Porto Metro

Porto Metro
PortoMetro.png
Info
Locale Porto
Transit type Light rail
Number of lines 5
Number of stations 68
Operation
Began operation 2002
Operator(s) Transdev
Technical
System length 60 km (37 mi)
Network overview.

The Porto Metro (Portuguese: Metro do Porto), part of the mass transit public transport system of Porto, Portugal, is a light-rail network of electrified railways that run underground in central Porto and above ground into the city's suburbs. The Porto Metro was founded in 2002, and it was for years one of the major construction sites in the European Union.

The network has 5 independent lines and reaches six municipalities within the metropolitan Porto area: Porto, Maia, Matosinhos, Póvoa de Varzim, Vila do Conde and Vila Nova de Gaia. It currently has a total of 68 operational stations across 60 km (37.5 mi) of double commercial line. Most of the system is at ground level or elevated, but 8 km (5 mi) of the network is underground. The system is run by Transdev.

Contents

History

Porto Metro train.

Line A (blue line) between Senhor de Matosinhos and Trindade in central Porto was the first Porto Metro line to open, in 2002. The line was extended in 2004 to Estádio do Dragão, in time for the Euro 2004 Football championship.

On April 14, 2005, Line B (red line) opened. The Casa da Música concert hall (which has a station on the combined ABCE line) opened on the same day.

Line C (green line) opened on July 30, 2005, reaching the centre of Maia. An extension to ISMAI opened in March 2006.

Line D (yellow line) proved the most problematic to excavate and opened in 2005. The line runs from João de Deus and Vila Nova de Gaia in the south before crossing the River Douro and passing through central Porto en route to Hospital São João in the north. The Hospital São João and IPO stations were not brought into service until April 2006 due to safety concerns, and some services on this line still terminate at Pólo Universitário.

Line E (violet line) opened on May 27, 2006, connecting the Airport Francisco Sá Carneiro and Campanhã. Several weeks later, the line was extended until Estádio do Dragão. An end-to-end journey takes 33 minutes, with trains departing every 25 minutes.

Lines A, B, C & E follow the same course within the City of Porto (from Estádio do Dragão to Senhora da Hora) before splitting into separate lines. The transfer point between Line ABCE and Line D is at Trindade in central Porto.

Costs and financial results

As of 2007, the total cost of Porto Metro mass transit public transport system stands on 3,500 million euros - over 1% of Portugal's GDP. The first phase of the project alone, which was led by the mayors of several Grande Porto (Greater Porto) municipalities including Valentim Loureiro as a chairman of the state-owned company, was 140% more expensive than initially planned which means a slippage of over 1,500 million euros. The Porto Metro state-owned company has reported losses every year, reaching a record loss of 122 million euros in 2006.[1][2]

Trains

Onboard a Porto Metro train

The Metro uses modern Bombardier Flexity Outlook "Eurotram" low-floor dual-carriage trams. New Flexity Swift LRVs are due to be used in the red line in 2008; these new trains will reach 100 km/h (62.5 mph), have more seats, and can in common with most modern light rail systems recover 30% of the total of consumed energy during braking.

The majority of services run with two LRVs coupled together. The Eurotram consists of four main compartments, two in each carriage linked by short corridors, and also features an articulation between the two carriages. They have a capacity of 80 seated and 134 standing passengers.

Tickets

The system uses the "Andante" ticketing system. Machines in stations issue and can recharge Andante Azul - blue "Occasional" tickets, while Andante Gold is a credit-card style "Gold" tickets (which bear a scanned photograph of the holder) that can be purchased in Lojas Andante (Andante Shops). Tickets can also be topped up at Multibanco ATM terminals.

Tickets must be validated before travel by scanning them in front of the yellow machines located in stations. A validated occasional ticket allows for unlimited travel within a specified time period, currently 1 hour for the minimum 2-zone ticket, and longer as the number of valid zones increases. The gold passes allow unlimited travel within a pre-defined area, and are available in "anytime" or cheaper "10/16" (off-peak) versions. There is also a daily ticket, known as Andante 24 that allows the user to make unlimited trips within a given day in the zones chosen. For example, a Z3 (3-zone) ticket is valid for 3 zones in any direction of travel from the first validated zone. So, to cover all of the Metro, except the northern-most part of Line B (zones N2 and N3), a Z4 ticket is needed, provided it is validated in zone C1.

