Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa takes a ride during the first-day operation of the Made-in-China metro train in Porto, Portugal, Dec. 6, 2023.(Photo by Zhang Ke/Xinhua)
PORTO, Portugal, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- The first Made-in-China metro train in the European Union (EU) was put into commercial operation here on Wednesday.
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa took a ride during the first day of its operation and inaugurated the service, emphasizing the government's substantial investment of nearly 50 million euros (nearly 54 million U.S. dollars) from the EU recovery fund, promising extensive benefits for residents and tourists alike.
Costa revealed plans to allocate an additional over 1 billion euros (1078 million U.S. dollars) for public infrastructure development in key cities such as Lisbon, Porto, and Braga.
Portugal's Minister of Environment and Climate Action Duarte Cordeiro highlighted that the newly launched metro train fulfills the public's expectations for comfortable and secure travel, significantly elevating the efficiency of Porto's metro network.
The metro train was manufactured by China's CRRC Tangshan, a collaboration project initiated in early 2020 with Porto Metro, resulting in the production of 18 train sets and a five-year maintenance service agreement.
Officially launched in 2021, the first train arrived in Porto by the end of 2022.
Porto, Portugal's second-largest city, currently boasts six metro lines and over 80 stations, covering a total distance of 67 km, serving both Porto and its suburban areas. ■
