Portugal is the most recent nation in Europe to modernise its rail infrastructure. New high-speed trains introduced by the government might cut travel times in half. The plans, which were revealed on November 17, call for high-speed trains in each of the 10 main cities in Portugal as well as rail connections in each neighbourhood.
In a significant renovation of the country’s national railway infrastructure, the high-speed trains will be supplemented by a third crossing over the Tagus River (in the Lisbon region).
The statement was made by Pedro Nuno Santos, minister of infrastructure, who stated that it was intended to modernise and green up the nation’s train system. Santos added that the proposals might enable three-hour trips from Lisbon and Porto to Madrid.
The present 2-hour, 50-minute journey from Lisbon to Porto would be slashed in half. A third crossing over the Tagus will shorten the travel time from the south to Lisbon by at least 30 minutes, said Federico Francisco, the working group’s organiser. Portugal is unifying train travel as a means of reducing the number of drivers and achieving its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2045.
It intends to increase the proportion of people who travel by rail to 20% from 4.6% and the proportion of commodities transported by rail to 40% from 13%.
Which other nations in Europe have high-speed rail?
High-speed rail can be anything that travels at a speed of more than 250 km/h, but there is no universal definition for it. High-speed train connections between Japan and China are well known, with the fastest route in the world travelling at 350 km/h between Beijing and Shanghai.
Infrastructure for high-speed rail is present in several European nations, with France and Spain leading the way, followed by Germany, Italy, and the UK. There are intercity high-speed rail connections in other nations as well, including Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Sweden.
The London to Paris Eurostar is one of the most well-known high-speed routes in Europe, although the fastest operates between Madrid and Barcelona, ultimately joining the Barcelona to Perpignan line to France.
