"It is a gigantic investment that is taking place across the country, a project that was thought would never be done, and that will be done. The high-speed connection between Lisbon and Porto, between Porto and Vigo, and certainly one day also between Porto and Lisbon and the rest of Europe will be done", said António Costa.

The prime minister spoke about investments in the railway at the presentation ceremony for the extension of the Porto Metro network, which comprises the lines ISMAI - Muro - Trofa (metro to Muro and 'metrobus' to Paradela), Gondomar II (Dragão - Souto), Maia II (Roberto Frias - Parque Maia - Airport) and São Mamede (IPO - Estádio do Mar), in a ceremony that was also attended by the Minister of Environment and Climate Action and the region's mayors.

The Lisbon-Porto high-speed project, with an estimated cost of around 4.5 billion euros, foresees a connection between the two cities in an hour and 15 minutes, with possible stops in Leiria, Coimbra, Aveiro and Gaia.

The development of the project and construction of the first phase (Porto - Soure) is scheduled for the intervals between 2024 and 2028, and the Soure - Carregado (the connection to Lisbon will be developed later) between 2026 and 2030.

At the same time, the Porto-Vigo connection is also being developed, dependent on coordination with Spain, with a new connection to Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport and the Braga-Valença section (Viana do Castelo district) by 2030.