The European Union will put 107 million euros (about US$117.4 million) into the expansion of the metropolitan railway network in the northern Portuguese city of Oporto, Lusa reports, quoting European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira.

The Portuguese news agency says the European Commission thinks the expansion will make public transport in Oporto more appealing to the public, reduce road traffic and pollution, and make commuting safer, quicker and more convenient.

The report says 63.6 million euros of the EU Cohesion Fund money will be spent on building a new railway line, while the rest will be spent on one of the present lines.

The expansion work is due to be finished by 2023, Lusa says.

In January the Chinese government-run news agency, Xinhua, reported that the operator of the railway, Metro do Porto, had contracted CRRC Tangshan Co. Ltd of China to supply rolling stock for the railway.