Comboios de Portugal

CP — Comboios de Portugal, EPE (CP; English: Trains of Portugal) is a state-owned 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

During the 1990s, various efforts to restructure and improve CP services have been initiated. During 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.^[2] 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.^[2]

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.^[2] In 1958, a railway rout formed a prominent part of the political campaign of the democratic opposition candidate Humberto Delgado for the Portuguese presidency.^[3][2] More generally, the railways had been crucial to the rapid dissemination of news across the more rural areas of the nation.^[2]

It was during the 1950s that the Portuguese railway network expanded to its greatest extent, covering roughly 3,750 km (2,330 mi).

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.^[citation needed] In September 2012, the Portuguese government announced its intention to privatise portions of the suburban rail services of Liborn and Porto via a leasing arrangement. The move was part of a wider initiative towards increasing the liberalisation of the domestic Portuguese rail network.^[5]

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).^[6] 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.^[2] By 2006, CP's network covers the majority of the country.^[7]

Various changes to modernise and improve CP's railway network were proposed during the early twenty-first century.

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 (2,460 ft)-long trains carrying up to 1,400 tonnes of cargo.^[10] Particular attention was paid to the modernisation of those lines used by international services and trunk routes that traversed the country.^[2][11]

During 2019, CP transported 145 million passengers, an increase of 19 million from the previous year.^[12][13]

Throughout early 2023, CP's passenger services have been repeatedly disrupted by industrial action taken by its employees.^[14][15]

The

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

Portuguese railway network extent:

• Broad gauge (1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in)): 2,603 km (1,617 mi), 1,351 km (839 mi) electrified at 25 kV 50 Hz AC and 25 km (16 mi) at 1.5 kV DC
  .
• metre gauge
  ) 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in): 188 km (117 mi) not electrified.
• The maximum extent of 3,592 km (2,232 mi) was reached in 1949, but in the late 1980s and early 1990s some lines were shortened and some totally closed.

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 the service that connects Portugal with Spain and France. These are the Sud-Express (Lisbon-Hendaye), Lusitânia (Lisbon-Madrid) and Celta (Porto-Vigo). Both Sud Express and Lusitânia are night trains that run under Renfe's Trenhotel (Hotel Train) brand.
• Alfa Pendular (AP) 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 a fast long-distance service whose speeds can reach 200 km/h. All IC services (apart from the Beja Shuttle) run from
  Beja), serving the majority of the Portuguese regions. Service to southern Portugal runs to cities including Tunes, Faro, and Albufeira.^[16]
• Inter-Regional (IR) is a medium distance service which stops only at the main stations. Runs mainly on the routes
  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.

Current Rolling Stock

Locomotives

Image	Class (Nickname)	In Service since	Numbers		Traction	Gauge	Max Speed	Services
			In Service	Total
	0180	1924	1	2	Steam	Iberian 1668 mm		Seasonal Heritage
	1150 (Sentinel)	1967	4	36	Diesel	Iberian 1668mm	56 km/h	Shunting
	1400 (English Electric/EE)	1967	11	67	Diesel	Iberian 1668 mm	105 km/h	InterRegional Shunting
	1550 (MLW)	1973	1	20	Diesel	Iberian 1668 mm	120 km/h	Rescue Shunting
	2600 (Alstom)	1974	5	12	Electric	Iberian 1668 mm	160 km/h	InterRegional
	2620 (Alstom)	1987	4	9	Electric	Iberian 1668 mm	160 km/h	InterRegional
	5600	1993	19	24	Electric	Iberian 1668 mm	220 km/h	InterCidades
	E200	1911 - 1923	1	6	Steam	Meter 1000 mm	50 km/h	Seasonal Heritage
	9000	1975	1	3	Diesel	Meter 1000 mm	70 km/h	Seasonal Heritage

