Chinese-made metro trains make historic debut in Porto, Portugal

On Wednesday, Chinese-made metro trains started operation in Porto, Portugal, marking the first run of its kind in the European Union, according to CRRC Tangshan Co, the trains' manufacturer based in Tangshan, Hebei province.

At 11:30 am on Wednesday local time, the first train departed from Trindade Station, Porto's largest transfer station.

Multiple government officials witnessed the commencement and rode the train to Casa da Musica Station, including Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, Portugal's Minister of Environment Duarte Cordeiro, and Huang Liewei, deputy manager from the Chinese company.

Huang said CRRC Tangshan Co and Porto Metro signed the project in January 2020. Under the contract, the Chinese company will produce and deliver 18 sets of metro trains, each with four cars, for Porto Metro and provide five years of maintenance.

The first train was delivered to Porto in December last year, with 10 more trains arriving subsequently. According to the company, the remaining seven will be delivered by the end of this year.