Maia II: Metrobus or light rail between Roberto Frias (Porto) and Verdes (Maia)

The studies are now complete. For the second line serving the municipality of Maia - Maia II - running between Roberto Frias in Porto and the Verdes station in Maia, two solutions are on the table: a bus service on a segregated corridor (the metrobus) or a light-rail metro.

While the light-rail option would require a larger investment, it is the preference of the Maia City Council, which points to challenges in fitting a road corridor into the Asprela hub and along the Circunvalação.

Two options under study for the Maia II line

At an extraordinary meeting of Maia City Council, the Executive was presented with the two project alternatives for this corridor. The President of Metro do Porto, Emídio Gomes, stressed that the assessment must go beyond cost, looking in particular at the territorial impact and how well each option would function.

He highlighted the “integration difficulties” a metrobus would face in “critical areas” such as Rua Roberto Frias, the Circunvalação and the surroundings of Hospital de São João, in Porto.

Route, stops and areas served by Maia II

Maia II is designed to serve highly populated neighbourhoods, including Pedrouços, Águas Santas and Gueifães.

“The technical presentation revealed significant differences between the two alternatives. If the metrobus solution is adopted, the route would increase from 13,01 to 14,30 kilometres and the number of stops would rise from 16 to 18.”

According to the municipality, led by Silva Tiago, “the only advantage would be the value of the investment, which would be lower”. Even so, Emídio Gomes argued that either solution would bring a “positive break” to the municipality of Maia, with a direct effect on urban, housing and economic reorganisation.

Intersects with three lines

The future line would connect with the Yellow Line (linking Hospital de São João in Porto to Vila d'Este in Gaia) at S. João, and with both the Purple Line (towards Aeroporto de Pedras Rubras) and the Red Line (linking Vila do Conde and Póvoa de Varzim) in the Verdes station area.

Maia’s Mayor, António Silva Tiago, favours the metro option. “My preferred solution is, clearly, light rail, the LRT,” said the Social Democrat, adding that the comparative studies produced by Metro do Porto need to be reviewed before any political decision is taken.