Railways of portugal. Railways in portugal

Railways in Portugal, at that time one of the most backward countries in Europe, appeared rather late - in 1856. The first line connected Lisbon and its northeastern suburb of Carregada. By the late 1870s, the railway connected the two main cities - Lisbon and Porto, connecting most of the country's regions. By the end of the 1880s, railways covered most of the country and through Spain linked it to the rest of Europe - starting in 1887, the Southern Express began to run regularly from Paris to Lisbon via Porto. In general, railroad construction in Portugal was delayed by a couple of decades in comparison with the leading European countries and proceeded approximately simultaneously with Russia; almost all existing rail lines in the small country were built by the late 1900s.
Even railway electrification in Portugal appeared in 1926, the same year as the USSR. Then a 40-kilometer suburban line was electrified, leading from Lisbon's Cais do Sodre station to the west, to the seaside resort of Cascais.
However, later in the national railway transport there was some stagnation. The electrification of the main intercity lines in the country began only after the Second World War, and only in 1966 was the country's main line between Lisbon and Porto fully electrified; up to the 1960s. steam traction prevailed on the railway.
In the following decades, the development of the national railway network was reduced to the gradual modernization of infrastructure and the gradual closure of narrow-gauge lines.
With the general decline of railway transport in Western Europe by the beginning of the 1990s. almost all long-distance international trains from Portugal were gradually canceled; the only international route was the Lisbon-Madrid train. At the same time, three railway crossings of the Portuguese-Spanish border continue to operate.
Towards the end of the 1990s. the implementation of large-scale infrastructure projects began, among which there were railroad ones, such as the construction of a railroad across the 25 April bridge to connect Lisbon with its southern suburbs. The reason for such a massive investment in infrastructure was the World Expo 1998, which was held in Lisbon.
Since 1999, there have been high-speed trains Alfa Pendular running along the main transport corridor parallel to the coast (Faro - Lisbon - Entroncamento - Coimbra - Porto - Braga).
Now in Portugal there are almost 2,800 km of railways, of which 1,351 km (almost half) are electrified.
As you can see, the structure and density of the network approximately corresponds to the structure of settlement - most of the lines are within the largest agglomerations (Porto and Lisbon), and in general along the east coast:

The density of the railway network is about 30 km per 1000 sq. km., which is slightly below the European average and roughly corresponds to the indicator of the Moscow region (the highest in Russia).

My acquaintance with Portuguese railways began from the Porto Campania train station:

It is less central and representative than the São Bento station, but it is now the main one for the entire Porto metropolitan area - intercity trains, including high-speed ones, pass here.
But at this early hour he was deserted:

We traveled around the country exclusively by suburban trains (Urbano and Regional classes, there are also Interregional, Intercidades and the aforementioned Alfa Pendular), because with our Euro-rail pass, this did not require buying tickets.
An Urbano train on the Porto Campagna-Aveiro route, following a section of the country's main double-track electrified line, Porto-Lisbon (Lihna do Norte, or Northern Line):

Portugal generally amazes with a developed and multi-stage system of local railway communication - Urbano trains serve densely populated suburban areas, Regional trains - less populated periphery, while they are not more expensive and stop at every stop (analogous to our half-extinct distant electric trains). The frequency of commuter trains is higher than in France and not much less than in Germany, while at the same time they are closer to Russian prices (although they are still more expensive, of course).
A big surprise for us was that the Portuguese trains were never late for a day and a half of our use, unlike trains in almost all other Western European countries I visited (Italy, France, Great Britain).
Like many things in Portugal, the railways are elegantly and tastefully decorated:

This is a common stopover in the Porto suburban area.
And this is already a relatively large station of Aveiro in the resort town of the same name:

Also typical for Portugal - retro elegance is combined with modern European convenience:

In Aveiro, we took the Regional train, going to Coimbra station on the same main line Porto - Lisbon.
This is closer to the electric train in our understanding, the cars are no longer as modern:

The filling of trains on the main line is average or high (the photo was taken on a weekend); passengers sometimes stand closer to large cities.
Arrived at the beautiful central station of ancient Coimbra:

From Coimbra, on another regional train, we made a short journey to Alfarelos, an inconspicuous but junction station:

This station is a junction for the Northern and Western lines (linha do Oeste), the Alfareluz station itself is located on the Northern line, but a link departs from it to the Western line several kilometers long.

