Transtejo Soflusa (TTSL) Schedules 2026

TTSL — Transtejo · Soflusa carried 20,778,559 passengers across the Tagus in 2025 on 128,247 sailings, 95.6% of which ran to schedule. Two crossings account for most of that: Barreiro–Terreiro do Paço with 11.2 million and Cacilhas–Cais do Sodré with 6.9 million.

Created by nationalisation

Transtejo was founded in December 1975 by decree-law, merging five private companies that until then worked the Tagus crossings — Sociedade Marítima de Transportes, Empresa de Transportes Tejo, Sociedade Nacional Motonaves, Sociedade Jerónimo Rodrigues Durão and Sociedade Damásio, Vasques e Santos. Soflusa came later, carved out of the river arm of the state railway CP, and the two have been under common management since 2001.

Thirty ships, and ten of them named after birds

The fleet is 24 catamarans, two catamaran ferries carrying vehicles as well as passengers, and four cacilheiros — the traditional monohulls of the Tagus. Twelve of those were ordered in 1977 at 500 passengers each, built by three Portuguese yards and delivered between 1980 and 1982; the Damen catamarans that arrived in 2004 for the Barreiro run take 600. The ten new electric vessels carry bird names: Cegonha-Branca, Garça-Vermelha, Flamingo-Rosa, Íbis-Preto, Tarambola-Dourada, Milhafre-Preto, Perna-Verde, Alvéola-Amarela, Trepadeira-Azul and Peneireiro-Cinzento.

Charging while passengers board

The electric ships are a purpose-designed prototype rather than an off-the-shelf order, with battery capacity sized for a full day's operation and fast-charging towers at Seixal, Cais do Sodré, Cacilhas and Montijo that top up during the minute or two of loading. Catamarans had already cut the journeys sharply when they came in: 50% off Montijo, 30% off Barreiro and Seixal.

Terminals open from five in the morning

Six terminals and three stations. Cacilhas runs 05.00 to 01.20 daily and Cais do Sodré 05.15 to 01.40, with ticket machines available the whole time and staffed counters from 06.00 or 06.45 on weekdays, later at weekends. Every terminal has been rebuilt to universal-design standards for step-free access, and they connect directly into the MTS metro, Carris Metropolitana buses, taxi ranks and the cycle network.

Rules worth knowing

Tickets must be validated and kept until you pass the exit gate. Travelling without a valid one carries a fine of €30 to €350, reduced by half if paid on the spot or within fifteen working days. Children under four travel free, under a decree dated 31 December 1948 that is still the governing rule. The company employs 481 people.