“On the Southern Line, the regional train is on track, it meets what the municipalities have put in place, however there is no commitment, neither deadlines, nor locomotives, nor carriages and this raises our suspicions”, he told Lusa.

According to Vítor Proença, the five municipalities on the Alentejo coast “have vehemently raised”, with both the Government and Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) and Comboios de Portugal (CP), “the need” for the “return of passenger trains on the Line from the South to serve” the region.

The president of CIMAL, who also presides over the Alcácer do Sal Chamber, acknowledged that “the only [train] station that is not in condition is Sines”.

But "the municipality itself" has already announced that "you can find a station elsewhere" in that municipality and, in this way, the train "passes and serve the Alentejo coast", he recalled.

Vítor Proença's statements to Lusa follow a statement released by CIMAL on the proposals he submitted as part of the public consultation of the PFN, which ended on February 28.

For CIMAL, which encompasses the municipalities of Alcácer do Sal, Grândola, Santiago do Cacém and Sines, in the district of Setúbal, and Odemira (Beja), the railway must “play a relevant role in the reorganization of public transport in the region”, as well as in the “way to monetize the associated investments”.

To support its position in defense of expanding the offer of rail transport, the community cited statistical data that point to the existence of “14,068 inhabitants” who “commute between the different municipalities” of the Alentejo coast, that is, “28,100 journeys daily".

“In relation to trips to the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon (AML), 2,072 passengers were accounted for daily journeys to and from, totalling 4,144 daily trips”, he argued.