The Mobility and Transport Authority (AMT) has drawn attention to the deterioration of rail transport since 2019, in a report published at the end of 2023 that concludes that there are fewer and fewer trains, and that they are increasingly delayed. The reduction in supply is more worrying on urban trains in Greater Lisbon, but the punctuality rate is more serious on long-distance offers, operated by CP, according to Jornal de Notícias.

According to the report, CP and Fertagus removed more than 12,200 trains between 2019 and 2022. The two operators point the finger at strikes, works and “constraints” on the railway network due to the state the situation has reached.

Complaints from rail service passengers also soared by 114.5 percent in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 (1,513 complaints). In the first half of 2023 alone, a total of 3,096 complaints were aimed at CP and another 150 at Fertagus. Among the main causes are the processing of refund requests, strikes, non-compliance with schedules and the cancellation of scheduled routes.