Overview | |
---|---|
Main station(s) | Lisbon-Oriente, Porto-Campanhã |
Other station(s) | Valença AV, Ponte de Lima, Braga AV, Airport FSC, Gaia AV, Aveiro, Coimbra-B, Leira, Airport LC, Évora Norte, Elvas/Caia AV |
Fleet size | 16 [1] |
Stations called at | 13 |
Parent company | RAVE |
Dates of operation | ~2029– |
Technical | |
Track gauge | Bibitola Sleepers Iberian 1668 mm) Standard (1435 mm) |
Electrification | 25 kV 50 Hz |
Length | 593 km (368 mi) |
Operating speed | 220 km/h (135 mph) |
Other | |
Website | RAVE |
The Alfa Pendular network, with top speeds of 220 km/h (135 mph) connects much of Portugal. In February 2009, the government of Portugal announced plans to build a high-speed rail line from Lisbon to Madrid; this plan was cancelled in March 2012 amidst a bailout programme of financial assistance to the Portuguese Republic. [2] The project was valued at €7.8 billion and the government had claimed it would create 100,000 jobs. [3] The line would link to Spain's Southwest Corridor.
In October 2020, the Portuguese government proposed a 75 minute rail link between the cities of Lisbon and Porto and a 55 minute rail link between Porto and Vigo (Spain). [4] [5] [6] These new links will connect with the current railway system in Leiria, Coimbra, Aveiro and Braga (besides the already mentioned cities), diminishing travel times overall in the country. [7]
Since the late 1990s Comboios de Portugal (CP) has run the Alfa Pendular service, connecting Portugal's mainland from the north border to the Algarve at a speed of up to 220 kilometres per hour (140 mph) (in specific sections), which reduced the travel time between Porto and Lisbon by approximately 30 minutes.
The service is operated using 10 Italian-designed Pendolino tilting trains. Based on the Italian ETR 480, trains were assembled in Portugal at the former SOREFAME/Adtranz plant in Amadora. Fiat Ferroviaria was the main contractor, with Siemens AG and ADtranz as subcontractors.
In addition to these high-speed trains, CP InterCity "corail" coaches have been upgraded to 200 kilometres per hour (120 mph) running. These are hauled by CP 5600 locomotives (identical to the Spanish RENFE Class 252). [8] These "corail" coaches are based on French SNCF Corail cars but their carbody is made out of stainless steel, manufactured at the SOREFAME plant.
The Northern Line was modernised to allow trains to run at 220 km/h between Lisbon-Alverca, Vila Franca de Xira–Santarém, Pombal–Alfarelos and Mealhada–Espinho, and to allow full use of the tilting to achieve speeds between 140–180 km/h in the remaining intermediate sections. Work is underway to continue to bring these intermediate stretches up to standards.
The Southern Line was modernised to allow trains to run at 220 km/h between Lisbon-Pinhal Novo and Grândola–Funcheira; work is underway in a new variant between Pinhal Novo-Grandola to allow seamless 220 km/h running all the way from Lisboa to Funcheira (150 km). Alfa Pendular trains with their top speed of 220 km/h are in fact the only reason the top speed is 220 km/h. The tilting trains run in most slower sections at 20/40 km/h above conventional trains speeds. On high speed sections conventional trains run at 200 km/h and Tilting trains at their 220 km/h top speed. The true speed limit on these long sections is well above 220 km/h.
In February 2011, trains began using the Alcácer Bypass, cutting 6.7 km of the Southern Line through means of a 29 km line that includes a bridge across the Sado River. Trains will be able to travel at 200 km/h along the section, or 220 km/h with tilting technology. The new bypass will cut 10 min from the journey times of trains traveling south from Lisbon towards the Algarve. [9]
Trains run hourly between Lisbon and Porto, most being Alfa Pendular (3 stops at Coimbra, Aveiro and Vila Nova de Gaia); other Alfa Pendular and some InterCity (which loco hauled 200 km/h trains with 5/14 cars) call at 6 to 9 intermediate stops. Additionally some Alfa Pendular and Intercity trains run north to Guimarães and Braga and others go down the south line to service Faro, which is served by two Porto - Lisboa - Faro Alfa Pendulars and three Lisbon - Faro InterCity (limited to 160 km/h due to the refurbished Sorefame coaches used on the route).
In 2005 the Portuguese government had approved the construction of three high-speed lines:
On December 12, 2009, the Portuguese Ministry of Public Work, Transport and Communications announced the ELOS consortium was awarded a 40-year contract to build, finance and maintain the first 165 km section of the high speed line from Poceirão to the Spanish border, Caia. [11] The route's length is 165 km. The PPP contract was formally signed on 8 May 2010 and included construction of a broad-gauge freight track between Evora and Caia. [12] Completion was expected by the end of 2013.
