The Government has decided to approve the reprogramming of expenditure already authorised for the construction of the Casa da Música–São Bento stretches and for the expansion of the Yellow Line (Santo Ovídio–Vila d'Este). However, the bill will increase by €78.59 million because Porto Metro will build a material and workshop park (PMO) in Vila d'Este.

The Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) budget allocated for the Rubi Line increased from €299 million to €351.98 million in May of this year, when it was determined that the project would extend until 2027 (exceeding the bazooka's validity period). Thus, the remaining cost of the project will be covered by the Environmental Fund (€40 million was previously estimated, but this amount includes the costs of the Boavista-Império BRT Line), as well as by the State Budget.

In 2023, the State Budget would be required to pay €96 million for these two investments, with the possibility of reducing the amount "in the respective proportion" if "additional funding from the RRP" were allocated. However, in May of this year, after the RRP was reprogrammed, budget costs increased to €103.05 million, leaving the door open to reductions if "effective financing" from "European funds, including the RRP" were found.

Now, the Executive branch has chosen to finance the Porto Metro expansion with resources from Sustentável 2030, the Portugal 2030 program most under pressure due to the implementation of the guillotine rule this year. In other words, the programs must spend the amount corresponding to each year's budget over the following three years. If they fail to do so, the remaining amount must be returned to Brussels. This means that, for each operational program, the allocation must be divided by seven (corresponding to the number of years in the framework), and this is the amount that must be spent three years later (this is the N+3 rule).

ECO questioned the Ministry of Economy and Cohesion about the amount now guaranteed by the program led by Helena Azevedo, but had not received a response.

According to the text, the latest RRP reprogramming has a new investment deadline of June 30, 2026. "The extension of the Porto metro network with the construction of a new 6.74 km double-track line with eight new stations between Boavista/Casa da Música, in Porto, and a new station to be built in Santo Ovídio (interface with the Yellow Line), in Vila Nova de Gaia," will be guaranteed with non-refundable funds. However, "part of the network extension between Boavista/Casa da Música, in Porto, and Santo Ovídio, in Vila Nova de Gaia, including the completion of the excavation work for three tunnels and the construction of a reinforced concrete structure at platform level in eight stations" is guaranteed by the loan component.

This government, like the previous one, has transferred investments with the highest risk of not being completed on time to the loan component. The Public Finance Council anticipates that one-fifth of the loans will not be executed.