"This decision by the Government, which we have already taken as final, is a defeat for the North, once again, and especially for this border territory, and it has left me hurt," Helena Barril told Lusa.

The social-democratic mayor of the Bragança district also said that expectations had been created around a high-speed connection between Porto--Vila Real--Bragança--Zamora, with an extension to Madrid, and now she does not know what will happen.

"We created expectations and there was almost a general consensus that this would be a great route and a structuring project [Porto--Vila Real--Bragança--Zamora connection] to boost the Northeast of Trás-os-Montes. It was with great sorrow, I repeat, that I heard the Government's decision to create a high-speed connection between Lisbon and Madrid," she stressed.

For Helena Barril, "once again, the Trás-os-Montes territory has been overlooked in terms of major political decisions for the country".

"We are on the way to this territory eventually becoming a hunting ground and then, yes, the rich gentlemen from the south will come here to hunt, and then we will see a human or two," she said ironically.

This reaction by the mayor follows the Government's announcement on Tuesday to mandate Infraestruturas de Portugal to complete the studies for the construction of the Third Tagus Crossing and the high-speed rail link between Lisbon and Madrid.

The Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, said that the Government is committed to starting the development studies for the high-speed rail line between Lisbon and Madrid, with the aim of completing the work on the Portuguese side at the same time as Spain, which is aiming for 2034, "in order to ensure coordinated and timely execution of the project, fully optimising the availability of funding", and recalled that the first section prepared for high speed in Portugal, between Évora and Caia, should be completed by mid-2025.

On Friday, the Vale d'Ouro Association asked the Government for clarification on the high-speed rail line in Trás-os-Montes, after the European Union classified this project as being of "common interest" for Portugal and Spain.

"We expect that the Government in office will be able to rectify this injustice with the region on a project that is crucial for territorial cohesion, European integration and social and economic development with a view to carbon neutrality," said Luís Almeida, president of the Vale d'Ouro Association, quoted in a statement.

This association has defended the Douro railway line, its reactivation to Spain and also the new corridor for the high-speed line in Trás-os-Montes, connecting Porto to Spain.

Vale d'Ouro participated in the public consultation for the National Rail Plan by submitting a study for a new high-speed line between Porto--Vila Real--Bragança--Zamora, a proposal that foresees the connection to the Madrid-Galicia high-speed line 35 kilometres from the border.

Leia Também: Loures reivindica presença em reuniões sobre terrenos do Humberto Delgado (Portuguese version)