An Andante ticket being validated

There are no entry barriers on the system and groups of revenue protection staff make random spot checks on passengers with hand-held scanners. The current penalty for travelling without a validated ticket is €77.

The metro uses the same zoning system as the majority of public transport providers in the Porto metropolitan area, which is divided into Central (C), North (N) and South (S) zones, and further divided into numbered sub-zones. The C1 zone in central Porto is effectively the area contained within the VCI (Via Cintura Interna) inner ring-road, while zones C2 and C6 are the areas between the VCI and the Estrada da Circunvalação outer ring-road.

The Andante system is being rolled out across the entire Porto public transit network. STCP bus routes and some other bus routes currently accept Andante and the intention is for the entire bus, metro and suburban train network to become integrated. The same ticket can be used in downtown Porto trams and the cable car (Funicular dos Guindais).

Network

Line A: Senhor de Matosinhos - Estádio do Dragão (blue)

The entrance to Casa da Música station, with Casa da Música itself in the background
Travel time: 39 minutes and 14 seconds
Waiting time: 10 minutes
  1. Senhor de Matosinhos (Zone C3)
  2. Mercado
  3. Brito Capelo
  4. Matosinhos Sul
  5. Câmara de Matosinhos
  6. Parque de Real
  7. Pedro Hispano
  8. Estádio do Mar
  9. Vasco da Gama (Zone C3)
  10. Senhora da Hora Wmerge3.svg Transfer to lines B, C, and E (Zone C2)
  11. Sete Bicas
  12. Viso
  13. Ramalde (Zone C2)
  14. Francos (Zone C1)
  15. Casa da Música
  16. Carolina Michaëlis
  17. Lapa
  18. Trindade Wmerge3.svg Transfer to line D
  19. Bolhão
  20. Campo 24 de Agosto
  21. Heroísmo
  22. Campanhã Wmerge3.svg Transfer to mainline trains
  23. Estádio do Dragão (Zone C1)

Line B: Póvoa de Varzim - Estádio do Dragão (red)

Travel time: ~65 minutes
Waiting time: 20 minutes
  1. Póvoa de Varzim (Zone N3)
  2. São Brás
  3. Portas Fronhas
  4. Alto de Pêga
  5. Vila do Conde
  6. Santa Clara (Zone N3)
  7. Azurara (Zone N2)
  8. Árvore
  9. Varziela
  10. Espaço Natureza
  11. Mindelo (Zone N2)
  12. Modivas Centro (Zone N10)
  13. Modivas Sul
  14. Vilar de Pinheiro
  15. Lidador
  16. Pedras Rubras
  17. Verdes Wmerge3.svg Transfer to line E (Zone N10)
  18. Crestins (Zone C5)
  19. Esposade
  20. Custóias
  21. Fonte do Cuco Wmerge3.svg Transfer to line C (Zone C5)
  22. Senhora da Hora Wmerge3.svg Transfer to line A (Zone C2)
  23. Sete Bicas
  24. Viso
  25. Ramalde (Zone C2)
  26. Francos (Zone C1)
  27. Casa da Música
  28. Carolina Michaëlis
  29. Lapa
  30. Trindade Wmerge3.svg Transfer to line D
  31. Bolhão
  32. Campo 24 de Agosto
  33. Heroísmo
  34. Campanhã Wmerge3.svg Transfer to mainline trains
  35. Estádio do Dragão (Zone C1)

Line B Expresso: Póvoa de Varzim - Estádio do Dragão (red)

Shuttle service between Póvoa de Varzim and Porto
Travel time: ~53 minutes
Fixed Waiting time: 60 minutes
  1. Póvoa de Varzim (Zone N3)
  2. Vila do Conde (Zone N3)
  3. Pedras Rubras (Zone N10)
  4. Senhora da Hora (Zone C2) Wmerge3.svg Transfer to lines A, B, C and E
  5. Sete Bicas
  6. Viso
  7. Ramalde (Zone C2)
  8. Francos (Zone C1)
  9. Casa da Música
  10. Carolina Michaëlis
  11. Lapa
  12. Trindade Wmerge3.svg Transfer to line D
  13. Bolhão
  14. Campo 24 de Agosto
  15. Heroísmo
  16. Campanhã Wmerge3.svg Transfer to mainline trains
  17. Estádio do Dragão (Zone C1)

