The history of rail transport in Portugal dates from 28 October 1856, when Portugal's first railway line was opened between
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
and
Carregado
Carregado () is a former civil parish, located in the municipality of Alenquer, in western Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish Carregado e Cadafais. It has a population of 9,066 inhabitants and a total area of 15.52 km² ...
: the ''Companhia dos Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses''.
The network was gradually expanded both south of the
Tagus
The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see #Name, below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections ...
and to the north of the country, as well as in the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and
Oporto
Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropo ...
and to
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. In 1887 the
Douro railway line
Linha do Douro is a railway in northern Portugal. For much of its route the line runs close to the Douro River, offering very scenic views of the river and valley. Trains on the line are operated by Comboios de Portugal (CP).
Constructio ...
was completed; also in 1887 the ''
Sud Express
''Sud Express'' (also called ''Surexpreso'' and ''Sud Expresso'' ) is an overnight passenger train connecting Lisbon with Hendaye, a French commune on the Franco-Spanish border. The original service, operated by the Compagnie Internationale ...
'' from Lisbon to France operated for the first time.
In 1892 a law was passed creating the Board of Directors of the ''CF Estado'' (State Railways), but most railways remain in private ownership albeit with greater state regulation and requirement for co-operation. In 1910 the Portuguese monarchy was replaced by a republican constitution; there were also notable strikes by railway workers in 1910, 1911, 1912, 1914, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922 and 1923.
In 1926 the railway between
Cascais
Cascais () is a town and municipality in the Lisbon District of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The municipality has a total of 214,158 inhabitants in an area of 97.40 km2. Cascais is an important tourism in Portugal, tourist de ...
and Lisbon was electrified at 1500 volts DC and the line's new Lisbon station at
Cais do Sodre was completed in 1928. In 1927, the state-owned lines were leased to CP - thus bringing most railways in Portugal under a single management. In 1945, the Portuguese Government decided to end the system of separate company franchises; in 1951 the entire network was run by
CP (with the exception of the Cascais line, which did not become fully part of CP until 1976).
Between 1936 and 1939 the ''Sud Express'' service was suspended because of the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
.
In 1943, the
Sorefame
Sorefame (an abbreviation of ''Sociedades Reunidas de Fabricações Metálicas'') was a Portuguese manufacturer of railway rolling stock and industrial equipment, such as dam gates equipment. The company was established in 1943.
In the 1990s the ...
company was established, becoming the principal supplier of Portuguese rolling stock until its closure in 2004.
In 1944 and 1945 train services throughout Portugal had to be severely reduced due to nationwide shortage of coal, which also prompted CP to investigate and order diesel locomotives and
railcar
A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach (carriage, car), with a dri ...
s. The first mainline diesel locomotives (
Série 1500) were introduced in 1948, as were the Swedish-built
Série 0100 diesel railcars.
In 1957 overhead electrification (at 25 kV 50 Hz) was introduced between Lisbon and
Entroncamento
Entroncamento () is a Portuguese municipality in district of Santarém in the Médio Tejo Subregion (''Middle Tagus'') of the Centro Region. The population in 2011 was 20,206, in an area of 13.73 km². Situated in the Ribatejo, it benefits ...
. The electrification was extended northwards to
Oporto
Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropo ...
in 1966. The final steam locomotives on the
Iberian gauge
Iberian gauge ( es, ancho ibérico, trocha ibérica, pt, bitola ibérica) is a track gauge of , most extensively used by the railways of Spain and Portugal. This is the second-widest gauge in regular use anywhere in the world. The Indian gauge, , ...
lines were withdrawn from service in the 1970s; some steam workings on
metre gauge lines continued into the 1980s.
In 1959 the first line of the
Lisbon Metro
The Lisbon Metro ( pt, Metropolitano de Lisboa) is the rapid transit system in Lisbon, Portugal. Opened in December 1959, it was the first metro system in Portugal.
, the system's four lines total of route and serve 56 stations.
History
In ...
opened. In the same year, the first wide-gauge locomotives
CP Class 3150
CP Class 3100 and CP Class 3200 are two related series of railway multiple units with Iberian gauge, 2'2'+Bo'Bo'+2'2' wheel arrangement. They utilise a 1500 V direct current voltage
Voltage, also known as electric pressure, electric tensio ...
were used.
Following the
Carnation Revolution in 1974, CP was nationalised in 1975.
In 1988, the metre gauge
Sabor
The Croatian Parliament ( hr, Hrvatski sabor) or the Sabor is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Croatia. Under the terms of the Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the people and is vested with legislative power. The Sabo ...
and
Dão lines closed, followed by the northern sections of the remaining Douro metre gauge lines in 1990.
