Ayesa is awarded a 2.9-million-euro contract to design the extension of the Porto Metro through to Santo Ovídio

Ayesa, a global provider of technology and engineering services, has recently consolidated its presence in Portugal, where it has had a permanent presence through its subsidiary for two years now.

The company will design the extension of the Porto Metro, set to connect the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, forming a circular north-south line. This is currently one of the most important projects of its kind in Europe.

Specifically, the Porto Metro has awarded Ayesa, in consortium alongside Quadrante, the contract to provide the detailed design for the section, which will span six kilometres between Casa da Música (Porto) and Santo Ovídio.

The purpose of the project is to help relieve congestion on the yellow line, the metro’s busiest. To do this, six new stations will be created, namely Campo Alegre, Arrábida, Candal, Rotunda VL8, Devesas and Soares dos Reis. The section is expected to transport an average of 325,000 passengers a day or 120 million a year.

The contract covers the detailed design of the section, something which includes structures, tunnels, electromechanical installations, railway electrification, associated services and architecture.

The duration of the contract, which will be carried out to the highest of standards, is twelve months. The project will see Ayesa use BIM (building information modelling) technology to produce a 3D model of the section containing all the information necessary for its construction, operations and maintenance.

In terms of the particular aspects of the project, the branch line connecting the new tunnel to the yellow line in Santo Ovídio, two underground car parks, box jacking under main roads, and an underpass under the roundabout Eng. Edgar Cardoso all stand out.

In Portugal, Ayesa has also been supervising the 3.1-kilometre extension of the yellow line from Santo Ovídio to Vila d’Este.

Ayesa is one of the world’s leading engineering firms when it comes to designing and supervising metro systems. As such, it is currently involved in extension projects in major capitals and big cities, such as Madrid, Barcelona, Bogotá, Santiago de Chile, Mumbai and Delhi.