Porto City Council revives the Campo Alegre Line project

Porto City Council is set to revive the Campo Alegre Line project. Although the route was left out of the metro expansion plans, Hugo Beirão now says delivery is on the “right track” and that he believes “it will become reality”. The alignment is included in the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, alongside the circular line that will connect Casa da Música to Asprela.

“The much longed-for Campo Alegre Line, which at the start of the century was part of the network plan, was gradually forgotten, but we want to put it back on the table for discussion and I believe we are on the right track. It’s a subject we are working on with Metro do Porto, within its expansion,” said the executive led by Pedro Duarte.

The Campo Alegre area has several characteristics that make it highly sought-after, not least its university hubs, together with the resident population that would be better served by additional public transport.

“It will become reality”

The councillor is resolute and explains that, among the remaining points to settle, the type of vehicle to be used has not yet been decided: “The Campo Alegre Line will, without doubt, be a project to implement and a reality. Then we will see whether it will run with the traditional metro, as we have in the city at the moment, or with a lighter form of transport.”

Preliminary work is already under way, and it will be the data gathered that will guide the decisions. “We’ll see what the studies tell us (about the type of vehicle), but it is certainly something to move forward with and finalise,” he insists.

The councillor notes that there are pre-analysis, development and route-alignment studies. What is still missing, however, is the full project, particularly on the geotechnical side. “Integration into the future Avenue Nun' Álvares [which will link Praça do Império to Avenida da Boavista] is one possibility,” he acknowledges, adding that with a corridor already defined for Campo Alegre, “we need to progress in engineering terms”.

Currently under construction are the Pink Line (S. Bento/Casa da Música), due to enter service in 2027, and the Ruby Line (Casa da Música/Santo Ovídio, in Gaia), which includes a new bridge over the River Douro between Porto and Gaia. Hugo Beirão believes the “Pink Line will help the city a great deal”, allowing it to breathe more easily, but admits the “Ruby Line will be more transformative for the entire axis”. While pointing to completion of this line only in “2029”, he stresses that it “will create the network ring we need”.

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Maria Pia Bridge

Potential use of the Maria Pia Bridge, which was formerly used by the railway and is now inactive, remains undecided. “There have been contacts with Gaia City Council. It’s a sculpture in our landscape. There are many pros and cons regarding what type of use it might have. Perhaps the future will be as a pedestrian platform. There are conversations, but no decisions yet. Above all, what concerns decision-makers most and has to be the main focus is understanding the safety of the structure,” which falls under the responsibility of Infraestruturas de Portugal.

Technologies

By making use of technology, Porto City Council has software to “take readings and measurements of road traffic flows, but also for cycle lanes”. Hugo Beirão says that “it’s important to have this real, concrete data, so we’re not working from perceptions”.

Carmo

Tram Line 18, running between Passeio Alegre and Carmo, was reactivated this month. With the end of works on the metro’s Pink Line at Cordoaria, services have resumed. These stops have also been reinstated: Parada Leitão, Hospital de Santo António and Carmo.