£259M Yellow Line Extension Project Shapes Up as Ferrovial Steadily Progresses

The £259M Porto Metro’s Yellow line extension project is slowly shaping up as Ferrovial steadily progresses with its construction. The project was awarded in 2020 with Ferrovial as the lead construction company in the project. The company also formed a consortium with Portugese-based Alberto Couto Alves to bag the project. Construction on the project is steadily progressing as various infrastructures are being worked on. The scope of the project entailed two contracts, one of which was the extension of the Yellow Line. The other entailed the construction of a new circular Pink Line. The scope also dictated that the extension on the Yellow Line would be up to 3.15 kilometers. The line will run from Santo Olvido station to serve various districts within this line.It also includes the construction of a viaduct, three stations, and an underground tunnel.

The Timeline of the Yellow Line Extension Project

The Yellow Line extension project kicked off in the second quarter of the year 2020 and has steadily progressed since. The timeline for the Yellow line extension was set to be completed in 34 months. The project has faced major setbacks that derailed its completion within the allotted time frame such as the rampant surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Construction of the Pink Line was expected to take at most 42 months as per the project’s scope. The project’s scope for the Pink Line was to construct a new circular line. It measures at a distance of 3.1 kilometers, between Praça da Liberdade and Casa da Música. This new line involves the construction of four new stations and three ventilation shafts, as well as installing the line and catenary. Once completed, the Pink Line is expected to facilitate in the ease of traffic jams in the regions around Porto.

The Significance of the Yellow Line Extension Project

Once Completed, the Yellow Line extension project will facilitate Porto’s efforts to combat climate change and to cut carbon emissions. It will immensely impact the transport sector by offering commuters options for their transport means. It will also impact in delivering annual energy savings of 98.61 tonnes of oil equivalent. The project also seeks to provide an integration of essential facilities within the transport network to ensure efficiency. Furthermore, this will benefit daily commuters and the city of Porto in general. The underground tunnel rail system will be paramount for Vila d’Este’s, in providing transportation options. This is because the area is densely populated and the completion of the rail system will be a relief to them.

The Uniqueness of the Extension Project

The city of Porto is immensely investing in its rail system to ensure that once they are completed they will be of use to its residents. Projects such as the Yellow Line extension project and the Ruby Line project are a symbol of this. These lines are currently the most ambitious of their kind in all of Europe based on their capacity. The extension of the Porto Metro on one of its lines transports an average of 325,000 passengers each day or almost 120 million people per annum. These ambitious projects are expected to revolutionize the transport system in Porto for the better.