Approved by the Assembly of the Republic on December 19, 2025, and promulgated by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, on the 27th of the same month, Law No. 4/2026 was published today in the Official Gazette, entering into force within 30 days.

During the parliamentary debate on the government's proposed law that increases penalties for train drivers and sets limits on alcohol and drugs, the opposition accused the executive of legislating "on the obvious" and ignoring the structural problems of the railway.

During the debate, the Secretary of State for Mobility, Cristina Pinto Dias, highlighted that the legislation aims to "certify, unify, and integrate" legislation on railway safety.

Among the measures foreseen in the law are the establishment of a maximum blood alcohol limit of 0.2 grams per litre, "in line with other European railway networks," the scaling of fines according to the severity of the infraction, and the updating of fees due to the Institute of Mobility and Transport (IMT).

"Very serious offenses will be punished with fines of €100,000 to €500,000, reinforcing the supervisory and sanctioning power of the National Railway Safety Authority," emphasized Cristina Pinto Dias, adding that with these changes, "Portugal no longer has the lightest and lowest level of administrative offenses in Europe."

Serious offenses are punished with fines of €50,000 to €250,000, and minor offenses with fines of €1,000 to €5,000, while "attempt and negligence are also punishable, with the maximum and minimum limits of the fine reduced by half."

In the debate in the Assembly of the Republic, the Secretary of State for Mobility also stressed that the proposal does not alter the driving, rest, or break times already provided for in national and community legislation.

The ban on train drivers driving under the influence of alcohol had already been approved in parliament, in general, on January 31, 2025, with PSD and CDS accusing the previous executive of doing nothing about railway safety.