Comboios de Portugal

CP — Comboios de Portugal, EPE (lit. 'Trains of Portugal') is Portugal's national state-owned railway company, which operates passenger trains in Portugal. Prior to June 2009, CP stood for Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses (English: Portuguese Railways) although the company has been using its current designation as a brand name since 2004.

CP can trace its origins back to October 1856 and the opening of the first railway line in Portugal; the majority of the network has long comprised Iberian gauge lines, compatible with neighboring Spain. During the 1950s, the Portuguese railway network spanned roughly 3750 km, its greatest extent. In 1975, the Portuguese Railway Company was nationalised. Amid a decline in passenger numbers, various lines were shut down, with almost a quarter of the rail network being closed by the twenty-first century.

During the 1990s, there were efforts to restructure and improve CP services. In 1999, CP introduced its new flagship service, the Alfa Pendular, which operates between Braga - Porto - Lisbon - Faro using tilting trains. Since 2005, management of the railway infrastructure has been split from CP, which instead focuses on train services, while the former role is now performed by Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP). Also, CP's cargo activities were transferred to private company MSC who operate them under the Medway label; leaving CP to only operate passenger trains. In 2015, a new long-term strategy for Portugal's railway network has been underway, under which full electrification of the network, the provision of European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), and the general modernisation and improvement of trunk routes and international services is being conducted. Throughout early 2023, CP's operations have been repeatedly disrupted by industrial action.

History

On 28 October 1856, the first railway line in Portugal was inaugurated between Lisbon and Carregado; the event marked the origins of the Companhia dos Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses.[3] While the early railways in Portugal had been constructed in standard gauge, subsequent lines were built to the Iberian gauge as to be compatible with neighboring Spain; the initial standard gauge tracks were also rebuilt into Iberian gauge for consistency.[3]

The railway network was gradually expanded both south of the Tagus and to the north of the country, as well as in the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto and to Spain. Portugal's railways would play a role in numerous significant national events. On 14 December 1910; President Sidonio Bernardino Cardeso da Silva Paes was assassinated at Lisboa-Rossio Railway Station of one of the presidents of the first republic.[3] In 1958, a railway rout formed a prominent part of the political campaign of the democratic opposition candidate Humberto Delgado for the Portuguese presidency.[4][3] More generally, the railways had been crucial to the rapid dissemination of news across the more rural areas of the nation.[3]

It was during the 1950s that the Portuguese railway network expanded to its greatest extent, covering roughly 3750 km.[3] Throughout the second half of the 20th century, the majority of CP's rolling stock was built in Portugal by Sorefame - notably carriages with stainless steel bodywork. Gradually, electrification was put in place for a little less than half the network. In 1975, the company was nationalised, after which its name was shortened to CP. During the 1970s and especially during the 1980s, as cars became increasingly affordable to average citizens, passenger demand on CP's network declined considerably, spurring decreases in investment, the cutting back on little-used services, and the closure of less trafficked lines.[3] By the twenty-first century, almost a quarter of the rail network had been closed, around 2630 km remained operational,[3] while of the roughly 900 stations once active, only 563 remained in use by 2023.[5]

During the 1990s, CP inaugurated new trains for its suburban service within Lisbon; during 2001, new rolling stock was brought into service on Porto's suburban services as well. In September 2012, the Portuguese government announced its intention to privatise portions of the suburban rail services of Lisbon and Porto via a leasing arrangement. The move was part of a wider initiative towards increasing the liberalisation of the domestic Portuguese rail network.[6]

During 1999, CP introduced its new flagship service, the Alfa Pendular, which operates between Braga - Porto - Lisbon - Faro. Using a fleet of FIAT/Siemens tilting trains, it has a maximum operating speed of 220 km/h (138 mph).[7] Despite this, the majority of Portugal's lines were not suitable for high speed operations, which was a partial consequence of the protracted lack of investment.[3] By 2006, CP's network covers the majority of the country.[8]

Various changes to modernise and improve CP's railway network were proposed during the early twenty-first century.[3] At the time, the infrastructure suffered from a lack of uniformity, particularly in respect to signalling and electrical supply systems, while freight services were subject to numerous restrictions even on heavily trafficked trunk lines.[3] A programme of works to finally connect all the district capitals by a fully electrified double line was to be implemented from 2010; elements of this plan were based on the Swiss Rail 2000 model.[9] Furthermore, the Portuguese government was keen to improve intermobility between the rail network and various other logistic platforms, such as airports and seaports, as well as to improve links with pan-European transportation mediums in general.[10]