The station building is the ugliest I've seen in Portugal:

At many stations in Portugal, elements of the locomotive infrastructure remained:

And at many stations, as elsewhere in Western Europe, traces of a reduction in rail freight traffic are visible:

In Alfarelos we deviated from the main route of the Northern Line (linha do Norte), and headed towards Lisbon on a shorter but slower and more scenic route.
The fact is that the coastal lihna do Oeste - single-track, non-electrified - is shorter than the section of the Northern Line passing to the east. Only regional trains run along it, or rather diesel trains, or rather Motris:

There are already fewer people:

Motrisa drives at high speed, sways a lot, smells like an old ikarus diesel engine.

The line is winding, the terrain is hilly and sparsely populated by European standards.
Provincial stations:

A couple of hours later we arrived in the middle-sized city of Caldas da Rainha, located closer to Lisbon than to Porto.

This is the most typical Portuguese station.

Typical yet elegant concrete water tower:

But only for one stretch.

Having passed it, we arrived at a stop at the foot of the picturesque Obidush Fortress.

In the evening we plunged onto another railroad car

And an hour and a half later we reached the Mira-Sintra station near the city of Sintra, already in the Lisbon agglomeration.

Here, the western line connects to the Lisbon-Sintra double-track electrified line (linha de Sintra) with heavy urban commuter trains of the Urbano class. The Lisbon suburban area, like Lisbon itself, differs from the rest of the country in its greater neglect and criminality - trash and aggressive companies of Negro youth come across on the trains, azulejo tiles are almost never found at ordinary stations.
In Lisbon, the Sintra line joins the railway half-ring, which runs north of the center, there are several major stations with metro connections (Entrecampos, Areiro). But they are not the final destination for most trains, the trains go to the magnificent Oriente train station:

This station was built for the 1998 Expo in Lisbon and is located near the airport on the north-eastern outskirts of the city.

It is located on the main national lihna do Norte, not far from the city's railroad semicircle.

Oriente Station is the junction for Lisbon and the largest in the country: here the routes of most trains of the Lisbon agglomeration (Urbano and Regional) intersect and the main long-distance routes, tied mainly to the Northern Line.

The next day we were in Lisbon and in the suburbs, and could not pass some of the railway facilities of the Portuguese capital.
Santa Apollonia Station is historically the main Lisbon railway station, one of the terminus of the Northern Line:

Despite the fact that the station building is new, it is the oldest station in the country: the Cais do Sodre - Cascais line was the first to be built in Portugal.
The line connects with each other not only Lisbon with the seaside resorts to the west, but also the western district of Belém, where the most valuable historical sights of the Portuguese capital are concentrated.
It was also a day off, the queues were huge, we were once again saved by our rail passes:

We drove along the oldest Portuguese railway for about ten kilometers to the suburb of Oeiroz.
Around this point, the huge estuary of the Douro River merges into the Atlantic Ocean.

Something like that, thanks for your attention.

Instructions for buying train tickets in Portugal.

At first, I was going to add a little information on how to buy tickets through the official website of the Portuguese railway company, but, starting to understand, I realized that buying a train ticket is far from trivial. I bring to your attention the result of my research.

Attention: Online, on the CP website, you can buy tickets only for Alfa Pendular and Intercidades trains!

1. If you are not familiar with Portuguese - click on the flag picture to select the English version of the site.

If you are going to buy train tickets, and not just look at the schedule, then I suggest you register on the site at this stage. You will need registration in any case, and by registering now, you will not have to fill out the search form a second time, since the site will not remember what it found.

Registration for the purchase of train tickets

To register, click on myCP and select Register:

Information from the office. site: A mobile phone is needed to facilitate the future purchase of tickets, you will not need to enter it again. After purchasing a ticket, you will receive a special purchase confirmation number and you can use it as an electronic ticket (show the SMS to the controller on the train). Thus, you do not need to print the ticket (PDF), which you will receive by email. But, as it turned out later, this is not entirely true, or only I was so "lucky".

1. In the first part, we fill in personal data: full name, date of birth, gender, number of children, city, mobile phone, postal code.

2. Add travel companions or children if traveling in a group (see section on discounts).

3. Enter your email and create a password. After filling, click "next".

You can skip the next screen, collecting data for market research. Click "next" and proceed to the completion of registration, where you will be prompted to subscribe to different mailings. The choice is yours whether you want to receive emails or not.

After making your choice, click "Submit" to complete the registration.

It would be interesting to look at the person who invented this "torture machine". I caught myself thinking that CP did everything possible to complicate registration on its own website.

