Linha do Douro

Ermesinde – Barca d'Alva
Pinhão train station , at km 118 of the Linha do Douro
Route length:	163.1 km
Gauge :	1668 mm ( Iberian track )
Legend Stretch of Porto Route from Leixões 0.0 Ermesinde Valença route 1.1 Ermesinde-A 2.0 Cabêda 5.9 Suzão 7.5 Valongo 10.2 São Martinho do Campo 13.4 Terronhas 15.0 Trancoso 16.9 Recarei-Sobreira 19.7 Parada 21.7 Cete 23.3 Irivo 24.7 Oleiros 26.5 Paredes 29.6 Penafiel 32.4 Bustelo 34.6 Meinedo 37.6 Caíde 40.4 Oliveira 42.4 Vila Meã 44.4 Recesinhos 46.9 Livração-Caldas de Canaveses Route to Arco de Baúlhe 51.5 Marco de Canaveses 56.5 Juncal 61.4 Pala 63.9 Mosteirô 66.9 Portuzelo 69.9 Aregos 73.2 Mirão 75.7 Ermida 79.2 Porto de Rei 83.0 Barqueiros 86.2 Speech 89.6 Caldas de Moledo 93.4 Godim 94.9 Régua Rio Corgo Route to Chaves 99.3 Bagaúste 103.8 Covelinhas 108.0 Gouvinhas 110.8 Ferrão 114.9 Chanceleiros 118.4 Pinhão 123.9 Cotas 126.8 Castedo 130.0 Sao Mamede do Tua Route from Bragança 131.3 Tua 136.7 Alegria 142.2 Ferradosa 144.7 Vargelas 150.0 Vesuvio 154.5 Freixo de Numão-Mós do Douro 163.1 Pocinho Route to Duas Igrejas 172.2 Côa 178.9 Castelo Melhor 183.4 Almendra 191.1 Barca d'Alva Portugal / Spain to La Fuente de San Esteban

Railway line on the Douroufer

The Linha do Douro , in German main line of the Douro , is a Portuguese railway line that formerly connected the city of Porto with Barca d'Alva . The total route length was 200 kilometers. Since it was shut down in 1988, operations have already ended around 30 km from the border with Spain at Pocinho station . Most of the line runs along the banks of the Douro River, making it the longest railway line in Portugal that runs alongside a river.

history

View from Mosteirô station over the Douro river

The former train station of Almendra

The construction of the Linha do Douro began in 1873 from Porto to the Pinhão train station , as large quantities of wine had to be transported from here to Vila Nova de Gaia as the basis for port wine . Only later was the route continued to the Spanish border. In 1879 the line to Régua , where the narrow-gauge line Linha do Corgo to Vila Real begins, was completed. It was not until 1883 that the extension of the line to Spain was decided and completed in 1887.

The Linha do Douro is still the most straightforward and fastest route from Porto to Spain and France. In 1985 the Spanish State Railways shut down the Spanish connection between the stations of La Fuente de San Esteban - Boadilla and Barca d'Alva for reasons of profitability. Since the operational connection was now missing and, as a consequence, the passengers, the Portuguese State Railways also ceased operations in 1988 between Pocinho and Barca d'Alva. Since then, rail traffic has only run to Pocinho.

In the meantime, the infrastructure operator of the Portuguese rail network, REFER, has renovated and restored most of the Linha do Douro. Suburban trains of CP Urbanos do Porto run at frequent intervals to Marco de Canaveses . Today there is an electrified line to Caíde de Rei, the rest of the route is still powered by diesel. The line to Marco de Canaveses is to be electrified in 2015, and complete electrification to Régua is planned in the medium term. After years of delays, the electrification of the Caíde – Marco de Canaveses section was completed in July 2019. The costs for this amounted to 10.5 million euros.

For several years now, CP has been offering historical special train journeys between Porto and Régua from May to October. In 2009 a total of more than 2500 passengers took advantage of this offer. For this reason, the Portuguese Ministry of Transport, together with REFER and the municipalities, is pushing for a resumption of traffic from Pocinho to Barca d'Alva, at least for tourist purposes. Realization, however, also depends on the measures taken by the Spanish government to reactivate the railway line between Barca d'Alva or Vega Terrón and La Fuente de San Esteban. The population is demanding a permanent train connection across the Portuguese-Spanish border analogous to the Porto - Vigo traffic .

Web links

Commons : Linha do Douro  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Directório da Rede 2015. (PDF) December 13, 2013, p. 89 , archived from the original on August 21, 2014 ; Retrieved February 24, 2014 (Portuguese). 
2. ↑ Álvaro Vieira: Pocinho-Barca de Alva vai reabrir pelo menos como linha turística  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   , [Pocinho — Barca de Alva will at least reopen as a tourist line], Público , August 27, 2009
3. ↑ Concluída a eletrificação da Linha do Douro e entre Caíde Marco de Canaveses. Retrieved July 26, 2019 . 
4. ↑ António Albuquerque: Programas turísticos da CP crescem 36% em 2009 , [Tourism programs of the CP grow 36 percent in 2009], September 18, 2009
5. ↑ Linha do Douro - Reabilitação entre Pocinho e Barca d'Alva , [Linha do Douro - Restoration between Pocinho and Barca d'Alva], REFER press release , September 11, 2009
6. ↑ Eduardo Pinto: Comboios vão mesmo voltar a Barca de Alva , [Trains will really run to Barca de Alva again], Jornal de Notícias , September 11, 2009
7. ↑ Ana Fragoso: Autarcas defendem que o comboio deve continuar até Salamanca  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   , [Congregation insists on extending the railway to Salamanca], Público , August 26, 2009