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Transport in Portugal is diversified.Portugal has a 68,732 km (42,708 mi) network of roads, of which almost 3,000 km (1,864 mi) are part of a 44motorways system.Brisa is the largest highway management concessionaire. With 89,015 km2,Continental Portugal has 4 international airports located nearLisbon,Porto,Faro andBeja. The national railway system service is provided byComboios de Portugal. The major seaports are located inLeixões,Aveiro,Figueira da Foz,Lisbon,Setúbal,Sines andFaro.
In 1972, Brisa was to construct 390 km (242 mi) of roadways by the end of 1981. The first priority was a highway designated asA1, a 300 km (186 mi) stretch reaching from the capital of Lisbon north to Porto, Portugal's second-largest city. This highway would become a crucial link to the industrial activity in the north of the country and experience the highest traffic volumes in Brisa's network. Construction also began on the A2, which was projected to reach from Lisbon to resort areas on the southern coast.
Two years after the establishment of Brisa, the right wing dictatorship was overthrown by aleftist revolution. The new regime included Brisa in a program ofnationalization, first taking control of 40 percent of the company and eventually gaining a 90 percent share. Road construction continued stretch by stretch undersocialist control. As the first highway sections were completed on the A1 andA2, the government concession was expanded to include adjoining stretches. In addition, concessions were granted for expansions to the network: the A3 would extend the north–south highway from Porto up to the Spanish border, the A4 would reach east from Porto to the city of Amarante, and the A5 was to reach from Lisbon about 25 mi (40 km) west to the coast. However, during the first years of democratic government, the combined length of the network never exceeded 300 km (186 mi) through the 1980s. Transportation was seen as a priority in the 1990s, pushed by the growing use of automobiles andmass consumption.
In 1985, a new government led by the center-right Social Democrats headed by Prime MinisterAníbal Cavaco Silva, came to power in Portugal and began loosening the state's control over economic activity. After years of slow progress, the government began an extensive investment program to bring the transportation infrastructure up to date. While some funds were earmarked for railroad and subway companies, the largest share went to highways. Brisa received a direct capital injection of PTE 17.7 billion in 1990. The investment was urgently needed, since traffic volume in Portugal was growing at a faster rate than any other country in theEuropean Union. Average daily traffic volume increased at a rate about 4.5 percent more than thegross domestic product each year between 1990 and 1996. The government kept up its intensive program of annual investments, allowing Brisa's network to grow from 300 km (186 mi) in 1990 to 600 km (373 mi) in 1995.
The principal train operator in Portugal isComboios de Portugal. Rail infrastructure is maintained byInfraestruturas de Portugal.
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The two largest metropolitan areas have subway systems:Lisbon Metro andMetro Transportes do Sul in theLisbon metropolitan area andPorto Metro in thePorto Metropolitan Area, each with more than 35 km (22 mi) of lines. In Portugal,Lisbon tram services have been supplied by theCompanhia de Carris de Ferro de Lisboa (Carris), for over a century. InPorto,a tram network, of three lines, began construction on 12 September 1895, the first in theIberian Peninsula. All major cities and towns have their own local urban transport network, as well as taxi services.
Lisbon's geographical position makes it a stopover point for many foreign airlines at airports all over the country. The government decided to build a new airport outside Lisbon, inMontijo, to replaceLisbon Portela Airport. Currently, the most important airports are inLisbon,Porto,Faro,Funchal (Madeira) andPonta Delgada (Azores). The national airline isTAP Air Portugal.