Porto Metro

Porto Metro
Info
Locale	Porto
Transit type	Light rail
Number of lines	6
Number of stations	80
Operation
Began operation	2002
Operator(s)	ViaPORTO
Number of vehicles	102
Technical
System length	67 km (42 mi)

Network overview.

The Porto Metro (Portuguese: Metro do Porto), part of the public transport (mass transit) system of Porto, Portugal, is a light-rail network that runs 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 6 lines and reaches seven municipalities within the metropolitan Porto area: Porto, Gondomar, Maia, Matosinhos, Póvoa de Varzim, Vila do Conde and Vila Nova de Gaia. It currently has a total of 80 operational stations across 67 km (41.5 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 ViaPORTO.

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 ABCEF 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.

Line F (orange line) opened on January 2, 2011, connecting Porto city centre to the Gondomar region in the east, this line runs between Senhora da Hora and Fânzeres.

Lines A, B, C, E & F follow the same course within the City of Porto (between Estádio do Dragão and Senhora da Hora). The transfer point between Line ABCEF 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 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 on 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 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 Transfer to line D
19. Bolhão
20. Campo 24 de Agosto
21. Heroísmo
22. Campanhã station Transfer to mainline trains
23. Estádio do Dragão Transfer to line F (Zone C1)

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

Travel time: ~65 minutes

Waiting time: 30 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 Transfer to line E (Zone N10)
18. Crestins (Zone C5)
19. Esposade
20. Custóias
21. Fonte do Cuco Transfer to line C (Zone C5)
22. Senhora da Hora 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 Transfer to line D
31. Bolhão
32. Campo 24 de Agosto
33. Heroísmo
34. Campanhã station Transfer to mainline trains
35. Estádio do Dragão Transfer to line F (Zone C1)

Line Bx: Póvoa de Varzim - Trindade (red)

Shuttle service between Póvoa de Varzim and Porto

Travel time: ~45 minutes

Fixed Waiting time: 30 minutes

1. Póvoa de Varzim (Zone N3)
2. Portas Fronhas
3. Vila do Conde (Zone N3)
4. Varziela (Zone N2)
5. Mindelo (Zone N2)
6. Pedras Rubras (Zone N10)
7. Senhora da Hora (Zone C2) Transfer to lines A, B, C, and E
8. Sete Bicas
9. Viso
10. Ramalde (Zone C2)
11. Francos (Zone C1)
12. Casa da Música
13. Carolina Michaëlis
14. Lapa
15. Trindade (Zone C1) Transfer to line D and F

Line C: ISMAI - Campanhã (green)

Metro do Porto composition next to the Forum Maia Station.

Aliados Station entrance.

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 Transfer to lines B and E (Zone C5)
12. Senhora da Hora 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 Transfer to line D
21. Bolhão
22. Campo 24 de Agosto
23. Heroísmo
24. Campanhã station Transfer to line F and mainline trains (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 Transfer to local trains
5. Jardim do Morro (Zone S8)
6. São Bento Transfer to local trains and funicular (Zone C1)
7. Aliados
8. Trindade Transfer to lines A, B, C, E and F
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: 30 minutes

1. Aeroporto (Airport) (Zone N10) Transfer to Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport
2. Botica
3. Verdes Transfer to line B
4. Crestins (Zone N10)
5. Esposade (Zone C5)
6. Custóias
7. Fonte do Cuco Transfer to line C (Zone C5)
8. Senhora da Hora 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 Transfer to line D
17. Bolhão
18. Campo 24 de Agosto
19. Heroísmo
20. Campanhã Transfer to mainline trains
21. Estádio do Dragão Transfer to line F (Zone C1)

Line F: Senhora da Hora - Fânzeres (orange)

Travel time: 41 minutes

Waiting time: 15 minutes

1. Senhora da Hora Transfer to lines A, B, C and E (Zone C2)
2. Sete Bicas
3. Viso
4. Ramalde (Zone C2)
5. Francos (Zone C1)
6. Casa da Música
7. Carolina Michaëlis
8. Lapa
9. Trindade Transfer to line D
10. Bolhão
11. Campo 24 de Agosto
12. Heroísmo
13. Campanhã Transfer to mainline trains
14. Estádio do Dragão (Zone C1)
15. Contumil Transfer to local trains (Zone C6)
16. Nasoni
17. Nau Vitória (Zone C6)
18. Levada (Zone C9)
19. Rio Tinto
20. Campainha
21. Baguim
22. Carreira (Zone C9)
23. Venda Nova (Zone C8)
24. Fânzeres (Zone C8)

Funicular dos Guindais

Main article: 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 C: To Paradela

Line D: Extension to Santo Ovídio in the south and connection to Vila D'Este.

Line G: Senhor de Matosinhos to S.Bento.

Line H: Matosinhos Praia to Vila D'Este.

Line I: Campanhã to Gondomar

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

	Trains portal
	Portugal portal

• Trams in Porto
• Sociedade de Transportes Colectivos do Porto (STCP)
• Lisbon Metro
• List of rapid transit systems

External links

• Porto Metro Official Homepage
• Official website for the ticketing system
• Map of the Porto Metro network (.pdf file)
• Metro do Porto news archive
• Photos of Metro do Porto's station architecture
• Flickr's Metro do Porto group
• Expansion - 2nd and 3rd phases (portuguese)
• Porto database / photo gallery and Porto tram list at Urban Electric Transit – in various languages, including English.