Porto: Articulated hydrogen buses for the metroBus and further light rail extensions

An international public tender for the supply and maintenance of vehicles and the related infrastructure for the production of green hydrogen and electrical energy from renewable source and the construction of two BRT lines has won a Portuguese consortium composed by CaetanoBus/DST Solar/Dourogás Natural/PRF/BrightCity. The consortium builds the two BRT lines in Porto, operated by hydrogen articulated buses and branded metroBus. The total value awarded is 29.5 million euros, including maintenance for a period of five years.

CaetanoBus/Toyota will supply 12 newly designed articulated hydrogen fuel cell buses. They will operate the two lines: Boavista – Império, already under construction, and Boavista – Anémona, for which the tender will be launched very soon. The execution of the necessary technical infrastructures for the production of green hydrogen and electrical energy from renewable sources – guaranteeing zero emissions, absolutely in line with decarbonization objectives and total energy autonomy – is already underway. Remarkably the green hydrogen supply station will also power other vehicles in addition to the metroBus rolling stock. The Metro do Porto metroBus project represents a global investment of 66 million euros, fully financed by the Recovery and Resilience Program/NextGenerationEU.

In addition, Metro do Porto announces that the successfully established low-floor light rail system (“Metro”) will soon be further expanded. Under the project name “Metro 3.0”, tenders for the detailed planning of the following four new line sections have been launched:

• Gondomar II (Dragão-Souto)
• ISMAI-Muro-Trofa
• São Mamede (IPO-Estádio do Mar)
• Maia II (Roberto Frias-Parque Maia-Aeroporto)

The project includes 38 new stations and some 37 km of new lines. The total investment is approximately €1 billion, which will also be partly funded by the EU.

Progress on the extension of lines currently under construction, e.g. the yellow line to Villa d’Este, is well on schedule.

(Info and pictures: Metro do Porto)