Lisbon’s Metro system is changing the seats on its trains, replacing the current fabric seat covers with new ones made of a cork composite that is longer-lasting, easier to maintain and environmentally friendly, coinciding with the city’s status as Green Capital of the EU for 2020.
Plus, the cork for the new seats is a product of Portugal, one of the world’s leading producers of cork.
The Metro system has been testing 200 of the cork seats since 2013, and has been impressed with them; they have all remained in good condition, and their expected lifespan is about 15 years.
The replacements are being installed on a rolling basis, with about one to two six-car trains done each week, and will be completed by the end of the year for all 13,516 seats.