Schedule, prices and seat selection

Search and purchase

It is not necessary to buy tickets on the website, you can simply use the “Train times” tab.

To buy tickets, click on the "Buy Tickets" button.

1. Select from the list or write the city and station of departure. If you arrived in Lisbon by plane, the Oriente train station is the closest (5-7 minutes by metro). If you are coming from the center, then Santa Apolónia
2. Select the destination station.
3. Travel date.
4. Return date if you want to buy a return ticket.
5. The number of passengers. Choose at this stage, or you have to start over.
6. Service class (first - Comfort or second - Tourist).

After selecting, click "Submit" and go to the choice of train and travel time:

Train selection

Choose the train and schedule that suits you best.

1. regular ticket price
2. price ticket with available discount now

The earlier you buy your tickets, the more discount you will get. It is not fixed and depends on the date of purchase and the number of seats. Those who bought tickets online on the Russian Railways website should be familiar with such a system.

If you are riding with a bicycle or wheelchair, check the appropriate boxes (below) and click "Continue".

Passenger

If you have not registered and have not logged into the system, then you will have an authorization form.

How to register is described above. I did not do this in advance, so after registering, I had to repeat the search and selection of the ticket. I do not understand why the system does not save either search results or previously selected stations and dates. Every time you have to start over.

Well, the lucky ones who have used my advice will log in and proceed to the next step:

1. Write your name as in your passport;
2. Select the type of document and enter its number;
3. Choose the type of ticket: full ticket, children, youth, etc .;
4. Choose full payment or a discounted price (if purchased at least 5 days before the trip);
5. Any ticket entitles you to receive a voucher for a sightseeing tour. Here you can choose an excursion from the city where you want;
6. Simultaneously with the purchase of the ticket, you can rent a car from the partners of the railways;
7. Click and recalculate the ticket price, after the changes have been made;

Click "Continue".

Now you have 10 minutes to complete the purchase, if you do not have time, you will have to choose tickets again. Attention: It is possible to temporarily block funds in the amount of the cost of tickets on the card! The blocking period depends on your bank and card.

Select seats, some have a laptop socket and / or tables. I prefer with a table, very comfortable. You can put a laptop on it or put a book, and if you eat four, you can communicate normally while traveling.

Upon confirmation, you will be asked once again, in a pop-up window, if you are sure of your choice, since it will be impossible to return to this step. The selected location is highlighted in gray. I got some glitches in the Firefox browser and was unable to change the seat and carriage. Hope you have better luck.

If you buy round-trip tickets, you will be prompted to immediately select the places to return.

Payment

In the next window, select the option for payment (1): card, PayPal or Amex.

If you need a check for a company (2), then write down the company name and tax number. I don't know how relevant this is for the Russian Federation. And the last (3) - agree to the terms.

After clicking on the "Continue" button, you will need to enter your payment details and so on.

I cannot show this to you, since I do not need a ticket yet :-), but I will definitely correct this omission.

site wishes you a safe journey!

Details 1411 Published: 22 October 2013 Last Updated: 29 October 2018

Let's now talk about rail transport throughout Portugal. You can read about the railway service in Lisbon and its suburbs at.

Rail transport in Portugal

So, in Portugal there is a fairly extensive railway network. The main railway carrier is the CP company (they say - CePe) - Comboios de Portugal, which literally means Portuguese Trains. In Russia, I always prefer to travel by rail, because over long distances, the train will always be out of competition with the bus. But here the situation is different: by our standards, it is a small country, and here trains and buses are about equal. In some directions the bus is faster and more convenient than the train. In general, you need to look specifically where and where you are going from and then decide what is more convenient.

To make it clear, let's look at some of the most popular routes: Lisbon-Porto, Lisbon-Faro and Porto-Faro. Consider the order of prices and travel times.

How to get from Lisbon in Porto?

- Oriente station in Porto - Campanha station (Campania)

Travel options

Option 1:

intercity train Intercidades (Intersidades)
Travel time: 3 hours
Ticket price: tourist class - 24.30 euros, 1st class - 35.90 euros

Option 2:

intercity train Alfa Pendular (Alfa-pendular) is a modern high-speed magnetic levitation train
Travel time: 2:34 - 2:43 am depending on departure time
Ticket price: tourist class - 30.30 euros, 1st class - 42.40 euros

As we can see, the difference in travel time is not so big, and the difference in price is insignificant. Therefore, it seems to me that there is not much difference in which train to travel.