In 2015, a new long-term strategy for Portugal's railway network was announced; it called for the full electrification of the network, along with the provision of European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) signaling and control apparatus, infrastructure compliance with the relevant European standards along all of the main freight corridors for complete interoperability, and changed to enable the running of 750 m-long trains carrying up to 1,400 tonnes of cargo.[11] Particular attention was paid to the modernisation of those lines used by international services and trunk routes that traversed the country.[3][12]

During 2019, CP transported 145 million passengers, an increase of 19 million from the previous year.[13][14]

Throughout early 2023, CP's passenger services have been repeatedly disrupted by industrial action taken by its employees.[15][16]

As of 2025, the Vouga line is the only narrow gauge line that remains operational.[17]

Infrastructure

The infrastructure of the Portuguese network is managed by Infraestruturas de Portugal, usually abbreviated to IP

Portuguese railway network extent:

• Broad gauge : 2603 km, 1351 km electrified at 25 kV 50 Hz AC and 25 km at 1.5 kV DC.
• Narrow gauge (metre gauge) : 188 km not electrified.
• The maximum extent of 3592 km was reached in 1949, but in the late 1980s and early 1990s some lines were shortened and some totally closed.

Organisation

CP is split into three divisions:

• CP Longo Curso, long-distance mainline services (Alfa Pendular, Intercidades and International trains).
• CP Regional, regional services (Interregional and Regional).
• CP Urban Services
• CP Lisboa, Lisbon's suburban network.
• CP Porto, Porto's suburban network.
• CP Coimbra, Coimbra's suburban network.

Services

CP offers the following types of trains:

• International (IN) is a long-distance international intercity service. The service connects Portugal with Galicia, Spain and is called Celta (Porto-Vigo). The Sud-Express (Lisbon-Hendaye) and Lusitânia (Lisbon-Madrid) ran to both Spain and France under Renfe's Trenhotel (Hotel Train) brand until it was discontinued in 2020[18]
• Alfa Pendular (AP) is an intercity high-speed service. It is the fastest service, whose speeds can reach 220 km/h. This service runs from Lisbon to either Porto, Braga or Guimarães (passing through Coimbra, Aveiro and Porto) or between Porto and Faro.
• Intercidades (IC) is an intercity fast long-distance service whose speeds can reach 200 km/h. All IC services (apart from the Beja Shuttle) run from Lisbon to either Porto, Braga, Guimarães, Guarda, Covilhã or Évora (with connection at Casa Branca to Beja), serving the majority of the Portuguese regions. Service to southern Portugal runs to cities including Tunes, Faro, and Albufeira.[19]
• Inter-Regional (IR) is a medium distance service which stops only at the main stations. Runs mainly on the routes Porto-Viana do Castelo-Valença (Minho Line), Porto-Régua-Pocinho (Douro Line), Lisbon-Caldas da Rainha-Leiria-Coimbra (West Line) and Lisbon-Tomar (North Line). Services are operated by the same trains as Regional service.
• Regional (R) is CP's local service, stopping at all stations, out of the Lisbon and Porto suburban areas.
• Urbano (U) is the CP's urban service, in the regions of Lisbon and Porto and in the Coimbra-Figueira da Foz Line.

Lines/Routes

The lines are no longer maintained by CP, due to EU regulations, so the infrastructure is now handled by the public company Infraestruturas de Portugal.

Rolling stock

Major stations

Accidents and incidents

On 21 January 2013, two trains crashed on the Portuguese Northern Line in Alfarelos. Twenty-five people were injured and the line was closed for three days.

On 31 July 2020, an Alfa Pendular Train collided with a track maintenance vehicle at Soure, Portugal. Two people were killed and 43 were injured, three seriously.

See also

• History of rail transport in Portugal
• Iberian gauge
• Narrow gauge railways in Portugal
• National Railway Museum (Portugal)
• Rail transport in Portugal
• High-speed rail in Portugal

External links

• CP Official website
• REFER Official website