For many years now, users of the Baixa-Chiado and Aeroporto Metro stations have become accustomed to reading news reports that the faults with their escalators and elevators would finally be resolved, and that they had already received support from the state. We even joked about it on April Fool’s Day.
This problem, which mainly affects people with reduced mobility and the elderly, but also residents, tourists and thousands of regular users, needs to be resolved more than urgently, as every day thousands of passengers face the difficult challenge of climbing to the surface of these stations without this mechanical support, especially in Baixa-Chiado, which is the deepest part of the Lisbon Metro.
The solution seems to be in sight
Although we find it hard to believe (the various attempts to solve the problem show our distrust), in September the Lisbon Metro announced an unprecedented pilot project to try to solve, once and for all, these constraints in the 22 escalators and six elevators of these two stations in particular.
The solution will involve launching an international public tender, with dedicated maintenance, which promises to resolve the chronic breakdowns in these metro stations once and for all.
The aim is for there to be a team totally dedicated to these problems, focusing on maintenance and setting maximum deadlines for resolving problems and supplying parts.
Is this it?
The announcement of this measure is due, above all, to successive complaints from civil society, in particular the Fórum Cidadania LX, which has publicly denounced the impact of this type of breakdown every time it happens.
On the part of Metropolitano de Lisboa, which has already invested around 22.5 million euros since 2018, there is a commitment to continue fighting to make these situations less frequent. Let’s wait and see!
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