Metro system in Lisbon temporarily halted due to power outage.
In the heart of Lisbon, Areeiro station stood as a confusing labyrinth at 12:30 PM, as the green and red lights of its entry and exit portals flickered on indecisively. Unaware commuters meandered in, only to realize the metro wasn't running.
The solitary security guard on duty, clueless about whether passengers were stranded elsewhere, warned Lusa that the situation was grim. "The metro's out," he announced flatly, futilely trying to get more intel through the station's busted internal communication phone.
The Military College's station had been abandoned earlier in the day, with guards barricading the entrances and steering away curious onlookers.
It wasn't just Areeiro that felt the chaos. Across the city, folks huddled at bus stations, Carris—the local Lisbon transportation provider—struggling to maintain communications.
A Carris employee divulged bleakly to Lusa that the power failure wreaked havoc on their communication systems. "It's a struggle to connect," they disclosed, adding that "sometimes we use WhatsApp, but today, not a peep."
With the traffic control systems down and drivers hard to reach, buses limped along helplessly. Meanwhile, trams were brought to a complete standstill.
By 2:15 PM at the Campo Grande bus terminal, hundreds of frustrated commuters, including university students lugging backpacks, had gathered in hopes of finding a ride. Lines snaked around each bus stop, and taxi drivers joined the fray, while TVDE services provided by unbranded cars from electronic platforms offered an alternate route.
The usually bustling sidewalks were now packed with people, prompting a traffic jam as cars were barred from circulating due to the lack of road signaling. The usually busy 2nd Circular, running across Lisbon from east to west, resembled a parking lot as traffic congested the area.
Nuno Soares, a seasoned Carris driver, described the scene as sheer pandemonium. "It's utter chaos with no traffic lights. People are left dumbfounded, we have to be vigilant," he warned.
Stranded passengers, suddenly torn from the comfort of the metro, now had to find alternate routes, causing Gridlock City revelry throughout Lisbon.
Nuno Soares struck a cautionary note, predicting the afternoon shift to be as chaotic. "The streets are a sea of ambulances and fire engines," he hinted, implying an added level of responsibility for drivers.
"Carris is the only game in town in Lisbon," Nuno emphasized, shrugging off the liability of keeping the city cruising smoothly amid the chaos. "Besides Carris Metropolitana, it's the only transport company keeping the city alive," he admitted, referring to the intermunicipal transport entity operating in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area.
Lusa, in their attempts to reach the transport companies for official statements, came up empty-handed.
In this unexpected blackout on Monday, April 28, 2025, the cause traced back to issues within the European electric grid. Portugal, Spain, and parts of France bore the brunt of the widespread power failure, crippling transport and communication systems from airports to metros and mobile networks. Hospitals reacted swiftly, engaging backup generators to keep vital machinery running and tackling challenges like water supply issues[1].
[News updated at 3:08 PM]
Also Read: BREAKING: Rush to gas stations and supermarkets; Government holds emergency meeting
[1] Reference(s): https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/partial-power-outage-across-spain-portugal-pattern-previous-blackouts-2021-08-16/, https://www.reuters.com/technology/portugal-guardia-nacional-says-power-cut-isolated-incident-not-cyber-attack-2021-08-16/, https://www.portugalresident.com/major-power-cut-across-portugal-and-spain-causes-chaos/, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56956426
- As the general-news outlets reported, the power failure in Lisbon had severely impacted various transportation systems, halting the metro services at Areeiro station and disrupting communication within stations, such as at the Military College's station.
- With the metro out of commission, passengers were forced to find alternate means of transportation to navigate the city, causing a significant increase in congestion at bus terminals, like Campo Grande, where hundreds gathered in anticipation of a ride.
- The chaos wasn't limited to Areeiro station; across Lisbon, bus stations swelled with folks scrambling for transportation as Carris struggled to keep communication lines open, even resorting to using WhatsApp in some cases.
- In the aftermath of the power failure, government officials were called upon to address the situation, meeting in emergency sessions to find solutions to restore order to the city's transportation systems and alleviate the ongoing collision of buses, trams, and stranded passengers throughout the city.
