Route & stations

The new link is about 2,300 m Estimate long with two stations: Cais do Sodré in Lisbon and Cacilhas in Almada. The trip takes about 3 min Estimate.

Today people cross by ferry, with about 10 min7 on the water and departures every 15–20 min7, or by car and bus over the 25 de Abril Bridge. The metro does not replace the ferry; it adds a frequent alternative that does not depend on weather or tide.

Operation: at opening, a shuttle service with rolling stock compatible with the Lisbon metro network, CBTC signalling and platform screen doors. The Cais do Sodré geometry safeguards future through-running with the network, to be decided in the operations study.

The alignment runs east of the 25 de Abril Bridge, almost parallel to the existing ferry route, and stays clear of port quays and mooring areas.

In plan, curvature near the stations aligns the bores with the station boxes, which sit parallel to the waterfronts. The final alignment depends on the bathymetric and geotechnical survey planned for 2029–2031 and on Port of Lisbon (APL) constraints.

The new station sits next to the existing Cais do Sodré metro station, the ferry terminal and the Cascais line railway station. An underground concourse links the new platforms directly to the existing ones, without going outside.

• Station box of ≈130 × 25 m Estimate, island platform of 110 m Estimate at invert level −28 m Estimate.
• Top-down construction between diaphragm walls ≈45 m Estimate deep, toed into the Miocene, with the roof slab cast first so public space is returned early.
• Made ground and alluvium down to about 25–30 m (assumed) on the waterfront, with groundwater at river level and tidal influence: dewatering confined inside the walls and monitoring of neighbouring buildings.
• Interfaces with the existing station (Green Line) and with the works for the future Circular Line, which have already required temporary station closures.

In Cacilhas, the station sits between the ferry terminal, the bus terminal and the Metro Sul do Tejo tram stop. People arriving from Seixal, Corroios or Caparica change from tram to metro in a few steps.

• Station box of ≈130 × 25 m Estimate, invert at −28 m Estimate; ground at about +4 m.
• On the Almada side the Miocene is shallower, which helps toe in the diaphragm walls and reduces the thickness of alluvium to cross.
• TBM launch shaft at Cacilhas. The main worksite is the former Margueira shipyard land next door (45–53 ha24), with a quay for removing spoil by barge and room for the slurry plant and segment yard.
• Depot: the line runs isolated from the network, so it needs its own place to stable and maintain trains. A small depot is proposed at Margueira, for ≈ 6 trains Estimate, linked to the station by a service spur. Heavy maintenance uses a service connection to the Green Line at Cais do Sodré, to be studied.

Design target: interchanges of ≤ 3 minutes on foot between platforms. Peak-hour flow at Cacilhas is estimated at ≈9,000 passengers/hour Estimate, which sizes 6 escalators and 4 lifts Estimate per station, with redundancy for maintenance.