.

The SMM, which was planned to be a light rail system, was revived in 2017 by the government led by António Costa, who reformulated the project, maintaining the same route and replacing the metro with articulated electric buses.

For MIH, the system “fosters urban cohesion between these municipalities, promoting local development and combating mobility poverty,” creating “an efficient and complementary transport network based on interoperability with other transport operators.”

According to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, the SMM represents an investment of 220 million euros.

"For decades, the residents of the Coimbra region have waited, and despaired, for the day when the Mondego Metro would finally begin operating. When it comes to meeting their needs, citizens don't understand these delays and indecisions, nor their political motivations," emphasized the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, quoted in the press release.

According to Metro Mondego, the minister is expected to be present on Friday, at the start of the preliminary operation.

The SMM expects to register 13 million passengers per year and a five-minute interval between buses during peak periods.

The start of the operation, which the ministry calls the “Mondego Metro”, “responds to a long-standing aspiration of the populations of that region in the center of the country”, the Government highlighted.

The project involved the closure of the Lousã railway branch and experienced several delays, changes and suspensions over more than 30 years, having been halted after the rails were removed in 2010.

The SMM, which was planned to be a light rail system, was revived in 2017 by the government led by António Costa, who reformulated the project, maintaining the same route and replacing the metro with articulated electric buses.

For MIH, the system “fosters urban cohesion between these municipalities, promoting local development and combating mobility poverty,” creating “an efficient and complementary transport network based on interoperability with other transport operators.”

According to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, the SMM represents an investment of 220 million euros.

"For decades, the residents of the Coimbra region have waited, and despaired, for the day when the Mondego Metro would finally begin operating. When it comes to meeting their needs, citizens don't understand these delays and indecisions, nor their political motivations," emphasized the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, quoted in the press release.

According to Metro Mondego, the minister is expected to be present on Friday, at the start of the preliminary operation.

The SMM expects to register 13 million passengers per year and a five-minute interval between buses during peak periods.

The start of the operation, which the ministry calls the “Mondego Metro”, “responds to a long-standing aspiration of the populations of that region in the center of the country”, the Government highlighted.

The project involved the closure of the Lousã railway branch and experienced several delays, changes and suspensions over more than 30 years, having been halted after the rails were removed in 2010.

The SMM, which was planned to be a light rail system, was revived in 2017 by the government led by António Costa, who reformulated the project, maintaining the same route and replacing the metro with articulated electric buses.

For MIH, the system “fosters urban cohesion between these municipalities, promoting local development and combating mobility poverty,” creating “an efficient and complementary transport network based on interoperability with other transport operators.”

According to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, the SMM represents an investment of 220 million euros.

"For decades, the residents of the Coimbra region have waited, and despaired, for the day when the Mondego Metro would finally begin operating. When it comes to meeting their needs, citizens don't understand these delays and indecisions, nor their political motivations," emphasized the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, quoted in the press release.

According to Metro Mondego, the minister is expected to be present on Friday, at the start of the preliminary operation.

The SMM expects to register 13 million passengers per year and a five-minute interval between buses during peak periods.