Railway circulation on the Douro Line between Marco de Canaveses and Peso da Régua will resume on Thursday, April 3, after being suspended for five months to carry out modernization and electrification works on this section, Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) and CP – Comboios de Portugal announced this Friday, March 27.
The resumption of railway circulation and passenger service on this section, on Thursday, takes place, according to the companies, as foreseen in the work program announced in November.
During the period of interruption, alternative road transport was ensured, with stops in locations served by the train line, on a road route that was defined in conjunction with the region’s local authorities.
As part of the Douro Line electrification project currently underway, railway traffic on this section was interrupted in November, for a period of five months.
The statement states that this interruption “was essential for carrying out structural reinforcement and lowering work on the railway platform in the six existing tunnels along the section”.
Once this phase of work is complete, he adds, it is now “possible to resume rail service, guaranteeing the circulation of passenger trains in a period of high demand, both for regular users and for the thousands of tourists who visit this region”.
The work was scheduled for the winter period, between November and early April, as it corresponds to the time of lowest demand for the railway service, both by regular passengers and tourists, thus minimizing the impacts of the suspension of circulation.
CP – Comboios de Portugal provides detailed information on its website (www.cp.pt) about the timetables in force from Thursday onwards on the Douro Line.
The contract to modernize and electrify the section of the Douro Line, between Marco and Régua, worth 110 million euros, represents “one of the largest investments being carried out by Infraestruturas de Portugal in the National Railway Network”.
The work involves the improvement, structural reinforcement and lowering of the railway platform in the six existing tunnels along this section, with particular emphasis on the intervention in the Juncal Tunnel, the second largest on the National Railway Network, measuring 1,624 meters long.
IP said that this work will contribute greatly to strengthening the competitiveness of the railway system, ensuring an increase in operating capacity, strengthening safety conditions, reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, improving transport services and reducing journey times.
The contract envisages the full electrification of the section, measuring around 47 kilometres, with work expected to take place over three years (36 months), with three periods of interruption to railway traffic.
Currently, the electrification of the Douro Line is completed up to Marco de Canaveses.
The Douro Railway Line connects Porto to Pocinho (171,522 kilometers) and the electrification of the entire route has been advocated for several years, as well as the reopening of the section between Pocinho (Vila Nova de Foz Côa) and Barca d’Alva (Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo), deactivated in 1988.
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