REFER was created in 1997 by means of Decree Law No 104/97 of 29 April 1997 as the public company responsible for providing the public service of managing the infrastructure of the national rail network.
 
On 22 July 2008 Decree-Law No 141/2008 changed the name of REFER to Rede Ferroviária Nacional - REFER, EPE and amended its articles of association, which were republished in the national gazette.

On 1 June 2015, after Decree-Law No 91/2015 of 29 May 2015, Rede Ferroviária Nacional – REFER, E.P.E. (REFER, E.P.E.) incorporated EP - Estradas de Portugal, SA (EP, SA) by means of a merger and was transformed into a public limited company, now called Infraestruturas de Portugal, SA (IP, SA).