Linha da Beira Alta
Pampilhosa – Vilar Formoso | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Route length: | 202.5 km | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gauge : | 1668 mm ( Iberian track ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Linha da Beira Alta , in German main line of the Beira Alta , is a Portuguese railway line. It runs from the Pampilhosa station on the Linha do Norte largely parallel to the Rio Mondego to the border crossing to Spain at Vilar Formoso .
The 202 km long line is considered one of the most beautiful railway lines in Portugal. Since it was led along the edge of the Serra da Estrela , it runs through a total of 13 tunnels.
history
The construction of the railway line began in 1878 and opened on August 3, 1882.
Since the 1970s, the Linha da Beira Alta has only run as far as Pampilhosa, the remaining part of the route to Figueira da Foz has been downgraded to the Ramal da Figueira da Foz branch line , as the main traffic anyway headed south to Coimbra, Entroncamento and Lisbon instead of to Coast. As part of a route renewal in the 1990s, the railway line was electrified.
1985 train accident
On September 11, 1985 there was a head-on collision of the Sud-Express with a regional train at Alcafache . At least 113 people died.
modernization
Between 1992 and 1998 the Linha da Beira Alta was fundamentally modernized with EU funding. According to the concept developed by the Swiss SMA and partners , the single-track line was electrified and expanded in sections to a top speed of 160 km / h. In addition, two new remote-controlled crossing stations were built.
traffic
Today the Linha da Beira Alta is the only electrified main line to the neighboring country Spain, on the route, among other things, the Sud-Express and numerous regional trains of the state railway company Comboios de Portugal run .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Project presentation “Modernization of the Beira Alta Line in Portugal” ( Memento of the original from February 26, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.