Line C: ISMAI - Estádio do Dragão (green)

Travel time: ~43 minutes
Waiting time: 15 minutes
  1. ISMAI (Zone N11)
  2. Castêlo da Maia
  3. Mandim
  4. Zona Industrial (Zone N11)
  5. Fórum Maia (Zone C5)
  6. Parque Maia
  7. Custió
  8. Araújo
  9. Pias
  10. Cândido dos Reis
  11. Fonte do Cuco Wmerge3.svg Transfer to lines B and E (Zone C5)
  12. Senhora da Hora Wmerge3.svg Transfer to line A (Zone C2)
  13. Sete Bicas
  14. Viso
  15. Ramalde (Zone C2)
  16. Francos (Zone C1)
  17. Casa da Música
  18. Carolina Michaëlis
  19. Lapa
  20. Trindade Wmerge3.svg Transfer to line D
  21. Bolhão
  22. Campo 24 de Agosto
  23. Heroísmo
  24. Campanhã Wmerge3.svg Transfer to mainline trains
  25. Estádio do Dragão (Zone C1)

Line D: D. João II - Hospital São João (yellow)

Dom Luis I's bridge crossing by Metro
Trindade Station, Line D platform
IPO Station, Line D
Travel time: 19 minutes and 30 seconds
Waiting time: 5-10 minutes
  1. D. João II (Zone S8)
  2. João de Deus
  3. Câmara de Gaia
  4. General Torres Wmerge3.svg Transfer to local trains
  5. Jardim do Morro (Zone S8)
  6. São Bento Wmerge3.svg Transfer to local trains and funicular (Zone C1)
  7. Aliados
  8. Trindade Wmerge3.svg Transfer to lines A, B, C, and E
  9. Faria Guimarães
  10. Marquês
  11. Combatantes
  12. Salgueiros (Zone C1)
  13. Pólo Universitário (Zone C6) (some services terminate here)
  14. IPO
  15. Hospital São João (Zone C6)

Line E: Aeroporto - Estádio do Dragão (violet)

Travel time: 33 minutes
Waiting time: 20 minutes
  1. Aeroporto (Airport) (Zone N10) Wmerge3.svg Transfer to Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport
  2. Botica
  3. Verdes Wmerge3.svg Transfer to line B
  4. Crestins (Zone C5)
  5. Esposade
  6. Custóias
  7. Fonte do Cuco Wmerge3.svg Transfer to line C (Zone C5)
  8. Senhora da Hora Wmerge3.svg Transfer to line A (Zone C2)
  9. Sete Bicas
  10. Viso
  11. Ramalde (Zone C2)
  12. Francos (Zone C1)
  13. Casa da Música
  14. Carolina Michaëlis
  15. Lapa
  16. Trindade Wmerge3.svg Transfer to line D
  17. Bolhão
  18. Campo 24 de Agosto
  19. Heroísmo
  20. Campanhã Wmerge3.svg Transfer to mainline trains
  21. Estádio do Dragão (Zone C1)

Funicular dos Guindais

The Metro do Porto company also operates the Funicular of Guindais, a cable-car system that was originally built in 1891 and recently remodelled. It connects the riverside area of Ribeira to higher ground at Batalha, near Sao Bento station.

Future expansion

Line A: To Leça da Palmeira and, on the other way, to Rio Tinto and Gondomar.
Line B: To Barreiros district in Póvoa de Varzim.
Line C: To Trofa
Line D: Extension to Santo Ovídio in the south and connection to Parque Maia (line C) in the north. It is expected to be extended southwards, through Vila D'Este, Carvalhos, Lourosa, Santa Maria da Feira, São João da Madeira and Oliveira de Azeméis - the Southern part of Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto.
Line F: A proposed new line running from Casa da Música to Matosinhos under Avenida da Boavista.
Line G: Casa da Música to Santo Ovídio

A new line connecting Senhora da Hora, São Mamede de Infesta and Hospital de São João is also planned.

References

  1. ↑ Gestores do Metro do Porto recebem €650 mil de prémios, Expresso newspaper, 18th Feb 2006, accessed Mar 2007 (in Portuguese)
  2. ↑ Metro do Porto fechou exercício com resultado negativo de 122 milhões de euros, Diário Económico website, 07th Mar 2007, accessed Mar 2007 (in Portuguese)

See also

External links