Lisbon Metro Circular Line Sparks Controversy as CDU Candidate Warns It Will Worsen Commutes

João Ferreira Criticizes Metro Circular Line as a Mistake

João Ferreira, the CDU (PCP/PEV) candidate for Lisbon City Council, traveled by bus and metro this Monday to highlight the lack of investment in public transport and reiterate that creating a Circular Line in the Lisbon Metro is a mistake.

This campaign action followed a debate about Lisbon on Antena 1, which did not include fellow candidates Carlos Moedas (PSD/CDS-PP/IL) and Alexandra Leitão (PS/Livre/BE/PAN). Ferreira suggested they "lack the stamina" to govern the city, stating, "I notice that both Carlos Moedas and Alexandra Leitão have taken advantage of some spaces where I am not present to bring me into the debate or conversation. I am somehow the absent present. Unfortunately, when they could be with me debating the future of Lisbon, they are absent, one and the other, as happened today."

He added, "I understand that an election campaign is demanding, debates are demanding, but frankly, those who do not have the stamina for a campaign and demanding debates will more difficultly have the stamina for the demands of governing the city for four years."

Campaign Journey Demonstrates Mobility Issues

In this afternoon's journey, the CDU entourage started by bus near Colégio Militar, then took the metro in Telheiras (Lumiar), getting off at Campo Grande station. The total route took over half an hour, aiming to show "the dangers weighing on mobility in the city" if, "as defended by the PS" and, "to some extent, the PSD," the Lisbon Metro Circular Line is implemented.

According to Ferreira, the Circular Line "will break the direct connection that this Monday tens of thousands of Lisbon residents" from parishes like Lumiar and Santa Clara have to the city center, plus "many others coming from neighboring municipalities" like Odivelas. This is because they would have to transfer "at Campo Grande and wait for another metro to then, finally, take the metro to the central areas of the city."

"There is an additional transfer where none exists today. We know that, for each additional transfer, a certain number of passengers who would potentially make that public transport trip are lost," he said, highlighting estimates of losses of about 10% of passengers per additional transfer.

Concerns Over Service Quality and Investment Priorities

Ferreira also considered that, with this model, resources will be concentrated "on the Circular Line to serve mainly the interests" linked to real estate and tourism sectors. All other routes will become "peripheral branches that will flow into" the main line and will have "even fewer resources" than those available this Monday.

"Therefore, we will have a worse service, we will discourage the use of public transport, instead of encouraging it," he said.

However, he added, "it is still possible" to avoid this mistake.

"There is a part of what has been done that we can no longer reverse. What can we reverse? Not closing the circle and making the line operate in a loop," he defended.

"Instead of using the investment in the metro network to promote the use of public transport, we are spending resources that could and should be better employed in other network developments: in extending the Green Line to the Blue Line, in extending the metro to Alta de Lisboa, in extending the metro to the western areas of the city, not only Alcântara but also Ajuda and Belém," he argued.

CDU's Alternative Transport Plan

As an example of the CDU's plan for the city's transport, Ferreira pointed out that the bus journey between Colégio Militar and Telheiras (Lumiar) metro station, which this Monday took about 15 minutes, could have been done in six minutes if there were "a connection from Telheiras station [terminal station of the Green Line] to the Blue Line, somewhere between Pontinha and Colégio Militar, where the connection of the two lines is planned."

"We would greatly increase mobility possibilities in this northern peripheral ring of the city," he added.

Lisbon Municipal Elections Context

In Sunday's municipal elections, the candidates for the presidency of Lisbon City Council are: Alexandra Leitão (PS/Livre/BE/PAN), Carlos Moedas (PSD/CDS-PP/IL), João Ferreira (CDU-PCP/PEV), Bruno Mascarenhas (Chega), Ossanda Líber (Nova Direita), José Almeida (Volt), Adelaide Ferreira (ADN), Tomaz Ponce Dentinho (PPM/PTP), and Luís Mendes (RIR).

Currently, the municipal executive includes seven elected members from the "Novos Tempos" coalition - PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Aliança, seven from the "Mais Lisboa" coalition - PS/Livre, two from the CDU, and one from the BE.