Ambient noise: Ombudsman insists on the need for enhanced assessment and control by Infraestruturas de Portugal

The Ombudsman sent a letter to the Government following the persistent lack of action by Infraestruturas de Portugal, S.A. (IP) in controlling environmental noise in the transport infrastructure under its responsibility.

Infraestruturas de Portugal, S.A. has not yet prepared or submitted a significant part of the strategic noise maps and action plans for the 2021-2026 control cycle, which is therefore compromised.

According to the report ‘Noise control: Planning, managing and raising awareness – 2025’, recently released by the Ombudsman, the company had only completed the mapping of less than 5% of the road sections (16 out of 339) and 20% of the railway sections (13 out of 65) under its responsibility.

The Ombudsman argued that such inaction, which compromises the identification and assessment of problems that give rise to a significant number of complaints, results in indifference to the fundamental rights of citizens, namely to health, rest, tranquillity and a healthy environment.

Concern was also expressed about the fact that the company is postponing the resolution of excessive noise situations until the approval of planning documents that should already have been approved. This attitude transfers the costs of inaction to citizens, leaving them not only unprotected but also with no prospect of an effective response to their legitimate complaints.

In a letter addressed to the Secretary of State for Infrastructure, the member of the Government responsible for overseeing the company, the Deputy Ombudsman requests that clear guidelines be set for the Board of Directors of Infraestruturas de Portugal, S.A., to:

Complete, by the end of the first half of 2026, all strategic noise maps that are still missing; and

Assess and respond in a concrete manner to each complaint submitted, carrying out acoustic measurements and implementing mitigation measures whenever necessary.

The letter can be consulted in full here [in Portuguese only].