NEW HIGH-speed train links planned between Lisbon, Porto and Madrid should lead to substantial reductions in congestion, according to official sources.
Estimates point to the new TGV routes, which should be operational by 2015, reducing road traffic to Porto by 19 per cent. According to Brisa, this represents a reduction of 40,000 vehicles every day. The train link should also lead to a 27 per cent reduction in traffic between Lisbon and Madrid.
Travelling time between Lisbon and Porto on the high-speed train link will be just one hour 15 minutes and between Lisbon and Madrid a maximum of two hours 45 minutes. Tickets will cost around 40 euros between Lisbon and Porto and 90 euros from Lisbon to Madrid.
The TGV should also lessen dependence on air travel, reducing air traffic to Madrid by around 30 per cent and by around 40 per cent to Porto, according to the same source.
