Osaka, Japan, Sept 12, 2025 (Lusa) - On board the bullet train that connects Tokyo to Osaka,*Portugal's prime minister promised on Friday to speed up high-speed travelling in Portugal and took the opportunity to warn against those who, in politics, "run too fast "without knowing the direction.
On the last day of his official visit to Japan, Luís Montenegro travelled the 500 kilometres between Tokyo and Osaka on the high-speed train, which makes the journey in just over two hours.
"It's a train that reminds us of the importance of high-speed rail, in the case of our country, linking the two big cities, Lisbon and Porto, but also then the connection to Spain and the rest of Europe," he said, speaking to journalists on board.
He emphasised the importance of connecting "all the European capitals" by high-speed rail, considering that it would be beneficial "for the economy, for people's mobility and also for the environment".
Asked when this plan might be realised in Portugal, Montenegro pledged to "speed up the project as much as possible and not delay it any longer".
Asked whether Portuguese politics is moving almost as fast as the Japanese “bullet train”, on the day a poll was released that puts Chega ahead of AD in voting intentions, the head of government left a message.
"Politics is always carried out at great speed, but you also have to realise that if you run too fast, without knowing which way you're going, you often don't get the result you want. We are very calm on this path, we don't want to waste time, but we don't want to do anything in a hurry either," he said.
Still on the subject of the high-speed railway project in Portugal, he explained that the Lisbon-Porto link is already "under construction, in the preparatory stages of the physical work, namely the expropriations", but has been awarded.
Montenegro added that after this link, and the one planned between Porto-Vigo, "already on the ground", the Lisbon to Madrid link will be realised, which will directly connect the future Luís de Camões airport to the Spanish capital.
"Rail transport has the advantage of being fast and very environmentally friendly," he stressed.
The prime minister ends a two-day official visit to Japan today with a programme at the Osaka Expo.
Montenegro arrived in Beijing on Monday, where he made an official two-day visit to China, passing through Macau, and then on to Tokyo. On Thursday, he held meetings with his Japanese counterpart, as well as with businessmen and athletes representing Portugal at the World Athletics Championships.
This afternoon, the prime minister will visit the Portuguese and Japanese pavilions at Expo Osaka, which ends on 13 October.
Portugal is one of 161 countries taking part in the exhibition on the theme: "Designing Future Societies for Our Lives".
Portugal's participation in the exhibition, titled "Ocean: Blue Dialogue," involves more than 150 companies, associations, local authorities, and national artists.
SMA/ADB // ADB.
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