MUSP lamented not having been invited to the grand unveiling of the expansion plan, drawn up by the government, the Metro and Lisbon council, which took place on Monday at the São Sebastião underground station.
During the event, it was announced two new stations are to be constructed in Estrela and Santos, by 2022, along with a connection between Rato (on the Yellow Line) and Cais do Sodré (Green Line).
The plan further foresees the extension of the Red Line, from São Sebastião to Amoreiras and Campo de Ourique, although in this case no dates have been announced as financing has yet to be secured.
However, MUSP criticised “it is with regret that we realise that, once again, these announcements are little more than mere marketing actions, having been announced that by 2022, that is, in the next five years, only the Estrela and Santos stations will be built.”
The Movement said that, despite it being an “important measure”, the expansion is “objectively far from existing mobility requirements.”
“Unfortunately, only the construction of these stations will bring certainties and added value for users, since other proposals presented, such as the acquisition of new trains, have not been set a date and follows identical promises of previous governments and administrations, which never come to fruition”, it slammed.
MUSP also lamented the daily delays and disruptions to the underground services as well as highlighting a lack of workers at stations, which causes long queues, a lack of maintenance and the number of trains that are out of service due to maintenance issues.
According to reports, a budget of €216 million has been allocated for the expansion.