Metro construction costs in Lisbon
The Lisbon Metro has received four bids for the construction, rolling stock supply, and maintenance of the Violet Line project, a significant part of the Lisbon Metro network expansion plan. The bids, which range from €598.8 million to €716 million, were submitted by various consortia and companies.
The lowest bid of approximately €598.8 million was presented by a consortium consisting of Mota-Engil, Zagope, and Spie Batignolles. The highest bid, at around €716 million, came from a Portuguese consortium that includes Teixeira Duarte, Casais, Tecnovia, EPOS, Somafel, and Jayme da Costa.
A Spanish-led consortium, headed by FCC Construcción, also submitted a bid with a value of €629.9 million. MasterStylo – Electricidade e Telecomunicações, Lda. proposed a design and construction cost of €600 million for the new line.
The tender's base price is €600 million, plus VAT. The contract includes the infrastructure, provision of 12 bi-directional light rail vehicles (approximately €60 million), and a three-year maintenance agreement. The completion target is set for 2029.
The Violet Line, a 11.5-kilometer light rail line, includes 17 stations: nine in the municipality of Loures and eight in the municipality of Odivelas. The stations will have different typologies: 12 aboveground, three underground, and two in trenches.
The tender also covers the supply of vehicles for the Light Rail System. It also includes the preparation of all studies for the purposes of public utility expropriation proceedings. The tender was launched on April 15, 2025, and the bids were opened on July 15.
The international public tender board is currently analyzing the four bids. The first public tender for the Violet Line project was launched on March 15, 2024, but all proposals submitted by economic operators were excluded due to exceeding the base price of the tender by an average of approximately 46%.
An update in the investment cost resulted in an increase of 150.2 million euros, bringing the total investment cost to a new amount. This increase in the base price of the tender was approved by the Portuguese Council of Ministers in March 2025. The project covers the Odivelas-Loures light rail line, known as the Violet Line, and financial provisions include €377.5 million earmarked for expropriations and other related costs.
The Lisbon Metro is currently in the analysis phase of these bids, with the final awarding expected as part of progressing towards the project's 2029 completion goal. The tender process is moving forward, with the exciting prospect of the Violet Line becoming a reality for the citizens of Lisbon.
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- The Portuguese consortium, consisting of Teixeira Duarte, Casais, Tecnovia, EPOS, Somafel, and Jayme da Costa, presented the highest bid for the construction, rolling stock supply, and maintenance of the Violet Line project, which is part of the Lisbon Metro network expansion plan, with a value of approximately €716 million.
- The tender for the Violet Line project includes the supply of vehicles for the Light Rail System and the preparation of all studies for the purposes of public utility expropriation proceedings, with financial provisions earmarking €377.5 million for expropriations and other related costs.
