Infrastructure Minister gives light to the coast and darkness

Miguel Pinto Luz has just signed, on behalf of the government, the contract for the construction of the new high-speed line between Lisbon and Porto. This is an ambitious and necessary step toward Portugal's railway modernization—but one that raises serious questions about priorities, coherence, and strategic vision. Just days after the pompous signing, news emerged that CP, the public company for which the minister is directly responsible, faces an almost surreal scenario: it has no railcars available, will have to return borrowed equipment, and risks cutting rail connections in inland regions.

It doesn't take much effort to understand the paradox: while large-scale investment is being made in golden-ticket projects for the coast—and, by extension, for the construction companies that carry them out—inland Portugal continues to be left behind, with abandoned lines, obsolete trains, and forgotten populations. Pinto Luz, by placing the political and media focus on high-speed rail between two already well-served cities, is, in practice, contributing to the growing territorial asymmetry and the country's desertification.

The minister thus reveals more light on the coast and darkness in the interior. More show-offs and contract signings than integrated planning. Territorial cohesion is talked about in speeches, but in practice, a logic of coastalization of infrastructure continues, making it increasingly difficult to live outside major cities.

The railway is—or should be—a central lever in the inland development strategy. Not to connect Bragança to Faro in five hours, but to allow someone to live in Castelo Branco or Beja and work two days a week in Lisbon. A serious investment in regional and interregional rail connections, with schedules compatible with people's lives, would be the greatest incentive for decentralized teleworking, smart mobility, and the decompression of the real estate market in coastal cities.

But instead, the government presents the €20 "National Rail Pass" as a panacea for all ills. A measure that, at first glance, seems inclusive, but hides a glaring reality: where there's no offer, there's no worthwhile discount. What use is a national pass if the trains don't run? If the lines are closed due to a lack of equipment? If the service is so irregular that it becomes incompatible with the lives of those who need it?

The problem is deeper than a lack of trains: it's a lack of vision. A vision that recognizes the strategic role of railways in combating desertification, the housing crisis, and the climate crisis. A vision that recognizes that national development isn't achieved through media events and high-speed lines that primarily serve urban and business interests. It's achieved through public policy, continuity, maintenance, and territorial justice.

The country needs a Minister of Infrastructure who sees beyond the snapshot of the day. Who believes in the railway not only as a showcase of modernity, but as a backbone of integration and cohesion. Because Portugal's future cannot always be tied to the coast.

PS: I'm a citizen and a taxpayer. I'd rather have trains than press conferences!