Tuesday, 6th December, took place the signing of the stakeout act of the modernisation project of the track and catenary of the Cascais line, one of the most used lines in Portugal. This means the beginning of the works awarded to COMSA and its subsidiary FERGRUPO last September for an amount of 31.6 million euros.
The works include the migration of the electrification system in order to equalise operating conditions with the rest of the national rail network and reduce the energy costs supported by the company Comboios de Portugal (CP) on an annual basis. Thus, the electrification system of the Cascais line will change from 1,500 V to 25 kV.
In addition to the change of catenary, the works involve the installation of seven new escapes that will allow the line to run in reverse, changes in the layout of the Oeiras and Cascais stations, and the creation of a new connection between the Cascais line and the Carcavelos park.
The signing of the staking out act took place in the offices of local IP authorities, such as the mayor of Cascais, Carlos Carreiras. The launch of the work was also marked by a train journey between Sodré station in Lisbon and Cascais station.
This intervention, which is part of the Cascais line modernisation and comprehensive renovation project, co-financed by the Programa Operacional Sustentabilidade e Eficiência no Uso de Recursos (POSEUR) within the scope of Portugal 2020, aims to increase the sustainability, both economic and environmental, the quality and efficiency of the rail service and thus encourage the use of public transport.