Lisbon, June 24, 2026 (Lusa) - Portuguese environmentalist NGO, ZERO, on Wednesday welcomed the announcement of the launch in October of a pilot scheme to bring forward opening the Lisbon Metro service by one hour, believing that this could make public transport fairer, more useful and more competitive compared to private cars.
On Tuesday, the chair the Lisbon Metro (ML), Cristina Vaz Tomé, explained that the pilot scheme to bring forward the start of metro services by one hour – currently 6.30 am – will begin in October this year, with a view to the introduction of a new operating system in January 2027.
Today, in a statement, ZERO – Sustainable Land Transport Association welcomed this announcement and pointed out that this measure addresses a demand put forward by ZERO in March this year.
At the time, the association highlighted that the metro’s current opening time of 6.30 am “does not adequately meet the needs of thousands of people who start work very early and who, for this reason, are deprived of a fast, reliable and environmentally sustainable public transport option”.
ZERO considers that bringing forward the Metro’s opening time to 5.30 am is very important for workers in the health, street cleaning, logistics, hospitality, catering, security, retail, maintenance and other essential services sectors, many of whom start work before 7.00 am.
“It is precisely these workers who, with no metro service available at the time they need it, are often forced to rely on cars, more expensive options, longer journeys or less efficient combinations of public transport,” emphasises ZERO.
The association believes that bringing forward the opening time of the metro will help reduce car dependency, cut greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants, ease congestion and improve the integration between different modes of transport.
“It is particularly important to address the current lack of connection between early-morning rail, river and road arrivals and a metro network that only begins operating at 6:30 am,” the association emphasises.
ZERO also considers it essential that the new timetable be accompanied by transparent public information, including indicators on demand, operating costs, impacts on intermodality and user satisfaction levels.
“ZERO welcomes the decision to launch a pilot project, provided it is used to test, refine and consolidate a robust solution, rather than to postpone its implementation indefinitely,” the statement notes.
ZERO emphasises that “the collection of data on demand, coordination with CP, Transtejo, Carris Metropolitana, Carris and other operators, the availability of train drivers, maintenance, safety and shift organisation is essential for the measure to be successful”.
The metro normally runs between 6.30 am and 1.00 am each day.
DD/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
