Lisbon–Porto high-speed tender reset clears Oiã–Soure bid

Portugal has moved to restart the Lisbon–Porto high-speed tender for a key missing segment of its flagship rail programme. Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) has been authorised to reopen procurement after the first attempt fell apart, as reported by RailTech.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Approved by the Council of Ministers and published on 19 January, the decision gives IP the mandate to launch a second public–private partnership tender (PPP2), as set out in a Council of Ministers resolution published in Diário da República. The concession covers the design, construction, financing and long-term maintenance of around 60 km of high-speed line between Oiã, south of Aveiro, and Soure in central Portugal.

Don’t miss…GATX Brookfield acquire Wells Fargo fleets in $4.2bn deal

After the Porto–Oiã section was awarded last year under a separate PPP, the Oiã–Soure section (Porto–Lisbon high-speed line) has remained one of the corridor’s key gaps. Alongside the future Soure–Carregado stretch, it supports Portugal’s aim to bring end-to-end journey times between the country’s two largest cities down to roughly one hour and 20 minutes.

Why the Oiã–Soure PPP2 retender is happening?

The relaunch follows the annulment of the earlier procedure in 2024. That first tender attracted only one bidder, and the bid was ultimately disqualified, prompting the government to revoke its earlier authorisation and start again — a sequence also reflected in Railway Supply’s coverage of the initial PPP2 tender. Ministers are framing the reset as a practical move to keep the wider Porto–Lisbon programme moving, rather than a change in scope or ambition.

Costs, EU funding and the concession model

Under the PPP2 public–private partnership (design-build-finance-maintain), the maximum authorised cost (NPV) is €1.6 billion in December 2023 prices. The government has also cleared an additional €600 million for projects, expropriations, site preparation and supervision. At current prices, the estimated total contract value is €4.77 billion over 30 years (2026–2056), with payments due to begin in July 2026.

EU support is already in place, including €365.8 million from Connecting Europe Facility (CEF 2). A further €234 million is planned from other EU funding sources.

Scope on the ground and the signalling package

The civil-works scope covers around 60 km of line, one tunnel, and 25 bridges and viaducts, as well as 18 connections to the conventional network and nine interventions on the Northern Line.

Alongside the core concession, the government has approved a separate signalling, telecommunications and safety systems package linked to the high-speed line. Valued at €360 million, it includes €268.5 million for design and installation and €91.5 million for long-term maintenance. According to the government, it covers S&T installation on the Porto–Oiã high-speed section, partial renewal on the conventional Northern Line, complementary safety systems, and full lifecycle maintenance of the equipment.

Keeping the Porto–Lisbon programme on track

The retender comes after a stop–start period for Portugal’s high-speed plans, shaped by failed tenders, route optimisations and growing delivery complexity. Political backing for the corridor has strengthened, but procurement setbacks, technical interfaces between phases and environmental constraints have slowed momentum. With construction on the northern section now under way, Lisbon is treating the Oiã–Soure reset as a test of whether the project can shift from repeated reauthorisation to sustained delivery — and maintain credibility with contractors, investors and EU institutions.

Infrastructure Minister Miguel Pinto Luz has insisted the relaunch will not increase the headline cost of the Oiã–Soure section. The government says the route has been optimised, including a reduction of around 11 km compared with earlier plans, alongside technical adjustments intended to improve coordination across phases of the corridor.

News on railway transport, industry, and railway technologies from Railway Supply that you might have missed: