The Government has approved a Decree-Law that will restructure the Institute of Mobility and Transport (IMT) and establish a specialised unit, which will “monitor railway, road, maritime and airport concessions", including the future New Lisbon Airport, Publituris reports.

The Decree-Law, approved by the Council of Ministers, aims to strengthen the IMT's response capacity, and the new specialised unit will also oversee submarine communications cable infrastructure, as well as "administrative simplification, digitisation of services, and strengthening its representation in Loja do Cidadão."

The decision was announced by the Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, at a press conference following the Council of Ministers meeting.

Rail safety and oversight reforms

The restructuring of the IMT will also include the transfer of railway safety competencies to the Authority for Mobility and Transport (AMT), while “strengthening the governance model and the technical and inspection teams, increasing the IMT's capacity to respond to the current and future challenges of the sector," officials said.

"It will benefit from strengthening its capacity, its reorganisation and restructuring," as well as from "an increasing focus on service to the user," the official said.

Previous reforms

In January, the Government initiated changes to the responsibilities of IMT, with the institute administering and licensing metro systems, trains, and funiculars, ECO News reports. A month later, in February, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing explained that one of the main objectives of the reorganisation would be the "enhancement and empowerment of human resources, with the creation of an inspection and oversight career path, long demanded by workers who perform those functions but are integrated into the general career path of senior technician."