The train that connects Lisbon to Almada, across the Tagus River, has transported almost 500 million passengers in 25 years.
According to the data revealed by the railway administration, the crossing, which was inaugurated 25 years ago, has transported, up to today, 498 million passengers, a number that is almost equivalent to the total population of the European Union.
In order to transport almost 500 million passengers, the trains had to travel 51 million kilometers, a distance that corresponds to 1,273 laps around our planet.
The railway, which crosses April 25 Bridge, was inaugurated in 1999, by the then Prime Minister António Guterres (who is now the Secretary General of the United Nations), and it was handled by the company Fertagus. Even though the bridge was inaugurated in 1966, its initial construction included two tunnels that were intended for trains. Thirty-three years later, the trains began transporting passengers and has almost reached the 500 million passenger mark after 25 years.
According to Fertagus, the company played, and still plays, a very important role in what concerns the vitality of the metropolitan area of Lisbon. The service, which is extremely reliable due to its regularity and punctuality, took a total of around 80 million vehicles out of circulation, which, in turn, saved 900,000 tons of CO₂ emissions.
