It includes 19 stations across three lines and has connections to Fertagus, the commuter rail network serving Lisbon and Setúbal.

The company that won the tender for construction and operation was Sociedade Concessionária MTS – Metro, Transportes do Sul, SA, which is controlled by Barraqueiro Group, a Portuguese transport conglomerate that also operates the Fertagus commuter rail network, and Arriva, a British subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn.

The first section from Corroios to Cova de Piedade opened in April 2007 at a cost of 320 million euros.

[2] In 2023, the government announced a further plan for extension of the metro through Seixal as part of its Arco Ribeirinho Sul initiative.

[3] In 2024, it was announced that the Lisbon Metro would study a 6.6 kilometer extension from the Universidade station to Trafaria and Costa da Caparica with possible completion between 2029 and 2031.