The European Commission has officially authorised Metropolitano de Lisboa to move forward with awarding the contract for the construction and design of the Lisbon ‘Violet’ metro line.
Permitted following a change by the consortium which avoids any distortion caused by foreign subsidies; Metropolitano de Lisboa, may now award the contract to the bidder that submitted the most ‘economically advantageous’ offer.
The Cascais Line in Lisbon – one of the city’s busiest commuter routes
© Hitachi Rail
The decision follows an FSR investigation into a notification submitted by a consortium led by Mota-Engil, which partnered with subcontractors including Portugal CRRC Tangshan Rolling Stock Unipessoal.
This consortium participated in the tender process initially launched by Metropolitano de Lisboa in April 2025, which sought applicants for a contract to design, construct and maintain the new Violet Line.
An in-depth investigation was opened on 5 November 2025 following a preliminary assessment, which itself was based on suggestions that Portugal CRRC Tangshan Rolling Stock Unipessoal may have received foreign subsidies that distorted the overall procurement procedure, enabling the consortium to submit an unduly advantageous tender. This investigation confirmed these findings, revealing that the subsidies in question had given the consortium an unfair competitive edge to the detriment of other bidders.
Going forward; the Commission has stated it has adopted a decision to accept commitments made by the consortium to replace Portugal CRRC with Polish rolling stock manufacturer Pojazdy Szynowe PESA Bydgoszcz Spółka Akcyjna (‘PESA’) – a move which removes the element of distorted competition in the internal market and allows the consortium’s participation within the tender.
The decision will ultimately lie with Metropolitano de Lisboa, which will assess whether the bid, which includes the new subcontractor, complies with all technical and quality requirements set out in the tender documents.
From this point, the Commission’s involvement will focus solely on the monitoring of the consortium’s compliance with commitments it has undertaken previously, with no further action planned under the FSR unless new issues related to foreign subsidies arise.