Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) plans to move forward with the expansion of the railway between Contumil and Ermesinde to four lanes in the second quarter, after contracting inspections, expropriations, materials and contracts, and also 25 million euros for signaling. “It is expected that work will begin during the second quarter of this year”, can be read in a response from an official IP source to questions from Lusa regarding a contract, by direct award, to Siemens Mobility, for railway signaling, for around 25 million euros.
According to IP, “the contracting procedure for the signage contract is in the evaluation phase and attribution of prior approval from the Court of Auditors”and the use of direct adjustment “is justified since Siemens Mobility, SA exclusively holds the necessary technology, protected by intellectual property rights and patents, being the only company with the legal and technical capacity to supply, adapt or intervene in this specific system”.
“Consequently, only the holder of this technology has the conditions to design and supply the signaling system applicable to the section of the National Railway Network in question, and there are no technically viable alternatives on the market”considers IP. According to the manager of the national railway network, “the railway signaling technology involved presents high technical complexity and strong interdependence between ‘hardware’, specific ‘software’ and field equipment, requiring full functional and safety compatibility”.
“The secure integration of all these components depends on technology, the architecture and interfaces of which are not accessible or replicable by third parties,” justifies. IP argues that it could not launch a public tender because this “would not guarantee the essential technical conditions for the planned intervention, nor would it ensure the contracting of the most efficient solution in terms of costs, deadlines and security”.
“Taking into account that contracting through a public tender could imply the complete replacement of existing technology, with higher costs, longer deadlines, greater technical complexity and a substantial increase in operational risk, it is not considered an appropriate regime for the intervention in question”points out IP.
According to the company, direct adjustment “guarantees technological continuity, compatibility, operational security, optimization of deadlines and cost reduction”being “technically based” and guarantees “the public interest, investment efficiency and the preservation of railway infrastructure safety levels”.
IP also mentions that in addition to the signing contracts (already completed), acquisition of rails, sleepers and track equipment (several have already been carried out for a total of R$ 7.6 million), inspection (tender of R$ 22.5 million) and expropriations (R$ 6.4 million allocated), There are no further expenses planned until work begins.
The company has also launched the tender for the contract for 150 million eurosawaiting adjudication. At issue is the duplication of the Minho Line from two to four tracks between Contumil (Porto) and Ermesinde (Valongo), in the Porto district, which will allow traffic to be separated from the Douro and Minho lines south of Ermesinde, increasing railway capacity north of the Douro River and the reliability of services.
Demolitions are planned for 87 buildings, including around 15 homes, according to the list of buildings to be demolished consulted by Lusa. The project also includes the improvement of the Águas Santas/Palmilheira station, which will maintain the separation of the two stations (contrary to what was foreseen in the previous project) and the Rio Tinto station, connecting it through a pedestrian promenade and parking lot to the Campainha station of the Porto Metro. The total investment can reach up to 219.5 million euros.
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