Until a few weeks ago, several of the largest Spanish construction companies were outlining their possible offers to participate in the tender for the second section of the high speed railway of Portugal; However, finally all of them have stepped aside and have not participated in the bidding.
They thus repeat what happened last summer, when they dropped out of the tender for the first section (Oporto-Aveiro) with the only exception of Sacyr, although the Spanish company presented a proposal without any expectations and which, in fact, was invalidated because neither It was not even processed correctly.
As happened then, the largest Portuguese construction group, Mota Engil, will be the successful bidder to build and maintain the route between Aveiro and Soure, having submitted the only offer.
Spanish construction companies participated in two consortia created for the high-speed railway project in Portugal. On the one hand, Acciona, FCC and Ferrovial had joined forces in an alliance and, on the other, Sacyr, through its Portuguese subsidiaries Somague and Neopul, had done the same with the Portuguese DST (Domingos da Silva Teixeira) and ACA (Alberto Couto Alves) Engineering & Construction.
The economic figures raised by Infrastructures of Portugal (IP) have once again been insufficient for Spanish firms. The base bidding budget for this second tranche amounts to 1,604 million euros, with a total estimated investment of 1,918 million. The project is implemented through a public-private partnership, with a 30-year concession contract for operation and maintenance.
The Portuguese Government had set last Monday, January 6, as the date to deliver the offers for the route between Aveiro and Coimbra. Only the consortium led by Mota-Engil attended and of which the local firms Teixeira Duarte Casais, Conduril, Gabriel Couto, Alves Ribeiro and Lineas-Concessões de Transportes – this one owned by the Spanish infrastructure fund Serena Industrial Partners – are also part. The Portuguese Executive will have to validate the award. This alliance has already been made with the first section, between Porto and Aveiro.
The Government of Portugal has divided the development of the high-speed line between Porto and Lisbon, whose total budget amounts to 8,000 million euros. The final objective is to extend the infrastructure to Vigo and thus connect Portugal with Galicia. With a length of nearly 300 kilometers, it will link the two main cities of the country in one hour and 15 minutes.
The first phase covers the two aforementioned tenders. The second contemplates the contract between Soure and Carregado, whose tender will come to light in 2026 and its execution will extend from 2027 to 2032. This will reduce the time to one hour and 19 minutes. Finally, the third phase, between Carregado and Lisbon, will allow The trip is limited to one hour and 15 minutes.
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