Metro do Porto explained to Lusa that the contract was signed on Wednesday 25 November and that “work will begin after validation by the Court of Auditors”.
The contract, awarded for a value of 98.9 million euros will run until the end of 2023 and add three kilometers to the Yellow Line, connecting Santo Ovídio to Vila d’Este and “bolstering the Metro’s coverage in Vila Nova de Gaia”.
Quoted in the press release sent to Lusa, the chairman of Metro do Porto’s Board of Directors, Tiago Braga, states that “the conditions are now in place for the Yellow Line project to break ground”.
“We began November by signing the Pink Line contract and ended the month with the signing of the Yellow Line contract. This is good news, particularly now that we can move on to the Vila d’Este extension, where there is intense potential demand”, he stated.
Metro do Porto is now waiting for the prior approval of the Court of Auditors to “execute both contracts”.
Tiago Braga also adds that “Metro do Porto makes a point of scrupulously meeting all its legal, procedural and environmental obligations with full respect for the supervisory function of public entities, such as the Court of Auditors”.
The signing of the contract for the Yellow Line extension, which was awarded in July, was “pending the lifting of suspensions caused by actions filed by private individuals against the international public tender process”.
The transport operator appealed and the Administrative and Fiscal Court of Porto ruled in favour of the company, with “any impediment to the progress of the process” ceasing to exist.
The construction of the Pink Line and the extension of the Yellow Line represent a total investment of more than 407 million euros. In addition, Metro do Porto has a contract to supply 18 rolling stock consists to its fleet, worth 50 million euros.
“The new vehicles, intended to allow the expansion of the network, will be delivered between 2021 and 2023”, added Metro do Porto.
