The minister of Equipment and Infrastructures Pedro Marques guaranteed that the project to electrify the Algarve Railway Line is to go ahead, in response to a question asked by the Algarvian deputy of the PSD Cristóvão Norte, during the ordinary hearing held by this government official. Wednesday, in Parliament.
Despite having assumed that this part of the investment foreseen for the railway in the Algarve continues in the current Government's plans, Pedro Marques did not comment on the railway connection to the airport, which the Social Democratic parliamentarian also wanted to know if it was going to be made.
The electrification work of the Algarve Line and the extension of the line to the International Airport of Faro was foreseen in the original version of the Strategic Plan for Transport and Investments (PETI), launched by the Government led by social democrat Pedro Passos Coelho. But recently the company Infraestruturas de Portugal revised the plan, which provided for the cancellation of this work.
The question by Cristóvão Norte, deputy elected by the Algarve, allowed some light to be shed on this matter, as it was not yet known whether the political decision (by the Government) would follow the prior technical indication (from Infraestruturas de Portugal). what is not right is that the 55 million euros initially planned are invested, which would serve to carry out different interventions.
"The minister assumed that the electrification of the line would go ahead, but he did not make any reference to the connection to the airport of Faro. He did not commit to deadlines or amounts, and he said that community funds can be a source of financing to be considered», described the Algarve deputy of the PSD, in a note sent to the media.
The announcement that the electrification of the Algarve Line and other works planned to improve the railway in the region could be suspended was very poorly received by most sectors of the Algarve society.
The mayors of the Algarve were even caught off guard by the Infraestruturas de Portugal report, which led them to ask for an "urgent meeting" with the guardianship.
“If it's true, it's obvious that we're not happy. This would be a decision that would seriously harm the Algarve and we will do everything to avoid it», assured the president of AMAL – Algarve Intermunicipal Community Jorge Botelho at the end of December, when it became known about the existence of the publicly owned company's report.
The discontent over a possible fall in this investment is linked to several factors, which Cristóvão Norte recalled in the framework of the question he asked Pedro Marques.
"The current network is marked by technical obsolescence and degradation of rolling stock, to which road constraints are added", defended the deputy, which makes the investment in the railway "crucial for the development of the region".
In PETI, approved in 2014, it was planned an investment of 55 million in the Algarve railway. This intervention and the requalification of the Ports of Portimão and Faro they were the only two works to be carried out in the Algarve that were included in this document. They would cost around 110 million euros, a small slice of the total investment.
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