The terrible consequences of Portugal’s recent storms have seen minister for infrastructure and housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, accept that some railway lines will take months to become fully operational.
Such is the case of the ‘Oeste’ line – the almost 200 km stretch connecting Agualva-Cacém (on the Sintra line) to Figueira da Foz (taking in Leiria on the way).
This one line will take “at least nine months” to be completely ‘back to normal’, said Pinto Luz.
Coming out of a meeting with various entities in the infrastructure sector, the minister said that “when the waters recede, it will be possible to reopen some infrastructure – but there are others that will take three months, others that will take longer.
“It’s a long job, but the country is mobilised in all its dimensions to return to normality as quickly as possible,” he told reporters, referring to collaborations between local authorities, the state and the private sector.
Pinto Luz also announced that National Civil Engineering Laboratory (LNEC) has been mandated to lead a national audit of the safety of major infrastructure, such as “large embankments and bridges” as all these may have suffered from the “extreme situations” experienced in the country, and they must be seen to remain safe for use by citizens
The survey will be done over “the coming months and years”, he said – leaving the hope that there is a system of priorities at work to ensure that potentially compromised constructions are not left waiting.
“We have to guarantee that the legacy of public works is resistant,” the minister stressed. “It must have conditions of safety and be reliable for the Portuguese who use it everyday”.
Source material: LUSA
