Lisbon Metro
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lisbon Metro is the metro (subway) system that provides Lisbon, Portugal with mass-transit services. It was the first metro in Portugal.
As of 2004, the four Lisbon metro lines total about 37 km in length and comprise 44 stations.
Contents |
[edit] History
Construction was started on 7 August 1955, and actual service began on 29 December 1959 with a Y-shaped line with two branches starting at Sete Rios (now Jardim Zoológico) and Entre Campos that joined at Rotunda (now Marquês de Pombal) to continue to Restauradores in the city centre. The total track length was then 6.5 km. In subsequent years the northern branches were extended in several steps to Colégio Militar (now Colégio Militar-Luz) and Campo Grande, respectively. The southern branch was extended via Rossio, Anjos and Alvalade to finally form a circle at Campo Grande. In 1995 the station at Marquês de Pombal was reconstructed to split the network into two lines, the Blue Line (linha Azul) from Colégio Militar-Luz to Campo Grande and the Yellow Line (linha Amarela) from Campo Grande to Marquês de Pombal. In May 1998 a third line, the Red Line (linha vermelha) was opened to connect Alameda to the exhibition grounds of the Expo 98 at Oriente. The Blue line was split into two; it now ends at Baixa-Chiado; the section until Campo Grande has become the Green Line (linha Verde) with a new terminus at Cais Sodre. In 2004 the Blue, Yellow and Green lines were further extended to end at Amadora Este, Odivelas and Telheiras, respectilvely. As of 2005, total track length is 36.9 km.
The Red Line is currently being extended at its Western end to São Sebastião via Saldanha station, making it possible to go from any line to another without getting off more than once. There is also construction underway to link the Blue Line to the train station at Santa Apolónia. The new stations are projected to open in 2007, although the Santa Apolónia station's opening, originally scheduled in time for the 2004 Euro Cup, has been delayed numerous times.
An extension to the airport has been announced.
[edit] Lines
There are 4 lines and 44 stations. The lines were formerly known by picturesque names; logos based on the former names are still used.
| Colour | Name | Terminals | Stations | Length | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linha Azul Blue Line |
Linha da Gaivota Seagull Line |
Baixa-Chiado Amadora Este |
15 | 12 km |
1959: Sete Rios (now Jardim Zoológico) - Restauradores |
| Linha Amarela Yellow Line |
Linha do Girassol Sunflower Line |
Rato Odivelas |
13 | 11 km |
1959: Entre Campos - Restauradores |
| Linha Verde Green Line |
Linha da Caravela Caravel Line |
Cais do Sodré Telheiras |
13 | 9 km |
1972: Restauradores - Alvalade |
| Linha Vermelha Red Line |
Linha do Oriente Orient Line |
Alameda Oriente |
7 | 6 km |
1998: Alameda - Oriente |
