In the core of Praça da Galiza a new transportation pattern is being developed

The works on Metro do Porto's Pink Line are on schedule, despite the contingencies faced in obtaining materials and raw materials and the increase in costs. The goal of having the connection between São Bento and Casa da Música working, in the first quarter of 2025, remains.

The mechanical rhythm of the excavators does not stop for a minute, and the relentless coming and going of the trucks - those carrying earth and excavated rock and those bringing in concrete to shape the new station - give an idea of the pace at which the work on the future Galiza station is running. The new Pink Line of Metro do Porto will pass through here, making the connection between São Bento and Casa da Música, bringing with it "a change in the transport pattern in the city", underlined the Mayor of Porto this Thursday.

After a visit to the construction site, accompanied by the State Secretary for Urban Mobility, Jorge Delgado, the chairman of Metro do Porto's board of directors, Tiago Braga, and the councillors for Environment and Climate Transition, Filipe Araújo, and of Urbanism and Public Space, Pedro Baganha. Rui Moreira was pleased to see the progress: “We are very pleased. We know that the work, during its execution, causes great constraints to residents, traffic, and mobility. But we have to look at the final result."

"People will only be satisfied with this work when it is finished. It is at that moment that people will realise that there has been a change in the transport pattern in the city, with a significant impact on the quality of life, on the environment, and on their wallets, because it is much cheaper to take the subway than using private transport", he stressed.

"Fundamental access"

The advantages outweigh the inconveniences of the work, reiterated the Mayor of Porto: "These works take time, we are doing deep excavations in the city. We realize that some people, in their daily lives, are disturbed by the works, either by noise or by traffic. This comes with the territory, even for those who live in the city and know that it needs to solve its mobility issues. We are talking about a fundamental access, which was overloaded with cars."

"At the same time, there have been some things that seem bad but are actually good", added Rui Moreira. "For example, when doing excavations, we discover part of Porto's history. It is clear that archaeological findings, namely in Cardosas, delay the work and increase the costs, but at the same time it is our heritage that is uncovered. All this, in the future, will be duly evaluated by the citizens", he concluded.

The State Secretary for Urban Mobility, Jorge Delgado, considered Metro do Porto's Pink Line a "very important work". "The works are going well, everything is according to plan. Due to their complexity and the difficulties that always exist, of various natures, these works always end up encountering some mishaps along the way. Essentially, nothing in the process is compromised. There is some delay, but it is not an issue that worries us too much", he added.

Current world circumstances will imply "an increase in costs", acknowledged Jorge Delgado, guaranteeing: "We will have to find a way to finance it. It is inevitable, it is common knowledge. We will have to accommodate it. It will require a great effort so that the project does not stop. We know there will be a bill to pay, we are aware of that, but we don't have those figures ascertained yet."

The goal is the first quarter of 2025

Without advancing figures for this increase in cost at this point - "it would be premature" - the chairman of Metro do Porto's board of directors underlined that there is "a global budget of 407 million euros and, during the tender phase, compared to the base prices, we were able to present results that allowed us to make some savings. We are managing this budget already considering this increase in the cost. We look at the project in a more comprehensive way."

"Ukraine was one of the world's major steel producers, there is a direct impact of the war on the costs of materials and raw materials associated with construction," added Tiago Braga, admitting an inflation of "20% to 30%" in prices. "But, more important than the issue of additional costs, is to understand what the benefit for the city is, for the region, resulting from this infrastructure. Let no one doubt that the economic value that this work brings to the region, in terms of social, environmental, and economic benefits, far exceeds what will be the additional cost", he stressed.

The goal is set for the first quarter of 2025. "Our goal is having the Pink Line up and running by the first quarter of 2025, because citizens really need this infrastructure. We know that the economic, social, and environmental impact of this line is fundamental", said the chairman of Metro do Porto's board of directors.

In technical terms, in the future Galiza station, Tiago Braga explained that everything that needed to be dug out has already been excavated. "We are regularising the base floor, and we will immediately start assembling the structure of the station's base slab. This is a hinge station, because it is from here that the tunnel rises, towards both the direction of Santo António and Casa da Música" - works that Braga expects to start between the last week of September and the beginning of October.

The chairman of Metro do Porto's board of directors also assured that " measures of noise containment and mitigation are being taken, with the placement of panels that have noise absorption capacity", in more critical work sites: "The pace of work will not be changed. We cannot say that we will suddenly stop having noise. That does not happen."

The future Galiza station will serve the EB 2/3 Gomes Ferreira, the Centro Comercial da Galiza, the Escola Secundária Infante D. Henrique, the Maternidade Júlio Dinis and the entire surrounding area - Centro Materno Infantil do Norte, Faculdade de Letras, Faculdade de Arquitetura, Jardins do Palácio de Cristal and the Super Bock Arena - Pavilhão Rosa Mota.

The Pink Line of the Metro do Porto will be the direct route from Boavista to Baixa, connecting the Blue, Red, Green, Violet and Orange lines, at Casa da Música, to the Yellow Line, at Estação de S. Bento.