"Associations are not conducting this study. Now, the Government is conducting the studies through Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP). We have clearly signaled that we consider this a priority and, together with the Northern Regional Coordination and Development Commission, we will undertake all necessary studies to evaluate the best solution for a district that has had no railway access for 33 years," Miguel Pinto Luz said.

According to the governor, this is "the first time that the State is concretely developing these studies, and there are no other studies." At issue are feasibility studies for the potential construction of a high-speed rail link between Porto, Vila Real, Bragança, and the Spanish border, with the possibility of a connection to Sanábria/Zamora.

"The difference is that the Portuguese government, in addition to the Lisbon-Vigo and Lisbon-Madrid links, has prioritized Porto-Bragança-Zamora, Aveiro-Salamanca, and Huelva-Seville. If we don't conduct the studies and design projects, we won't see any work. We've all had enough of promises," stressed Miguel Pinto Luz.

The Minister of Infrastructure and Housing was speaking on the sidelines of the signing ceremony for the agreement on feasibility studies for the Trás-os-Montes high-speed line, which took place in the auditorium of the Bragança Municipal Theater. The collaboration agreement signed today between IP, the CCDR-N, and the Intermunicipal Community of Terras de Trás-os-Montes, which aims to develop feasibility studies for the eventual construction of this rail link, implements, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, "one of the priorities established for railway investment" by the previous government, as part of the National Railway Plan (PFN), approved in April.

The PFN defines long-term guidelines for investment in a modern, sustainable, and interconnected railway network, capable of supporting new mobility and freight transport services, ensuring full integration into the trans-European transport networks.

According to the agreement, the CCDR-N will undertake public investment planning activities and the preparation of regional diagnostic studies that will ensure the development of infrastructure and public service networks in a territorially coherent manner and on a regional scale, systematically identifying opportunities and critical development factors. The CIM-TTM is committed to regional development, promoting cohesion among its municipalities and enhancing the value of the territory, including the promotion of better transportation connections, particularly rail, as a key factor in connectivity and competitiveness.

The IP, in turn, is responsible for the conception, design, construction, financing, maintenance, operation, requalification, expansion, and modernization of the national road and rail networks.

CIM-TTM president Pedro Lima said that the agreement could demonstrate "a whole Portugal, eliminating the need for interior or coastal regions, and that Trás-os-Montes is at the center of a vast peninsular region, and all of this is a matter of justice."

At the end of the Portuguese-Spanish summit, held in October in Faro, Luís Montenegro announced that the Porto-Zamora rail link is under study "to be further developed in the coming years," thus adding it to the list of investments to be coordinated with Spain.