“At the moment, we have only two lines closed, in a section on each – the Oeste Line and the Beira Baixa Line,” stated Miguel Cruz, speaking at the start of the meeting of the Intermunicipal Council of the Coimbra Region, which took place in Arganil.

Regarding the Beira Baixa Line, the president of IP stated that it is “a situation of landslides and platform disruption,” and that the repair intervention is difficult due to “the complexity of the location, very close to the river.”

The repair “has entered the planning phase and should be completed by the end of the year,” he said, emphasising that IP is “pressuring for the project and the intervention to be quick.”

Regarding the Western Line, the storms that mainly affected the Central region led to gradual slope collapses, totalling “20 slopes that gave way along a distance of approximately 20 kilometres”.

"Some situations are more serious," he noted.

Also, for the Western Line, repairs are expected to be completed by the end of the year.

At the end of January, IP (Infraestruturas de Portugal) also admitted a possible postponement of electric train service on the Western Line until 2028, noting several delays and postponements in that modernisation project for that railway infrastructure.

Regarding Alfarelos, in the Coimbra district, Miguel Cruz admitted today that some solutions adopted so far, after the storms, have been temporary.

During his speech, Miguel Cruz also heard criticisms and proposals from local authorities regarding the railway.

The mayor of Mealhada, António Jorge Franco, advocated using the Cantanhede branch line, which connects to Figueira da Foz, to ensure two circuits in the area, given ongoing constraints in Alfarelos.

The mayor of Montemor-o-Velho, José Veríssimo, recalled that there was an agreement for structural work in Alfarelos, but, more than six years later, the municipality still has no response, lamenting that the project has not moved beyond the planning stage.