However, with the Great Recession, and the resulting European sovereign-debt crisis, major public works projects in Portugal were frozen to reduce the amount of public debt. In this context the later elected (2011) Portuguese government withdrew the high-speed railway plans in favour of a plan to develop standard-gauge freight routes to the rest of Europe. [13] After a high profile court battle with the ELOS consortium the high speed rail project was terminated by the Portuguese government. [14]
In October 2022 the Portuguese government announced that construction on a new high speed line from Lisbon to Porto would start in 2024. The new line will be built to double track and Iberian gauge. It would allow speeds of up to 300 km/h. This would reduce the current travel time between Lisbon and Porto from the current 2 hours and 49 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes. The cost of the project is expected to be € 4.9 billion by 2030, of which € 1 billion is contributed by the European Union. [15]
The line will be constructed in three phases. The first phase between Porto and Soure is to be completed by 2028 and will reduce travel time by 50 minutes. The second phase between Soure and Carregado is to be completed by 2030, further reducing travel time by 40 minutes. The last phase between Carregado and Lisbon will be completed at a later date after 2030 and bring a smaller travel time reduction of 4 minutes. [16]
The capacity of the Lisbon Oriente and Porto Campanhã stations will be increased for this line. Trains on the line will also serve upgraded intermediate stations in Leiria, Coimbra and Aveiro, as well as a new station in Vila Nova de Gaia. [17]
There are plans to extend the Lisbon–Porto high-speed rail line to Vigo in Spain, where it will connect with the Spanish AVE high speed rail network. There is no target date at this time, however. [18]
The Madrid–Extremadura high-speed rail line in Spain will be extended to Lisbon by 2034. This would reduce the travel time between both capitals from six hours in 2027 to three hours in 2034. This requires the construction of a new railway from Évora to Elvas, which is expected to enter service in 2025. This new railway would make it possible to travel from Lisbon to Elvas in two hours by 2025. In 2034 this will be reduced to one hour when the entire track is fully operational. [19]
Transport in Spain is characterised by a network of roads, railways, trams, air routes, and ports. Its geographic location makes it an important link between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Major forms of transit generally radiate from the capital, Madrid, located in the centre of the country, to link with the capitals of the autonomous communities.
Rail transport in Spain operates on four rail gauges and services are operated by a variety of private and public operators. Total railway length in 2020 was 15,489 km. The Spanish high-speed rail network is the longest HSR network in Europe with 3,966 km and the second longest in the world, after China's.
Pendolino is an Italian family of high-speed tilting trains used in Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the UK, the US, Switzerland, China, and Greece. It was also used in Russia from December 12, 2010 until March 26, 2022. Based on the design of the Italian ETR 401, it was further developed and manufactured by Fiat Ferroviaria, which was taken over by Alstom in 2000.
InterCity is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains generally call at major stations only.
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 speeds of up to 220 km/h.
CP — Comboios de Portugal, EPE is a state-owned company which operates passenger trains in Portugal. Prior to June 2009, CP stood for Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses although the company has been using its current designation as a brand name since 2004.
This is a list of planned, or proposed, high-speed rail projects by country. Although a number of countries have conducted preliminary feasibility studies, many lines are eventually shelved or postponed due to high costs; only a few nations are building high-speed rail lines. Planned lines are separated here from lines under construction, and some countries have both. High-speed rail is public transport by rail at speeds over 200 km/h (125 mph).
High-speed rail in Italy consists of two lines connecting most of the country's major cities. The first line connects Turin to Salerno via Milan, Bologna, Florence, Rome and Naples, the second runs from Turin to Venice via Milan and Verona, and is under construction in parts. Trains are operated with a top speed of 300 km/h (190 mph).
High-speed rail (HSR) has developed in Europe as an increasingly popular and efficient means of transport. The first high-speed rail lines on the continent, built in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, improved travel times on intra-national corridors.
Linha do Norte is the Portuguese main railway line that connects the two main Portuguese cities, Lisbon and Porto. Its length is 336.079 kilometres (208.830 mi). It goes through some other important cities like Vila Franca de Xira, Santarém, Entroncamento, Pombal, Coimbra, Aveiro, Espinho & Vila Nova de Gaia, amongst others. It constitutes the backbone of the Portuguese railway system of freight and passenger services, running approximately 720 trains daily.
The Rio–São Paulo High-Speed Rail is a planned high-speed rail project to connect São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. While originally planned to be operational by 2014 in time for the 20th FIFA World Cup, to be held in Brazil at a cost of $9 billion, as of May 2015 formal bidding for the project had yet to start, with the Brazilian government delaying the auction by "at least" one year in August 2013, pushing back hopes of completion to at least the 2020s.
The TAV is Brazil's first planned high-speed rail service. The first line is proposed to run between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. It will travel 403 kilometres (250 mi) between Barão de Mauá station and Campo de Marte Airport. The journey will take 85 minutes, reaching a maximum speed of 350 kilometres per hour (220 mph).
The history of rail transport in Portugal dates from 28 October 1856, when Portugal's first railway line was opened between Lisbon and Carregado: the Companhia dos Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses.
The Campanhã Railway Station is a 19th-century railway station in the civil parish of Campanhã, in the municipality of Porto, district of Porto. Opened in 1877, it is connected to the Metro do Porto, and provides access to local commuter trains to Aveiro, Braga, Guimarães and Marco de Canaveses, Intercity and Alfa Pendular trains to Lisbon, inter-regional trains to Valença, and the historical train to Pocinho.
The Atlantic Axis high-speed rail line, also called Atlantic Corridor high-speed rail line, is a high-speed railway line that links A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela, Pontevedra and Vigo in Spain. The Atlantic Axis was inaugurated in April 2015.
Faro station is the main railway station in the city of Faro, Portugal, operated by Comboios de Portugal. It opened on 1 July 1889.
The Madrid—Extremadura high-speed rail line is a rail line under construction in Spain, intended to link Madrid and Badajoz.
Santa Apolónia station is the southern terminus on the Blue Line of the Lisbon Metro.
The Lisbon–Porto high-speed rail line is a proposed high-speed rail line in Portugal, linking its capital Lisbon to its second-largest city Porto in Iberian gauge.
The Porto–Vigo high-speed rail line is a proposed high-speed rail line in Portugal, linking its second largest city Porto with the Spanish city of Vigo, Galicia.