"The President of the Republic promulgated the decree of the Assembly of the Republic which [...] establishes the prohibition of train drivers from performing their duties under the influence of alcohol, narcotics or psychotropic substances," reads a note published on the Presidency of the Republic's website.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also promulgated the strengthening of penalties for train drivers who drive under the influence.

On September 29th, parliament debated the government's proposed law that increases penalties for train drivers and sets limits on alcohol and drugs, but the opposition accused the executive of legislating "on the obvious" and ignoring the structural problems of the railway.

During the debate, the Secretary of State for Mobility, Cristina Pinto Dias, highlighted that the legislation aims to "certify, unify and integrate" railway safety legislation.

Among the measures are the establishment of a maximum blood alcohol limit of 0.2 grams per litre, "in line with other European railway networks," the scaling of fines according to the severity of the infraction, and the updating of fees due to the Institute of Mobility and Transport (IMT).

Fines

"Very serious offenses will be punished with fines ranging from €100,000 to €500,000, reinforcing the supervisory and sanctioning power of the National Railway Safety Authority," emphasized Cristina Pinto Dias, adding that with these changes, "Portugal no longer has the lightest and lowest level of administrative offenses in Europe."

The minister also stressed that the proposal does not alter the driving, rest, or break times already stipulated in national and EU legislation.

During the plenary session, several opposition parties criticized the government for its lack of focus on resolving railway problems.

On January 31, parliament had already approved in general the prohibition of train drivers operating under the influence of alcohol, with the PSD and CDS accusing the previous government of doing nothing about railway safety.