Lisbon, 2 March 2026 – The Portuguese Competition Authority (AdC) has launched a public consultation on the preliminary version of its study “Competition in the Passenger and Freight Rail Transport Sector in Portugal”, identifying constraints to effective liberalisation and setting out 14 recommendations addressed to the Government, Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP), the Mobility and Transport Authority (AMT) and rail operators.
The study, conducted in the context of significant public investment, including in high-speed rail lines and rolling stock renewal, concludes that substantial barriers to competition remain, particularly in passenger rail transport. The AdC highlights the absence of competition for the market through competitive public tenders for the award of public service contracts.
Among its main recommendations, the authority argues that the announced extension of the public service contract of CP – Comboios de Portugal should be limited to the period strictly necessary to amortise the announced investments, after which an international public tender should be launched. It also recommends that the current public service contract of Fertagus should not be extended again, in order to promote competition for the market.
The study further identifies obstacles in access to essential inputs for rail activity, notably rolling stock and human resources, stressing that non-discriminatory access to these factors will be crucial to ensure effective competition in future tender procedures. The AdC also points to specific features of the national rail network, including compatibility requirements with the Iberian gauge and the CONVEL signalling system, as aggravating entry difficulties.
Additional barriers relate to access to rail infrastructure and complementary services necessary for the provision of competitive commercial services, particularly in long-distance passenger and freight transport. The authority also underlines the importance of ensuring effective and non-discriminatory access to ticketing information for alternative platforms.
The public consultation will run for 20 working days, until 30 March 2026, during which interested parties may submit comments to consultapublica@concorrencia.pt.
