Arbitration court orders minimum service

CP – Comboios de Portugal welcomes the decision of the Arbitration Court of the Economic and Social Council to set minimum services of 25% on all scheduled trains: Long Distance, Regional and Urban services in Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra, following the strike called by SFRCI – Sindicato Ferroviário da Revisão Comercial Itinerante (Railway Workers' Union), between midnight on 11 May and midnight on 14 May 2025, thereby mitigating some of the effects of the strike on passengers' lives and ensuring minimum safety conditions for the services provided.

This decision allowed CP - Comboios de Portugal to ensure a significant part of the usual service, ensuring that the impact on urban services in Lisbon and Porto on 11 and 14 May would be minimal. It also helped to ensure that approximately 50% of scheduled trains would run on 12 and 13 May.

CP—Comboios de Portugal proposed setting minimum services at 30%, but the Arbitration Court considered that 25% would be sufficient to guarantee essential mobility. The court recognised the social importance of rail transport and the impact that the absence of services would have on citizens' daily lives.

CP - Comboios de Portugal agreed with this decision, contrary to the most recent ones, in which the proposal to provide minimum services below the limits that allow rail transport to operate with minimum passenger safety guarantees forced the total cancellation of trains. In the opinion of CP - Comboios de Portugal, this decision is fairer, as it protects customers' rights to mobility, work, health and education, while ensuring respect for the right to strike.

CP - Comboios de Portugal thanks its customers for their understanding and recommends that they check the available timetables in advance at www.cp.pt or through the official CP app to minimise waiting times and impact on platforms.