"The regulatory requirements for safety and certification, (...) and all the mandatory safety tests mean that, although the line will be ready before the end of the year, it will only be available for commercial use and by the public by the end of the first quarter of 2027," revealed Emídio Gomes.

The president of the transport company was speaking to journalists at the end of a working meeting with the Porto City Council executive, which took place this afternoon at City Hall, and described the delay as “great news”.

The entry into service of the Porto Metro Pink Line was initially scheduled for 2024, but the deadline was subsequently postponed.

“We assume that the line will be available to the public by March 2027, which means it has been under construction for six years,” he added.

Emídio Gomes acknowledged that “there were circumstances that justify some of what happened,” citing as examples “the very serious and unforeseen construction issues on the stretch between the Boavista roundabout [Praça de Mouzinho de Albuquerque] and Praça da Galiza.”

Between the final cost of the project - “300 and a few million” - and the additional work, the total final cost of this project will amount to €420 million.

At issue is a line whose route is entirely underground between São Bento and Casa da Música, in Porto, including the intermediate stations of Hospital Santo António and Galiza, as well as a branch line connecting to the main line, which, after several delays, was scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of this year.

From the Socialist Party, councillor Manuel Pizarro praised the return of the “open, transparent and rigorous dialogue” between the municipality and Metro do Porto and revealed that the transport company has committed to launching “as quickly as possible” a tender for the construction of an elevator to connect the future Praça da Galiza station to the Centro Materno-Infantil do Norte.

The sole councillor from Chega, Miguel Corte-Real, who requested this meeting to discuss the metrobus project, expressed “confidence” in the deadlines set by the Metro administration for the Pink Line’s entry into operation.

“This administration must be given the benefit of the doubt. I am not happy with what they told us, but I am happy that they told us something and that they made a commitment,” he stated.

The mayor, Pedro Duarte, welcomed the “completely different relationship” between the new executive and the new Metro administration, but assured that he will be “very vigilant” since “the city no longer tolerates delays”. On 9 January, Emídio Gomes pledged to resolve all surface obstacles related to the construction of this line up to São João by 24 June.