High-speed rail in Portugal
Encyclopedia
The government of Portugal plans to build a high-speed rail
line from Lisbon
to Madrid
. The €7.8 billion plan, announced in February 2009, is part of an effort to stimulate the country's economy
. The government argued that the plan would create 100,000 jobs. The line would link to Spain's Southwest Corridor.
(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 (136.7 mph).
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 subcontractor
s.
In addition to these high-speed trains, CPInterCity
"corail
" coaches have been upgraded to 200 kilometres per hour (124.3 mph) running. These are hauled by CP 5600 locomotives (identical to the Spanish RENFE Class 252
). These "corail" coaches are based on French SNCF
Corail cars but their carbody is made out of stainless steel, manufactured at the SOREFAME plant.
was modernized 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 modernized 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 6.7km of the Southern Line through means of a 29km line that includes a bridge across the Sado River. Trains will be able to travel at 200km along the section, or 220km with tilting technology. The new bypass will cut 10m from the jounery times of trains traveling south from Lisbon towards the Algarve.
Trains run hourly between Lisbon and Porto, most being Alfa Pendular (2 stops at Coimbra
and Aveiro), 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 Intercity trains run north to Guimarães
, a couple of Alfa Pendular run north to Braga
and others go down the south line to service Faro
, which is served by two Porto - Lisboa - Faro Alfa Pendulars and tree Lisbon - Faro InterCity (limited to 160 km/h due to the refurbished sorefame coaches used on the route).
Completion is expected by the end of 2013.
High-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
line from Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
to Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. The €7.8 billion plan, announced in February 2009, is part of an effort to stimulate the country's economy
Economy of Portugal
The Economy of Portugal is a high income mixed economy. The Global Competitiveness Report 2008-2009 edition placed Portugal in the 43rd position out of 134 countries and territories....
. The government argued that the plan would create 100,000 jobs. The line would link to Spain's Southwest Corridor.
Current operations
Since the late 1990s Comboios de PortugalComboios de Portugal
thumb|250px|right|CP suburban trains at São Bento Station in Oporto.CP — Comboios de Portugal, EPE is a state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains in Portugal...
(CP) has run the Alfa Pendular
Alfa Pendular
Alfa Pendular is the name of the Pendolino high-speed tilting train of Portuguese state railway company CP. It connects the cities of Braga, Porto, Aveiro, Coimbra, Santarém, Lisbon, Albufeira and Faro, among others at speeds of up to ....
service, connecting Portugal's mainland from the north border to the Algarve at a speed of up to 220 kilometres per hour (136.7 mph).
The service is operated using 10 Italian-designed Pendolino
Pendolino
Pendolino is an Italian family of tilting trains used in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, Russian Federation, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Switzerland, China and shortly in Romania and Poland...
tilting trains. Based on the Italian ETR 480
ETR 480
The ETR 480 is a tilting Electric Multiple Unit built by FIAT Ferroviaria since 1993, It is also known as Pendolino. It was developed from the first new-generation Pendolino, the ETR 460...
, trains were assembled in Portugal at the former SOREFAME/Adtranz
Adtranz
ABB Daimler-Benz Transportation , commonly known under its brand Adtranz, was a multi-national rail transport equipment manufacturer with facilities concentrated in Europe and the USA....
plant in Amadora
Amadora
Amadora is a city and a municipality in Portugal, in the northwest of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. The city and municipality population is 175,872 in eleven freguesias . With an area of 23.77 km², it is the most densely populated municipality of Portugal...
. Fiat Ferroviaria
Fiat Ferroviaria
thumb|300px|[[FS Class E626]] locomotive, a mainstay of Italian railways starting from the 1930s.Fiat Ferroviaria was the rail division of FIAT of Italy....
was the main contractor, with Siemens AG
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
and ADtranz
Adtranz
ABB Daimler-Benz Transportation , commonly known under its brand Adtranz, was a multi-national rail transport equipment manufacturer with facilities concentrated in Europe and the USA....
as subcontractor
Subcontractor
A subcontractor is an individual or in many cases a business that signs a contract to perform part or all of the obligations of another's contract....
s.
In addition to these high-speed trains, CPInterCity
InterCity
InterCity is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe...
"corail
Corail (train)
Corail is the name given to a class of passenger rail cars of the SNCF that first entered commercial service in 1975. When introduced, Corail carriages featured air-conditioning, and superior levels of comfort, suspension and sound-proofing than previous InterCity carriages and gave arguably the...
" coaches have been upgraded to 200 kilometres per hour (124.3 mph) running. These are hauled by CP 5600 locomotives (identical to the Spanish RENFE Class 252
RENFE Class 252
The RENFE class 252 are a series of Bo'Bo' electric locomotives, built by CAF, Meinfesa, Siemens and Krauss-Maffei for RENFE. 15 units were built for the NAFA line between Madrid - Sevilla , and 60 units constructed for general use to Iberian gauge .-Background, design, construction and...
