Sul do Tejo Metro

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A Sul do Tejo metro train at Corroios station

The Metro Sul do Tejo (MST) or Metropolitano Ligeiro da Margem Sul do Tejo , in English light rapid transit on the south bank of the Tejo , is a light rail system on the southern bank of the Portuguese river Tejo in the cities of Almada and Seixal , directly opposite the Portuguese capital Lisbon . The first section between the Corroios and Cova da Piedade stops went into operation on May 1, 2007, with an extension to the Cacilhas ferry terminal on November 26, 2008, the first phase of expansion with a total of 13.5 kilometers with 19 stops has been completed. There are also plans to expand the network to Barreiro , Moita and Costa da Caparica .

The tram network, which is operated by the Consortium Metro, Transportes do Sul, SA , represents an important element in the traffic concept in the Margem Sul do Tejo and, together with Fertagus and the extensive bus network of Transportes Sul do Tejo, forms an alternative to motorized individual transport.

business

Line network

Line network of the Sul do Tejo Metro

The current line network of the Sul do Tejo Metro is around 13.5 kilometers long and includes 19 stations. The MST trains run consistently on their own track bed independent of the rest of the car traffic. The entire network has two tracks for a track width of 1435 millimeters and is equipped with priority switching for the tram. All stops are handicapped accessible. It is the first tram network in Portugal to reopen since the sharp contraction of the Lisbon and Portuese tram networks.

The following lines are currently in operation:

  • Line 1: Corroios- Cova da Piedade-Almada-Cacilhas
  • Line 2: Corroios – Cova da Piedade– Pragal
  • Line 3: Universidade – Pragal – Ramalha – Almada – Cacilhas

The travel time of the entire line 2 is 15 minutes, the lines 1 and 3 each 19 minutes.

The stops Pragal, Corroios and Cacilhas form large transfer points, so-called interfaces , between different means of public transport. At the Pragal and Corroios train stations, you can change to the Fertagus or CP trains and other bus lines ( SulFertagus and Transportes Sul do Tejo ). At the Cacilhas stop you can change to the extensive ferry services of the Transtejo & Soflusa to Lisbon .

Travel times

The first trains of the Sul do Tejo metro leave at 05:00, and operations end around 01:30. In principle, there is a basic cycle of 15 minutes on all three lines, which is compressed to a 5-minute cycle during rush hour and to a 7/8 minute cycle during off-peak times. In addition, the line overlays result in even denser bars on most sections.

Tickets

Typical ticket machine that is available at all stops

The Metro, Transportes do Sul, SA offers the usual range of tickets for its tram network. In addition to single tickets, ten-ticket packages can also be purchased, which include a small discount. There are discounts for children, senior citizens and pensioners. The range of tickets also includes monthly and annual tickets, which - in contrast to single tickets - can also be combined with other means of transport in the Lisbon area (Lisbon Metro, Fertagus, Carris, CP etc.). There is currently no transport association and thus a tariff change for single tickets. The electronic prepaid cards with transponder ( 7 Colinas, Viva Lisboa ) , which are also common in Lisbon, are used as tickets .

There are ticket machines at all stops, at the Corroios, Pragal, Almada, Cacilhas and at times also in Universidade, the MTS staff also offers ticket sales.

history

Development of local public transport in the Margem Sul

Until the 1960s, the north and south banks of the Tejos were strictly separated from each other, the flow of commuters across the capital river was limited, so that a branched network of ferry lines could transport all passengers.

On January 6, 1966, still under the Salazar dictatorship , the Portuguese government opened the Ponte Salazar bridge , today Ponte 25 de Abril . Although the bridge was initially only approved for car traffic, large housing estates were built on the southern side of the Tejo, as real estate prices were much lower compared to the capital. In the course of this opening, the previously insignificant municipalities of Almada, Seixal, Barreiro and Alcochete experienced a significant development boost. However, the residential construction did not take place as part of an overall concept, and there was also no plan for the development of public transport. Only bus lines connected the individual emerging communities with the ferry terminals Cacilhas (Almada), Barreiro and Seixal. So ferries and buses remained the only means of local transport. Since then, the population of the communities on the south bank of the Tagus has increased steadily, and growth has continued unabated to this day.

The only available means of transport until then was the road, but in 1999 the Ponte 25 de Abril received the lower deck that had been planned since the bridge was built, with a double-track railway line that connects to the Lisbon Linha de Cintura . The railway line ran behind the bridge over the municipalities of Pragal, Corroios, Foros de Amora and ended in Fogueteiro. Large park-and-ride areas have been created at each of the stations, and shuttle buses transport residents to the stations. The trains operated by the private transport company Fertagus have been running to Setúbal since 2004 . However, the railway line only granted and granted extensive development and did not solve the basic problem of the Margem Sul do Tejo, the connection between the individual communities and an efficient connection to the train stations.

