Lisbon, Sept. 30, 2025 (Lusa) - The Portuguese parliament has debated the government's draft bill to increase penalties for train drivers and set alcohol and drug limits, but the opposition accused the executive of legislating "on the obvious" and ignoring the structural problems of the railway sector.
During the debate on Monday, the Secretary of State for Mobility, Cristina Pinto Dias, stressed that the bill aims to "certify, unify and integrate" legislation on railway safety.
Among the measures are the setting of a maximum blood alcohol limit of 0.2 grams per litre, "in line with other European railway networks", the scaling of fines according to the severity of the offence and the updating of the fees payable to the Institute for Mobility and Transport (IMT).
"Very serious offences will be punished with fines of between €100,000 and €500,000, strengthening the supervisory and sanctioning powers of the National Railway Safety Authority," said Cristina Pinto Dias, adding that with these changes "Portugal will no longer have the lightest and lowest fineable offence framework in Europe".
The minister also pointed out that the proposal does not change the driving, rest or break times already provided for in national and EU legislation.
In the plenary session, several opposition parties criticised the executive for its lack of focus on solving the problems on the railways.
Joana Cordeiro, an MP of the Liberal Initiative, considered it "absurd" that it was necessary to legislate that train drivers cannot work under the influence of alcohol or drugs, accusing the government of "legislating the obvious" instead of solving problems such as "crowded trains, cancellations, successive delays, the poor quality of train operator CP's service and the worsening difficulties at Lisbon commuter train operator, Fertagus".
On behalf of the Communist Party (PCP), Paula Santos warned that "more than 80% of the changes are aimed at facilitating the entry of foreign railway companies", accusing the executive of transferring responsibility for supervision to the PSP and GNR police forces and increasing the exploitation of workers with changes to rest periods.
The Left Bloc MP, Andreia Galvão, criticised the government for not involving the unions and recalled the controversy created by statements from members of the executive linking railway accidents to alcohol consumption: "Train drivers and all railway workers were outraged, and rightly so, because this is not a cause of accidents in Portugal".
On behalf of the Socialist Party (PS), José Carlos Barbosa stressed that "there is no record of railway accidents caused by train drivers under the influence of alcohol" and argued that the focus on safety "must involve investment in infrastructure and support for workers". The Socialists also demanded that the Government apologise to the profession for the controversial statement made in the past. This request was also reinforced by the right wing Chega Party.
Livre MP Isabel Mendes Lopes pointed out that "antagonising train drivers will not solve railway safety problems", highlighting the wear and tear and difficulties faced by workers and calling for more resources for the National Railway Safety Authority and the Accident Prevention and Investigation Office.
On the ruling Social Democrat (PSD) side, Bruno Faria praised the proposal as "fundamental to strengthening the legal framework for railway safety, fulfilling European commitments and giving confidence to passengers and workers", stressing that the modernisation of the railway also implies "clear safety rules and effective supervision".
The ruling government coalition Christian Democrats-Monarchists (CDS-PP) considered that respect for train drivers "is not called into question" by more stringent safety rules and criticised the PS for not having fully transposed European directives in previous legislatures.
At the same time, MPs discussed another government bill that aims to consolidate the social and administrative rules for the road transport sector into a single piece of legislation, transposing European directives and repealing scattered legislation. According to Cristina Pinto Dias, this is a matter of "harmonising and clarifying concepts" without changing driving or rest times.
Both bills will now proceed to the committee stage debate on the details.
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