How to get from Lisbonin Faro?

Lisbon - Train Station Oriente - Faro

Travel options

Option 1:

Intercity train Intercidades (Intersidades)
This train from Faro can also be taken from the Entrecampos station, which is located almost in the city center.

Travel time: 3:23
Ticket price: tourist class - 21.20 euros, 1st class - 27.80 euros

Option 2:

Intercity train Alfa Pendular (Alpha-pendular)

You can also take this train from Lisbon to Faro from the Entrecampos and Sete Rios stations, which are located almost in the city center.

Important! Next to the railway station Sete Rios (Sete Rios) there is the main bus station of the same name. This information will be useful to those who may be doing a transplant.

Travel time: 3 hours
Ticket price: tourist class - 22.20 euros, 1st class - 29.80 euros

How to get from Porto in Faro?

Porto - Campanha Train Station (Campania) - Faro

Travel options

Option 1:

intercity train Intercidades (Intersidades) with a change in Lisbon (Orient)
Travel time: 6:48 a.m. - 6:58 a.m. depending on departure time
Ticket price: tourist class - 41.70 euros, 1st class - 57.70 euros

Option 2:

intercity train Alfa Pendular (Alpha-pendular)
Travel time: 5:37 - 5:42 am depending on departure time
Ticket price: tourist class - 51.50 euros, 1st class - 70.70 euros

Now there are 5 trains a day on this route, in the summer there may be more.

If you need to create your own route, use the CP website. There you will find timetables, prices and other necessary details. This is a link to a page with timetables and ticket prices (in English). You need to set the usual data: where, from where, date, etc., then click OK and a list of options will appear. Click on the “detail” link next to the selected departure time, there you will find the details of the route, its schedule and prices.

Attention! Depending on the route you choose, you may need to change trains, so be careful. This is always indicated in the "detail" clause.

Discounts and combo tickets

CP offers various discounts when purchasing tickets:

25% discount,which currently exists for those who purchase a ticket in advance and online, as well ..

here you will find different advantageous combo tickets for different occasions: family tickets, ticket + parking, ticket + museum, etc. There are so many options that it makes no sense to translate all this. Let everyone choose what suits him.

Interesting! For train lovers and everything connected with them: CP has opened several museums in the cities of Entroncamento, Bragança, Chaves, Estremoz, Lagos, Valença, Santarém, etc.

Diesel narrow gauge train, Tras-os-Montes

By the way, when traveling along the Douro valley in the Traz-os-Montes province, we only used rail. It was a very interesting journey, we even took a diesel train on a single track from Régua to Vila Real. The train was not even quite a train, just one single carriage with a driver. The landscape was unusual and very beautiful. This line follows one side of the meandering valley of the Corgo River, which flows into the Douro. Now this line is closed, as I understood from the last diagram, the railway was replaced by a bus. But I think that it is opened during the summer tourist season. I highly recommend traveling in those parts - an unforgettable experience.

During the same trip, we stopped at the Tua station. Judging by the diagram, it was supposed to be a railway junction and we expected to see the town there, take a walk there and return.

Overview of Portuguese railways, how and where to buy tickets, prices and discounts.

History

1844 - The beginning of the creation of the railway network in Portugal.

In December 2008, Portugal's railways became fully compliant with international standards for service quality, and Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses received ISO 9001 NP certification. CP is the first national railway company in Europe to receive this quality certificate.

From June 2009 (Decree n.º 137-A / 2009, dated 12 June), CP becomes a public company, 100% of the shares of which are owned by the state, and the name of the company, with "Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses" (Portuguese Railways) changes to "Comboios de Portugal" (Portugal trains). Interestingly, when changing the name, logo and abbreviation CP - remained the same.

In addition to speed and comfort, the Portuguese railways offer travelers wonderful views from the window: mountain gorges, lakes, ocean coast, mountain tunnels and much more. The railway tracks are laid through the picturesque corners of the country, many of which you cannot see when traveling by bus or rented car. No wonder the company's slogan: "The best place is the window seat".

Tickets - where to buy and prices

Where to buy train tickets:

• Ticket office at the station;
• Ticket machines;
     Accepted for payment: coins, banknotes and credit cards.
• On the official CP website;

Note: Online, on the CP website, you can buy tickets only on Alfa Pendular and Intercidades trains!

