Lisbon Metro Accelerates €331 Million Linha Circular Expansion Linking Rato to Cais do Sodré via Estrela and Santos Stations
A Generational Transformation of Portugal’s Capital Mass Transit
LISBON, Portugal — Progressing through an intensive civil engineering delivery phase beneath the historic hills of Portugal's capital, Metropolitano de Lisboa and the Portuguese Ministry of Infrastructure are advancing heavy structural works on the landmark €331 million Linha Circular (Circular Line) metro expansion. Representing the largest expansion of the Lisbon subway network in decades, the megaproject constructs two kilometres of new subterranean twin-track tunnels to join the existing Yellow Line (Linha Amarela) from Rato directly with the Green Line (Linha Verde) at the vital riverside interchange of Cais do Sodré.
The completed connection will fuse the Yellow and Green lines into an integrated, continuous circular transit ring that loops through central Lisbon, connecting booming residential neighborhoods, government ministries, commercial avenues, and the historic Baixa riverfront. The circular alignment is engineered to increase network capacity, reduce transfers, and ferry millions of additional passengers across the capital each month.
Engineering Feats at Estrela: The Network’s Deepest Subterranean Station
The alignment introduces two brand-new, architecturally modern stations: Estrela and Santos. At Estrela, situated beneath the historic Basílica da Estrela and the lush Jardim da Estrela, civil engineering consortium Zagope/Mota-Engil has accomplished extraordinary technical milestones. Carved deep into Lisbon’s complex limestone and basalt geology, Estrela is the deepest station on the entire metro network, plunging approximately 54 metres below surface level.
To provide swift, effortless access between the surface plaza and deep platforms, Estrela is engineered with a high-capacity vertical shaft featuring six high-speed panoramic elevators and parallel banks of long-escalators. The station cavern has completed primary concrete lining and waterproofing, allowing specialized contractors to begin installing ventilation shafts, emergency evacuation galleries, and acoustic baffles.
Modernising Santos Hub and Expanding the Cais do Sodré Terminal
Further down the hillside near the Tagus River estuary, works are advancing at Santos Station, located on the former grounds of the Boavista industrial corridor. Santos provides rapid rail transit to the vibrant Santos design district, the ISEG University campus, and burgeoning tech and creative office hubs.
Concurrently, contractors are completing a massive new Western Concourse and pedestrian gallery at Cais do Sodré. As Lisbon’s busiest intermodal nexus—where metro trains interface with CP suburban rail lines from Cascais, Transtejo ferries from across the Tagus River, and Carris surface trams—the expanded concourse will double pedestrian passenger capacity, eliminate peak-hour bottlenecks, and provide step-free ADA accessibility.
Driving National Decarbonization and Urban Mobility In Lisbon
Portuguese transport ministers and Lisbon municipal officials underscored that the Linha Circular is pivotal to achieving Portugal’s statutory climate goals, which target carbon neutrality by 2045. Operating entirely on 100 percent renewable traction power, the circular line is projected to capture over 9 million new passenger trips annually from private automobiles, eliminating thousands of tons of greenhouse gas emissions across Greater Lisbon.
Supported by funding through the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and the Operational Programme for Sustainability and Efficient Use of Resources (PO SEUR), the Linha Circular establishes a modern, reliable, and accessible mass transit spine that will power Lisbon's sustainable urban economy for generations to come.