“We are only waiting for the latest permits. The Faro / Vila Real de Santo António environmental assessment process has been completed, while the environmental assessment of the Tunes / Lagos section nearing completion,” IP vice president, Carlos Fernandes, said.

The contracts for the electrification of the entire railway line in the district of Faro have a total value of €65 million, 75 percent of which are reimbursed by community funds, and are part of the 2020 Investment Plan for the Railway.

According to the head of IP, the electrification of the two railway sections “will allow the modernis-ation of the Algarve Line, with the automation of all level crossings”.

“It will be an important step towards the requalification of the Algarve’s rail system that will allow CP to use newer, more modern, comfortable and faster trains”, he stressed.

Carlos Fernandes estimates that with the electrification of the entire line and with the new rolling stock “there will be a time saving of between 25 and 30 minutes on the Vila Real de Santo António / Lagos connection”.

The vice-president of IP also said that the company proposed to the Government “a significant improvement” of the rail link between Lisbon and Faro, “a project that allows a set of variants to the current line in the mountain area, with a reduction in time” in the connection between the two cities.