A railway line connecting the northern counties of Portugal with the port of Porto has been designed. It was proposed by the counties involved, being Valongo, Paredes, Paços de Ferreira, Lousada and Ferreiras and is to service freight as well as passenger traffic.

The railway track will have a length of 36.5 kilometres and has been set at a budget of 300 million Euros. The infrastructure project has been dubbed the Valley of Sousa.

Great Porto

Valongo is close to Porto (18 kilometres far), the main industrial area in Northern Portugal and a logistics hub for many companies. Paredes, Paços de Ferreira, Lousada and Ferreiras are close to Valongo, being part of the metropolitan area called Great Porto.

The mayors of the counties want the Portuguese government to develop the new infrastructure. However, they have called for EU funding because the new line would reduce the use of cars and trucks. Porto is developing strong rail and passenger train connections with Lisbon and the Spanish city of Vigo, an important port and manufacturing area in Northwest Spain.

Effective rail network

Many cities in Great Porto have pled for an effective rail network to cut the truck congestion on their roads. They also want to promote their logistics hubs because the one in Porto has become very expensive. Train services will provide transport to 35,000 small and medium companies and 400,000 inhabitants between Porto and Paredes.
The Portuguese government has promised to study this project and to analyse if it is likely to be included in the 2030 national investment plans.