Lisbon, Dec. 31, 2024 (Lusa) - Portugal's incumbent train operator, CP—Comboios de Portugal, said in a statement on Tuesday that it expects to close 2024 with 12.8 million more passengers on all services than in 2023, totalling 185 million.

‘CP - Comboios de Portugal is expected to close 2024 with more than 185 million passengers carried, an estimated increase of more than 12.8 million compared to the previous year,’ the company said in a statement sent to the press today.

Although the figures are still ‘provisional for the last two months of the year,’ the company says they already ‘reflect the continuous and sustained growth in demand for CP's services’.

‘While in previous years the growth was particularly evident in urban services, in 2024 the increase in passengers was transversal to all the company's services,’ the company chaired by Pedro Moreira said.

According to the carrier, ‘urban, regional, inter-regional and long-distance services all saw increased demand, which confirms the attractiveness of the train as a reliable, sustainable and affordable transport solution.’

Quoted in the statement, the company's chairman emphasised that the ‘increase in passengers on all CP services shows that the train is increasingly the natural choice of the Portuguese, not only in large urban areas, but also on regional and long-distance connections’.

‘This is recognition of the efficiency of the railway as a sustainable means of transport,’ said Pedro Moreira, stressing that “these figures are only possible thanks to the commitment, dedication and professionalism” of the workers.

For the president of CP, ‘these figures prove that the Portuguese increasingly value and favour sustainable mobility’, considering that ‘the train is the ideal solution to meet this challenge, contributing to a reduction in the ecological footprint and more inclusive and efficient mobility throughout the country’.

JE/ADB // ADB.

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