). These "corail" coaches are based on French SNCF
SNCF
The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
Corail cars but their carbody is made out of stainless steel, manufactured at the SOREFAME plant.
Infrastructure
The Northern LineNorthern Line
The Northern line is a London Underground line. It is coloured black on the Tube map.For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line. The line carries 206,734,000 passengers per year. This is the highest number of any line on the London Underground system, but the Northern line is unique in...
was modernized to allow trains to run at 220 km/h between Lisbon-Alverca, Vila Franca de Xira
Vila Franca de Xira
Vila Franca de Xira is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 317.7 km² and a total population of 133,224 inhabitants. Situated on the west bank of the Tagus River, just 32 km north-east of the Portuguese capital Lisbon, Vila Franca de Xira is said to have been founded by French...
–Santarém
Santarém, Portugal
Santarém is a city in the Santarém Municipality in Portugal. The city itself has a population of 28,760 and the entire municipality has 64,124 inhabitants.It is the capital of Santarém District....
, Pombal
Pombal, Portugal
Pombal is a town in Pombal Municipality, Portugal. The population of the city is about 16.000 inhabitants....
–Alfarelos
Alfarelos
Alfarelos is a town in Portugal....
and Mealhada
Mealhada
Mealhada Municipality is located in Aveiro District in Portugal. It has a total area of 110.7 km² and a total population of 21,282 inhabitants, and 17,043 electors . The city of Mealhada itself has a population of 5.000....
–Espinho
Espinho, Portugal
Espinho is a city in Espinho Municipality in Portugal. It is a reputed beach resort and a zone of legal gambling with a casino - Casino Solverde. Its fair - Feira de Espinho, having been first organised in 1894, is well known in Portugal...
, 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 modernized to allow trains to run at 220 km/h between Lisbon-Pinhal Novo and Grândola
Grândola
Grândola is a town and municipality in Portugal with a total area of and a total population of 14,543 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 5 parishes and is located in Setúbal District....
–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 6.7km of the Southern Line through means of a 29km line that includes a bridge across the Sado River. Trains will be able to travel at 200km along the section, or 220km with tilting technology. The new bypass will cut 10m from the jounery times of trains traveling south from Lisbon towards the Algarve.
Trains run hourly between Lisbon and Porto, most being Alfa Pendular (2 stops at Coimbra
Coimbra
Coimbra is a city in the municipality of Coimbra in Portugal. Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, it is better-known for its university, the University of Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the...
and Aveiro), 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 Intercity trains run north to Guimarães
Guimarães
Guimarães Municipality is located in northwestern Portugal in the province of Minho and in the Braga District. It contains the city of Guimarães.The present Mayor is António Magalhães Silva, elected by the Socialist Party.-Parishes:-Economy:...
, a couple of Alfa Pendular run north to Braga
Braga
Braga , a city in the Braga Municipality in northwestern Portugal, is the capital of the Braga District, the oldest archdiocese and the third major city of the country. Braga is the oldest Portuguese city and one of the oldest Christian cities in the World...
and others go down the south line to service Faro
Faro, Portugal
Faro is the southernmost city in Portugal. It is located in the Faro Municipality in southern Portugal. The city proper has 41,934 inhabitants and the entire municipality has 58,305. It is the seat of the Faro District and capital of the Algarve region...
, which is served by two Porto - Lisboa - Faro Alfa Pendulars and tree Lisbon - Faro InterCity (limited to 160 km/h due to the refurbished sorefame coaches used on the route).
Future plans
In 2005 the Portuguese government approved the construction of three high-speed lines:- from the capital Lisbon to Porto (300 km/h new HSL expected to be finished in 2015). The two biggest cities of Portugal will be at a distance of a 1h15 train trip.
- from (350 km/h mixed traffic HSL expected to be complete by 2013) bringing the countries' capital cities within three hours of each other (less than 2h45 expected).
- from Porto to VigoVigoVigo is a city and municipality in north-west Spain, in Galicia, situated on the ria of the same name on the Atlantic Ocean.-Population:...
(250 km/h mixed traffic new line between Braga and the border) which will connect both extremes (Porto and Vigo) in less than 45 minutes, would link to .
Status of upgrades
On December 12, 2009, the Portuguese Ministry of Public Work, Transport and Communications announced the Elos consortium has been awarded a 40 year contract to build, finance and maintain the first section of the high speed line from Poceirão to the Spanish border, Caia. The route's length is 165 km. The PPP contract was formally signed on 8 May 2010 and includes construction of a broad-gauge freight track between Evora and Caia.Completion is expected by the end of 2013.
See also
- Comboios de PortugalComboios de Portugalthumb|250px|right|CP suburban trains at São Bento Station in Oporto.CP — Comboios de Portugal, EPE is a state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains in Portugal...
: The state passenger rail service in Portugal
External links
- Alfa Pendular at CP (Train Operator Company) official page
- REFER (Rail Infrastructure company)
- RAVE - Rede de Alta Velocidade (High Speed Infr. Company, now a part of REFER)