Until 1999 there was no rail crossing over the
River Tagus
The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to e ...
at Lisbon; all trains to/from the
Algarve
The Algarve (, , ; from ) is the southernmost NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities ( ''concelhos'' or ''municípios'' in Portuguese).
The region has it ...
had to terminate at Barreiro on the south bank of the River Tagus and passengers had to cross the river by ferry. The
25th April Bridge was subsequently adapted to include a rail deck and through services commenced from Lisbon to the Algarve, as well as the
Fertagus
Fertagus is a commuter rail operator connecting Lisbon, Portugal's capital, to suburbs on the Setúbal Peninsula, located to the south across the Tagus River. Fertagus crosses the river over the Ponte 25 de Abril.
Fertagus is owned by the Port ...
commuter rail service.
In 1999 the
Alfa Pendular
Alfa Pendular is the name of the flagship Pendolino high-speed tilting train of Portuguese state railway company CP. It connects the cities of Guimarães, Braga, Porto, Aveiro, Coimbra, Santarém, Lisbon, Albufeira and Faro, among others at spe ...
high speed electric
tilting train
A tilting train is a train that has a mechanism enabling increased speed on regular rail tracks. As a train (or other vehicle) rounds a curve at speed, objects inside the train experience centrifugal force. This can cause packages to slide ab ...
service was introduced on the Braga-Oporto-Lisbon-Faro line, with through trains south of Lisbon starting in 2003.
The early years of the 21st century saw the contraction of the network, notably the closure of most of the
narrow gauge railways in Portugal
Portugal formerly had several hundred kilometres of narrow-gauge railways, but by 2010 only two lines were still in operation – the Vouga line and the Metro de Mirandela. The lines were operated by Comboios de Portugal and maintained by REFE ...
(such as the highly scenic
Tua line
The Tua line was a metre gauge railway line in northern Portugal, which connected Tua to Bragança. The line was opened in 1887 and closed in 2018. The section from Mirandela to Brunheda is planned to be reopened in 2019.
History
This hig ...
). After 2009, the only metre gauge lines left in service were the
Metro de Mirandela
The Metropolitano Ligeiro de Mirandela or simply Metro de Mirandela was a metre gauge suburban rail service in Mirandela Municipality, northern Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), ...
and the
Vouga line
Linha do Vouga ''(the Vouga line)'' is the last surviving metre gauge railway line in Portugal still operated by Comboios de Portugal. The other remaining metre gauge lines (the Corgo, Tâmega and Tua lines) all closed in 2009. The line is, h ...
.
See also
*
Comboios de Portugal
CP — Comboios de Portugal, EPE (''CP''; English: ''Trains of Portugal'') is a state-owned company which operates passenger trains in Portugal. Before June 2009, CP stood for Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses (English: ''Portuguese Railways'') ...
*
History of Portugal
The history of Portugal can be traced from circa 400,000 years ago, when the region of present-day Portugal was inhabited by Homo heidelbergensis.
The Roman invasion in the 3rd century BC lasted several centuries, and developed the Roman provinc ...
*
Iberian gauge
Iberian gauge ( es, ancho ibérico, trocha ibérica, pt, bitola ibérica) is a track gauge of , most extensively used by the railways of Spain and Portugal. This is the second-widest gauge in regular use anywhere in the world. The Indian gauge, , ...
*
Narrow gauge railways in Portugal
Portugal formerly had several hundred kilometres of narrow-gauge railways, but by 2010 only two lines were still in operation – the Vouga line and the Metro de Mirandela. The lines were operated by Comboios de Portugal and maintained by REFE ...
*
National Railway Museum (Portugal)
The National Railway Museum of Portugal ( pt, Museu Nacional Ferroviário) has its headquarters and main base in the town of Entroncamento, which is also a major hub of the Portuguese rail network and the location of railway workshops. Smaller mu ...
*
Rail transport in Portugal
Several companies provide rail transport in Portugal.
* Comboios de Portugal
* Fertagus
* Lisbon Metro
* Porto Metro
* Metro Transportes do Sul ( light rail)
Portugal is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country ...
*
Sorefame
Sorefame (an abbreviation of ''Sociedades Reunidas de Fabricações Metálicas'') was a Portuguese manufacturer of railway rolling stock and industrial equipment, such as dam gates equipment. The company was established in 1943.
In the 1990s the ...
- rolling stock manufacturer
References
*
*
*
*
*
External links
* illustrated description of the railways of Spain and Portugal
CP official website: timeline of Portuguese railway history
{{History of rail transport in Europe
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
Rail
Rail or rails may refer to:
Rail transport
*Rail transport and related matters
*Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway
Arts and media Film
* ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini
* ''Rail'' ( ...
Rail transport in Portugal