Portugal, which has lagged behind many of its neighbors in developing high-speed rail lines and connections, is now moving toward a master plan that could see major developments by 2050, if it is carried out.
Proposed in the plan are high-speed lines connecting the ten largest Portuguese cities, a new railroad bridge across the Tagus River and service connecting Lisbon and Porto to Madrid in under three hours. There has been recent criticism of Portugal's failure to build its end of a Lisbon-Madrid high-speed line that is nearing completion on the Spanish side.
The plan, approved by the Portuguese cabinet is still "a proposal for public discussion, in the end it does not have to be exactly the same... and it is a planning instrument that will last," according to Infrastructure Minister Pedro Nuno Santos, who says the final plan will be one that can carry through even if governments change.
The proposed Tagus rail bridge at Lisbon would reduce travel times between Lisbon and the south by about 30 minutes. The plan calls not only for a raft of new construction, but also restoration of rail service to regions where it was dropped over the past years.
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