First planning and feasibility study

Even before the railway deck for the Ponte 25 de Abril was installed, in the late 1980s, there were ideas for a tram on the south bank. All municipalities in the District of Setúbal jointly designed the idea of ​​a surface rail transport system, which was recorded in the Plano Integrado de Desenvolvimento do Distrito de Setúbal , in English "Development Plan of the District of Setúbal". From the beginning, the planners distanced themselves from the Portuguese word for tram, elétrico , which may be due to the traditional tram in Lisbon opposite . By 1995, the municipal authorities of Almada and Seixal had a feasibility study developed for a so-called Metropolitano Ligeiro da Margem Sul do Tejo , and there was no question that the system should mostly operate on the surface. Based on the feasibility study from 1995, the preliminary draft plans could be developed and deepened by 1997.

Tender

After the planning approval decision and thus the planning could be completed, the tendering process began on September 23, 1999 with the publication in the Diário da República . The concession tender comprised the construction of the 13-kilometer tram network with 19 stops on three line branches to the university (science and technology faculty of the New University of Lisbon ), the Cacilhas ferry terminal and Corroios train station , the construction of a workshop, the delivery and maintenance of tram vehicles and the rest of the technical equipment and the operation of the network. In the event of a positive development, the concessionaire announced two further construction phases to the Fogueteiro train station and via Seixal to Barreiro.

Two consortia applied for the thirty-year concession, i.e. until 2032. On the one hand the consortium Metro Transportes do Sul, SA (MTS) consisting of the companies Joaquin Jerónimo (34%, maintenance of the vehicles, the infrastructure and operations), the Metroligeiro group (various construction companies, 33%, construction of the infrastructure) and Siemens ( 21.33% vehicle delivery) and Meci (11.67%, electrotechnical equipment). On the other hand, the consortium Metropolitano do Arco Ribeirinho, SA (MAR), consisting of the construction company Somague, the rail vehicle construction group Adtranz and the companies Edifer, Efacec and Neopul applied.

Start of construction and delays

Advertising of the city administration for the new "Metro": O futuro chegou ao Laranjeiro ("The future has arrived in Laranjeiro")
The Cova da Piedade stop was the end of the year for trains on line 2 from Corroios (south)

Ultimately, the Portuguese government and the municipalities of Almada and Seixal opted for the consortium Metro Transportes do Sul, SA (MTS), whose leading company Joaquin Jerónimo is part of the Barraqueiro group , one of the largest private local transport providers in Portugal. The Barraqueiro group includes the only private Portuguese railway company Fertagus and numerous bus companies. The official groundbreaking was on December 12, 2002, and construction work began in April 2003.

Shortly after the start of construction, the Almadens citizen movement MST, also not cortes Almeida ao meio , in German “Metro Sul do Tejo, don't divide Almada in the middle” was formed, the main criticism of which was that the planned tram should lead directly through the center of Almada and so on road safety would suffer significantly. The citizens' movement complained to the European Union in Brussels without success.

By November 2003, over 100 meters of track had been laid in the Corroios area. But the population and mainly the traders in Almada protested against the planned construction of the tram. The residents in Ramalha, in particular, who were built in by a triangle of three tracks, expressed their concern that they would only be surrounded by tram tracks in the future. Due to the numerous protests, the city administration of Almada delayed the planned handover of the property, so that the construction work on the main branch of the Sul do Tejo metro between Cacilhas and Cova da Piedade could not be carried out. The city administration and the local citizens' assembly accused the consortium of a lack of security and a lack of organizational efficiency. It was only after pressure from the Portuguese government that the city administration ceded the land in question in November 2006, so that construction work on the section could begin in spring 2007.

Meanwhile, construction progressed on the two outer branches between Cova da Piedade and Corroios and between Universidade and Ramalha. By 2005, the entire infrastructure on the relevant sections, including the depot south of Corroios train station, had been completed. In mid-2005, the operating company MTS energized the overhead lines so that on August 25, 2005, the first test runs with the two-way Combino trains supplied by Siemens between Corroios and Cova da Piedade could begin. Another serious problem was that the two external routes were not connected because the construction work on the Cova da Piedade / Ramalha / Bento Gonçalves triangle could not start due to the land that had not been handed over.

Gradual openings

Construction of the Cacilhas terminus in October 2008

The fact that only the Corroios – Gleisdreieck and University – Gleisdreieck lines were completed, including the depot, resulted in a problem. From the beginning, the branch leading through Almada was foreseen as the one with the most passengers. In order not to let the existing infrastructure be neglected and also to be able to show the population the results of the long construction work, the operating company put at least the first section between Corroios and Cova da Piedade into operation on April 30, 2007. Due to the insignificant route and the parallel TST bus lines , the number of passengers was particularly low and naturally resulted in high losses, around 15,000 euros per day according to newspaper reports. Line 2 ran every ten minutes during the day between 06:30 and 22:45, and every five minutes during rush hour.

