The South Bank Transport Users Commission has asked the Government this Thursday for an urgent intervention to solve the problems of Transtejo/Soflusa, preventing the users of the transport that ensures the fluvial connections in the Tagus River from being further harmed.
We want users to save more waiting time and more hours wasted at the dock waiting for the ships to arrive,” said the commission’s spokesman, Marco Sargento, in reaction to the report by the Court of Accounts (TdC), which accuses The company of “not telling the truth” and illegal and irrational practices.
Following the publication of the report, the Transtejo/Soflusa board of directors resigned.
It involves the purchase of nine batteries, for a value of 15.5 million euros (ME), in an additional contract to another previously inspected by the ToC for the acquisition, for 52.4 million euros, of ten (one of them already with battery, for tests) new ships with battery electric propulsion, to guarantee the public passenger transport service between the two banks of the Tagus.
Meanwhile he problem is dramatic for thousands of people who use the services of Transtejo/Soflusa on a daily basis, the commission requests the intervention of the Government to resolve “at once the problems of fluvial transport on the Tagus River, placing this issue at the center of political concerns”.
We must have an immediate response to reinforce the offer”, said Marco Sargento, in statements to Lusa.
The official also pointed out that the problems in river transport through the Tagus, which have been occurring for years, are creating a new stigma on the south bank, with complaints from people who go to job interviews where they are told that the fact of live there may be an obstacle to getting to work on time.
River transport has been suffering limitations for some time due to the breakdown of several vessels, and a fleet renewal project is underway with the expected entry into service of electric vessels.
Transtejo provides river connections to Lisbon from Seixal, Montijo, Cacilhas and Trafaria/Porto Brandão, while Soflusa connects Barreiro with Terreiro do Paço in Lisbon. The companies have a common administration.
On February 8, the Minister of the Environment, who oversees urban transport, acknowledged the existence of problems in the operation of Transtejo and Soflusa and assured that the Government “is doing everything” to solve them.
It must be recognized that there is a problem in the operation of Transtejo and Soflusa, companies that ensure the river connections between Lisbon and Montijo, Barreiro, Seixal and Almada. By saying this, the Government is acknowledging the existence of a problem that it has been working to overcome in three dimensions: fleet, operation and human resources”, said Duarte Cordeiro, during a hearing in a commission of the Assembly of the Republic.
In November, the Government expected to have most of Transtejo’s electricity fleet available by 2023.
The Secretary of State for Urban Mobility, Jorge Delgado, then estimated that the first electric boats would come into operation between the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, adding that the batteries and charging points had already been contracted.
In September, Transtejo had announced that it had been awarded the contract for the construction and supply of charging stations for Transtejo’s new electric fleet of ships for around 14.4 million euros.
Source: Observadora
