The Porto Public Transport Society (STCP) will make changes to lines 200, 201, 203, 403, 502 and 504 from Monday, March 9, due to the entry into service of the metrobus and “to avoid overlaps”.
In a statement released this Wednesday, 4th, STCP states that, “after an initial period of adaptation to the start of the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) [vulgo metrobus]STCP begins a new phase of reorganization of its network”.
Thus, “to avoid overlaps” with the metrobus and “strengthen integration with the rest of the network”, there will be changes to lines 200, 201, 203, 403, 502 and 504 from Monday.
Line 203 (Marquês – Castelo do Queijo) “will now integrate Estádio do Dragão as a new strategic hub, ensuring a direct connection between Boavista (Casa da Música), Marquês and Estádio do Dragão”.
“Maintaining the passage through Marquês, the line stops circulating through Rotunda da Boavista and reinforces the regularity of the service”, allowing, according to STCP, “to reinforce and directly connect three intermodal hubs: Boavista Marquês Estádio do Dragão”.
As for line 200 (Bolhão – Castelo do Queijo), “benefits from a significant increase in supply”, with the frequency going “from 30 (20 during peak hours) to 15 minutes throughout the day” and, during the afternoon, “between Bolhão and Mercado da Foz, the frequency goes from 10 minutes to 7 minutes”.
Already the lines 201 (Allies – Viso) and 502 (Bolhão – Mercado de Matosinhos) will have an “adjustment of schedules”, which “allows for reestablishing the levels of regularity that have been conditioned since the beginning of the works associated with the implementation of the BRT, reinforcing the reliability of the operation”.
As for line 403 (Boavista Casa da Música – Campanhã), in the Casa da Música direction “will now serve the Campo Alegre axis, with a change of route in the Massarelos area, in the return direction”, a change that “increases mobility options for passengers, creating direct connections to lines 200, 204, 207 and 209, as well as lines 902 and 903, which ensure the connection to Vila Nova de Gaia”.
Finally, the line 504 (Boavista – Norteshopping) “now has a more direct and faster route between the Pasteleira and Cristo Rei stops”, a change that “facilitates the connection with the BRT at the João de Barros stop, promoting greater intermodality and simplifying passenger journeys”.
According to the company now chaired by Luís Osório, “the entry into operation of the BRT marks a new stage in the public transport system, and this reorganization is fundamental to guarantee an articulated operation focused on the needs of passengers”.
The metrobus is a hydrogen bus that has been running since Saturday on Marechal Gomes da Costa and Boavista avenues (the latter on a dedicated road) and the service between Casa da Música and Império is expected to last 12 minutes, stopping at Guerra Junqueiro, Bessa, Pinheiro Manso, Serralves and João de Barros stations.
For now, the service extension to Anémona is left out, with stops in Antunes Guimarães, Garcia de Orta, Nevogilde and Castelo do Queijo, which is under construction.
The set of vehicles and the energy production system cost 29.5 million euros, and hydrogen is expected to be produced, from solar energy, at the STCP collection station in Areosa, also still under construction. For now, the supply will be done in São Roque da Lameira.
The project on the ground cost around 76 million euros.
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