Consortium Proposes New High-Speed Station and Bridge Design for Gaia, Deviating from Original Plan
The AVAN Norte consortium has announced it will formally propose a different location for the high-speed train station in Vila Nova de Gaia and a new configuration for the crossing over the Douro River. These proposed solutions are not aligned with the specifications detailed in the public tender for the project.
Eduardo Pimentel, an administrator for the consortium, informed the Lusa news agency that the new proposal places the Gaia station south of the Santo Ovídio interchange on the A1 motorway. It would be a surface-level station located within the jurisdiction of the Mafamude and Vilar do Paraíso parishes. This is a change from the originally planned underground station at Santo Ovídio.
Regarding the river crossing, the plan for a single, integrated road-rail bridge has been altered. The consortium now proposes two independent structures: a high-level deck for the railway and a low-level deck for road traffic. Pimentel stated that while the technical solution is maintained, the structures will be separate despite occupying the same physical space.
These changes were first presented by the consortium in April 2025, several months after the project was awarded in October 2024. The initial project videos and documentation released by the consortium depicted the Santo Ovídio station and a single road-rail bridge. According to reports, neither the Portuguese Government nor the public agency Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) were aware of these alternative plans beforehand.
Despite the clear differences, consortium representatives have described the new proposal as an “evolution of the project” from an initial to a more developed stage. At a municipal meeting in April, consortium administrator Rui Guimarães urged officials not to refer to the changes as an “alternative,” citing formal and legal reasons.
The official tender documents for the public-private partnership mention the Santo Ovídio station 17 times and include a preliminary program for its construction as an underground facility. Furthermore, the National Railway Plan, which was published in the Diário da República in April, also designates Santo Ovídio as the location for Gaia's high-speed station. The consortium's proposal will require approval from IP and the Portuguese Environment Agency.
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