Railways request explanations to the Government on the acquisition of trains – Observer

The Portuguese Association of Friends of the Railways (APAC) today asked the Government for clarification on the process of purchasing trains by the CP and warned against "the chaos in the railway network ".

Pedro Marques, Minister of Planning and Infrastructures, asks for explanations on "the current railway situation and the prospects for evolution", given the "serious situation of operational collapse in which the PC is very special "and" "

APAC said in a statement that it asked the Minister to access the process of acquisition of rolling stock, namely the typologies to acquire and accurate dates for its launch, and asked the government for contingency plans, such as reactivation of rolling stock or rental of more units in Esp.

The Ministry of Planning and Infrastructures announced today in a statement that "the COP and the Government are preparing to launch an international call for proposals for the purchase of trains, which will equip the equipment business. adapted to its commitment to and the Portuguese, as well as its development on the different fronts where it operates: suburban, regional and interurban services. "

The launch of this competition is provided for in the state budget for 2018 and results from a proposal submitted by the

" Given the period normally associated with this type of contest. acquisition, the CP and the government decided to maintain the leasing program, which was developed in coordination with the government, rolling stock in Spain, to meet the short-term needs of the regional service, "said the statement.

Aneo, CP "heavily invests" in the maintenance of rolling stock, through the restructuring of the railway equipment maintenance company (EMEF), for which the recruitment of 102 workers has just been authorized, according to the Ministry

The APAC also warned that "the accelerating erosion of the railway system in recent years, which has reached an alarming level this year", indicates "the main failures", as "the unprecedented volume of train deletions due to lack of rolling stock". , reaching all segments of traffic and "penalizing" especially the lines West, Vouga, Alentejo and Algarve, compromising the continuity of rail transport and the accessibility of these territories.

In terms of infrastructure, the association expressed concern about the "alarming delay" in the implementation of the Ferrovias 2020 plan and also asked for details on the Douro line projects, Beira Alta , Algarve and Sines, "where important investment announcements have been made, but without detailing the interventions to be made on the respective routes and how the renewal will actually help to reposition the rail mode competitively." 19659010] Read more