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Porto Metro

The Porto Metro is a light rail network in Porto, Portugal and a key part of the city's public transport system. It runs underground in central Porto and above ground into the city's suburbs while using low-floor tram vehicles. The first parts of the system have been in operation since 2002.

History
During 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. 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. 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. In July 2017, an infill station called was added. ''. Line C (green line) opened on July 30, 2005, until in the centre of Maia and was extended until ISMAI in March 2006. The Guimarães line continued to have train services from Lousado via Linha do Minho. Line E (violet line) opened on May 27, 2006, connecting the Airport Francisco Sá Carneiro and Campanhã. 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. == Corporate affairs ==
Corporate affairs
Key figures Between 2016 and 2023, the number of yearly passengers using the Porto Metro system has gradually increased, with the exception of the years affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. On the supply side, the number of yearly train trips has varied, and as of 2023 it had not recovered to the peak of 370,000 in 2019. Porto Metro's punctuality is high, bottoming out at 93% in 2019. Investment increased from 2021 onward, when construction started on Line G and on the expansion of Line D. Costs and financial results As 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. == Rolling stock ==
Rolling stock
The Metro uses 72 modern Eurotram low-floor, articulated trams. Flexity Swift LRVs are used on line B, Bx and line C since 2008, and can reach . 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. The LRVs from CRRC Tangshan, dubbed CRRC Tram or CT, are the latest to be introduced on the network, running since 2023 on line C and E. 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. ==Tickets==
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. 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. ==Network==
Network
Line A – Senhor de Matosinhos – Estádio do Dragão Line A or the Blue Line is the earliest of the five Porto Metro lines and the second busiest line as of 2023, transporting 12 million passengers. 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 tunneled 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. Flexity Outlook Eurotrams number 001–072 service the line. Line B/Bx – Póvoa de Varzim – Estádio do Dragão on Line B 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: B and Bx. 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. Line C – ISMAI – Campanhã Line C or the Green Line runs between ISMAI and Campanhã stations, with 22 intermediate stations. The line has a basic frequency of four trams per hour, but some trams on the line terminate at . Travel time between ISMAI and Campanhã stations is just over 40 minutes. The line 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. Line D – Vila d'Este – Hospital São João 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. Line E – Aeroporto – Trindade (– Estádio do Dragão) Line E or the Violet Line runs between Aeroporto and Trindade stations, with 13 intermediate stations. Trams 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 trams an hour continue beyond Trindade to Estádio do Dragão, serving a further four intermediate stations and taking about 10 more minutes. 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 , sharing tracks variously with lines A, B, C and F for the rest of its route. It is expected that the line will be extended from Senhora da Hora to Senhor de Matosinhos, which is the current teminus of Line A. This extension is shown on new official network maps of the Porto Metro, but as of February 2025 it has not been incorporated into the official timetable. Besides the shared segment between Senhora da Hora and Estádio do Dragão, Line F runs mainly above ground. It is the only service operating in the municipality of Gondomar, and it transported 9 million people in 2024. ==Future expansion==
Future expansion
• Metrobus line 2: A Bus rapid transit line is expected to open for service by August 2026, between Casa da Música and Anémona, in Matosinhos, also run by hydrogen cell buses. • Line G (Pink line): A new 2.7km, 4 station fully underground line which connects Casa da Música to São Bento through Cordoaria. The construction started in 2020 and Porto Metro expects it to be concluded by early 2027. • Line H (Ruby line): A new 6.74km, 8 station line that will connect Casa da Música station in Porto with Santo Ovídio station in Vila Nova de Gaia. Construction started in May 2024 with the line planned to enter service, partially, by late 2026. ==See also==
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