Train ticket prices:

Information from the official website:
“Cashiers can provide you with all the necessary information about tickets and train timetables. In the event that the box office is closed, look for a ticket machine. You cannot take a train without a ticket, because tickets are not sold on board. "

The table below gives an idea of \u200b\u200bthe ticket prices. It shows the cost of train tickets from Lisbon, departure from Oriente and Santa Apolonia stations

	Alfa pendular		Intercidades		Regional
A source:	Comboios de Portugal 2013
Albufeira	21,20	2h36	20,20	2h57	-	-
Braga	32,80	3h16	24,30	4h17	-	-
Porto	30,30	2h35	24,30	3h00	-	-
Tomar	-	-	-	-	9,55	1h53
Faro	22,20	3h00	21,20	3h20	-	-
Evora	-	-	12,20	1h35	-	-

These are not final prices, there is a flexible system of train discounts in Portugal. See below.

Rail discounts

Children - 50%

Valid on trains:

Conditions: the discount is valid for children from 4 to 12 years old (inclusive).

Seniors - 50%

Valid on trains: Alfa Pendular, Intercidades, Regional, Interregional, Urbanos de Coimbra, Urbanos de Lisboa and Urbanos do Porto.

Conditions: the discount is valid for children from 4 to 12 years old (inclusive). Children up to 4 years old (inclusive) - can travel for free without taking a separate seat.

Purchase tickets in advance - up to 65%

Valid on trains: Alfa Pendular and Intercidades.

Conditions: when buying a ticket 7 days or earlier before the travel date. Valid on all long-distance trains. Discount tickets can be purchased online, at the box office or by calling the call-center 808 208 208.

Pets

Valid on trains: Alfa Pendular, Intercidades, Regionais, Interregionais, Urbanos de Coimbra, Urbanos de Lisboa and Urbanos do Porto.

Conditions: Transportation of an animal is free, provided that transportation is carried out in a convenient and compact container that you can carry in your hands. Transportation of a dog without a container is only possible with the purchase of the corresponding ticket. The dog must be muzzled and on a leash at all times; be prepared to present a veterinary passport. In order to guarantee the comfort of all customers, dogs are prohibited from occupying the seats.

Guide dogs are carried free of charge.

Each passenger can only carry one pet.

Round-trip ticket - 10%

Valid on trains: Alfa Pendular, Intercidades, Regional, Interregional and Urbanos de Coimbra.

Conditions: the discount is valid for distances from 91 km.

Youth card - 20%

Valid on trains: Intercidades, Regional e Interregional.

Conditions: the discount is valid any day for distances from 100 km.

Family - 50%

Valid on trains: Alfa Pendular e Intercidades.

Conditions: Families from 3 to 9 people, one of whom must be an adult. Everyone must travel together: on the same day, on the same train, tickets must be of the same class of service and destination.

Trips on Saturdays, returning on Sundays until noon. Discounts are valid for tickets of any class of service.

Bicycles - free

Valid on trains: Regional, Interregional, Urbanos de Coimbra, Urbanos de Lisboa e Urbanos do Porto.

Conditions: Transportation of bicycles is free.

Portugal Trains

Trains in Portugal are very clean, with increased comfort and convenience for passengers. Even people with disabilities and people with disabilities will not experience any inconvenience if they use this type of transport.

Alfa pendular

Designed for comfortable and safe travel, with ideal conditions for work and leisure while traveling. The maximum speed is 220 km / h.

Climate control, cafeteria, minibar, audio and video channels (in 1st grade), room for mother and child, space for oversized luggage, toilets and places adapted for disabled people. All Alfa Pendular trains have free wi-fi.

Service classes:

Ticket:

Intercidades (Intercity)

The onboard service is focused on leisure and travel, family, business and tourism. The main advantage of intercity trains connecting all major cities in Portugal is the quality of service.

Climate control, cafeteria, mini-bar, space for oversized luggage, toilets and seats adapted for the disabled.

Service classes: 1ª / increased comfort and 2ª / tourist

Ticket: valid for a specific train. There is an indication of the carriage number and seat.

Regional

Regional trains connect nearby cities in the same region.

Service classes: 2ª / tourist

Ticket:

Urbanos de… (suburban)

Modern commuter trains, which are full of light, have climate control and electronic information boards.

Service classes: 2ª / tourist

Ticket: valid for a day for one trip. You can take any place.

Since almost all trains in Portugal are equipped with an air conditioning system, the carriage doors close automatically after a short period of time after opening. This is done to save energy and improve the environmental friendliness and comfort of train cars. In order to open them, you need to press a button, both outside the train and from the inside.