Lisbon subway is the only transport passengers to lose – publico

                 

                         
                     

                         

                 

 
                         
                     

                         In contrast to the recovery seen in 2014, the Lisbon Metro lost passengers in the first quarter 2015 compared to the previous year. This is the only downturn in passenger transport, since the river, air, rail transport and Metro do Porto indicate a positive year growth in the first quarter of the year.

The statistics on transport activity , released on Tuesday by INE, show that the number of passengers in the Lisbon Metro decreased, from 34.5 million in early 2014 to 33.8 million the following year.

total are less passengers 697 000, ie a decrease of 2% in terms counterparts. In the last quarter of 2014, the metropolitan of the capital had had a positive variation of 1.7%.

With a utilization rate of 22.7% (still higher than the rate of 17.5% registered the Metro do Porto), the Lisbon Metro had a decline of 1.4% this indicator. On the other hand, the Port of Metro increased slightly (0.4%) in the utilization rate. This structure recorded in the first quarter, an increase of about 270 thousand passengers to 13.8 million, meaning an increase of 2%.

In other areas there is an increase of passengers with aviation leading the gains. The sector had already had 9.8% more customers in 2014 compared to 2013. Between January and March 2015, there were over 880 000 airborne passengers in 2014, an increase of 14.3% and surpasses the seven million people.

The proximity of the opening of the Azorean market to low-cost companies in March, may help explain the phenomenon as it was in the airports of Santa Maria (39.2%) and John Paul II (20.2%), in Ponta Delgada, which increased the percentage of passengers. Conversely, Porto Santo in the Madeira archipelago, was the only airport to receive fewer people, with 17.5% less passengers.

The river transport continues to make up ground. The passenger traffic on inland waterways had registered a timid recovery of 0.1% in the last three months of 2014 (and, in total annual lost even passengers) and now solidifies upward trend, with a positive annual change of 2% . Of the nearly 4 million who used this medium between January and March, most did so in the Tagus river.

Also rail keeps the trend of the previous quarter and achieved a slight increase of 1.8% . This means that there is an increase of just over 600,000 people to use trains for transportation, totaling 32 million passengers. Of this number, 90% use the commuter train, which rose by 1.8%.

In the same register, the suburban trains obtained a positive annual change of 1.2%, despite slow down growth of 4.5% in the previous quarter. Despite representing a residual share, the largest recorded rise in railway gave up even in international transport, which developed the 10.5% year change, the record 42,000 passengers in the first three months of 2015 versus 38 thousand last year.