REFER, Rede Ferroviária Nacional, E.P.E., was legally incorporated on 29 April 1997 and is responsible for managing the infrastructure of the Portuguese Railway System, reporting directly to the Ministries of Finance and of Public Works, Transportation and Housing – State Secretariat for Transportation. REFER’s mission is to manage the rail network in terms of construction, conservation, maintenance, management of property assets and capacity management in order to provide the market with a competitive, efficient, safe and environmentally sound transport infrastructure.