As a second stage, the operating company then put the section between Universidade via Pragal and Gleisdreieck into operation on December 15, 2007. The commissioning of a provisional line "23" between Corroios and Universidade increased the number of passengers, and now there was at least one additional transfer option to the Fertagus train at Pragal station .

Meanwhile, the construction work on the branch to Cacilhas progressed. Nevertheless, it was not until the spring of 2008, for example, that the first base concreting for the track bed at the Cacilhas terminus could take place, and the first stop structures were built in July. Finally, the third branch of the route was officially opened on November 26, 2008 by Transport Minister Mário Lino and Almadens Mayor Maria Emilia Neta de Sousa. Since then, the traffic management system with three lines that was originally planned from the start has also been in operation. Overall, the construction of the first phase cost 400 million euros and thus 70 million more than planned, but this was mainly due to the delayed opening.

Due to numerous, sometimes fatal, accidents between trams and pedestrians such as cars, the operating company initiated a large campaign called Obrigado in 2011 . A prioridade é do Metro. , in German Thank you. The metro has right of way . As part of the campaign, all trains were given large adhesive films, and signs were placed at numerous points along the route.

future

A Sul do Tejo metro train on one of the bridges

In the medium term, it is planned to extend the line further south to the Fertagus train station in Fogueteiro. Part of the route has already been completed with the depot access, and there is also a bus stop shell on the tracks.

It is also planned to run another line from Fogueiteiro via Seixal to Barreiro station . An extension of line 3 from the university to the well-known Costa da Caparica is also currently being considered, a city on the Atlantic and known as a weekend seaside resort for capital city dwellers. However, when this will happen is still completely unclear. The Freguesia Costa da Caparica expects to open well after 2015.

vehicles

The Sul do Tejo metro only uses Combino Plus trams (current brand name Avenio ), manufactured by Siemens Mobility . A train carries between 225 and 300 people with 74 seats. They are one hundred percent low-floor, with an entry height of 30 centimeters above the top of the rails. The maximum speed is 70 km / h.

literature

Sul do Tejo metro train on the university branch
  • Christoph Groneck: Metros in Portugal - local rail transport in and around Lisbon and Porto , Robert-Schwandl-Verlag, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-936573-20-6 ; Pages 90-97
  • Christoph Groneck Metro Sul do Tejo - New tram system near Lisbon in: stadtverkehr, issue 7–8 / 2007 (52nd volume)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ PDF file with the current timetable of the Sul do Tejo metro ( memento of the original from January 17, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mts.pt
  2. ↑ Diário da República Decreto-Lei nº 337/99 de 24 de Agosto
  3. ↑ Maria Augusta Henriques: Grupo Barraqueiro em primeiro ( Memento of the original from June 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.setubalnarede.pt archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , [Barraqueiro group in front], Setúbal na Rede, 4 December 2000
  4. ↑ Homepage of the MST citizens' movement , not cortes Almeida ao meio ( Memento of the original from May 11, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Portuguese) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.metrosuldotejo.com
  5. ↑ Cláudia Rocha Monteiro: Metro Sul do Tejo custa 15 mil euros per day ( memento of the original from December 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / dn.sapo.pt archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , [Metro Sul do Tejo costs 15,000 euros per day], Diário de Notícias , September 18, 2007
  6. ↑ Ayala Monteiro: Abre segunda linha do Metro Sul do Tejo , [The second line of the Metro Sul do Tejo opens], Correio da Manhã , December 15, 2007
  7. ↑ Message from the city administration of Almada on the opening of the last section of the route ( Memento of the original from December 2, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , November 26, 2008 (Portuguese) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.m-almada.pt
  8. ↑ Sandra Brazinha: Metro Sul do Tejo mais caro 70 milhões de euros , [Metro Sul do Tejo 70 million euros more expensive], Jornal de Notícias , December 7, 2007
  9. ↑ Metro Sul do Tejo custará 390 milhões de euros ( Memento of the original from June 4, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / ultimahora.publico.clix.pt archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , [Metro Sul do Tejo will cost 390 million euros], Público , December 14, 2007
  10. ^ Metro Sul do Tejo pode chegar à Costa de Caparica , [Metro Sul do Tejo can come to Costa de Caparica], Jornal de Notícias , December 15, 2007
  11. ^ Metro Sul do Tejo até Caparica ainda sem data , [Metro Sul do Tejo to Caparica still undated ], Destak , May 28, 2009

Web links

Commons : Metro Sul do Tejo  - Collection of images, videos and audio files