Multiple Units

Image	Class	Type	In Service since	Built in	Numbers		Traction	Gauge	Max Operational Speed	Services
					In Service	Total
	0350 (Allan)	1 Car DMU	2000	2000	3	18	Diesel	Iberian 1668 mm	100 km/h	Regional
	0450 (UDD)	2 Car DMU	1998	1998	19	19	Diesel	Iberian 1668 mm	120 km/h	Regional InterRegional
	592	3 Car DMU	2011	1984 (Refurbished in 2001)	20	24	Diesel	Iberian 1668 mm	140 km/h	Regional InterRegional International (Celta)
	9630	2 Car DMU	1991	1991	7	7	Diesel	Meter 1000 mm	90 km/h	Regional
	2240	3 Car EMU	2004	2003	55	55	Electric	Iberian 1668 mm	120 km/h	Urban Regional InterRegional
	2300	4 Car EMU	1992	1992	42	42	Electric	Iberian 1668 mm	120 km/h	Urban
	2400	4 Car EMU	1997	1997	14	14	Electric	Iberian 1668 mm	120 km/h	Urban
	3150	3 Car EMU	1998	1998	13	13	Electric	Iberian 1668 mm	90 km/h	Urban
	3250	4 Car EMU	1998	1998	18	21	Electric	Iberian 1668 mm	90 km/h	Urban
	3400	4 Car EMU	2002	2002	34	34	Electric	Iberian 1668 mm	140 km/h	Urban
	3500	4 Car 2-floor EMU	1999	1999	12	12	Electric	Iberian 1668 mm	140 km/h	Urban
	4000	6 Car High Speed EMU	1999 (Refurbished in 2017)	1998	9	10	Electric	Iberian 1668 mm	220 km/h	Alfa Pendular

Passenger Cars

Image	Name	In Service since	Numbers		Gauge	Max Speed	Services	Notes
			In Service	Total
Stainless Steel Cars with A/C
	Corail	1985	58	58	Iberian 1668 mm	200 km/h (originally 160)	InterCidades	Modernized over the years, first used on the now-extinct "Alfa service"
	Sorefame Modernizada	1993-1996	45	45	Iberian 1668 mm	200 km/h	InterCidades	Modernized for IC services
Mild Steel Cars with A/C
	Arco	2021	0	36	Iberian 1668 mm	200 km/h	InterRegional	Purchased from Renfe in 2020. 4 refurbished cars ready to enter InterRegional service
	9000	N/A	0	4	Iberian 1668 mm	160 km/h	Not in Service	Purchased from Renfe in 2020
	Gran Confort	N/A	0	5	Iberian 1668 mm	160 km/h	Not in Service	Purchased from Renfe in 2020
	Corail	N/A	0	5	Iberian 1668 mm	160 km/h	Not in Service	Purchased from Renfe in 2020
Stainless Steel Cars without A/C
	Sorefame Classic	1963-1984	9	74	Iberian 1668 mm	140 km/h	Regional InterRegional	Most withdrawn from service or modernized for IC services
Mild Steel Cars without A/C
	Schindler	1948–1949	17	19	Iberian 1668 mm	120 km/h	Regional InterRegional	Out of service between 1996 and 2017. Refurbished from 2017 to 2021
	Napolitanas	1931	1	5	Meter 1000 mm		Seasonal Heritage	Used on the Vouga Historic Steam Train

• 
  CP's 5600 Series (19 units) are responsible for all Intercity services. Four sold and five leased to Medway for freight use. One is here seen on the Linha do Sul, near Alcácer do Sal.
• 
  CP's 4000 Series work all Alfa Pendular services. Here on is seen at Entroncamento on the Linha do Norte.
• 
  CP's 2240 Series are responsible for Urban (Lisbon's Sado Line and the Coimbra to Figueira da Foz urban service), Regional and Inter-Regional services. Unit 2295 is here seen with a now outdated red color scheme, on the Linha do Norte, near Entroncamento.
• 
  Most of Lisbon's suburban trains (except the Cascais Line services), are in the hands of CP's 2300/2400 Series. Two are here seen on the Linha do Norte, near Santa Iria de Azoia [pt].
• 
  All Linha de Cascais urban trains are in the hands of CP's 3150/3250 Series.Two are here seen near Cruz Quebrada.
• 
  CP's 3400 are responsible for all Porto urban services. One is here seen at São Bento station.
• 
  CP's 0450 Series are responsible for some Regional and Inter-Regional services. They are also in charge of the Intercity shuttle service between Casa Branca and Beja. One is here seen at Caldas da Rainha.
• 
  CP's 1900/1930 Series were responsible for passenger (1930 only) and freight (both) services. Several sold to Medway and Ferrocentral (Argentina). All of CP units have been withdrawn from service.
• 
  CP's 1960 Series were the most powerful diesel locos in Portugal. They hauled both passenger (until the Beira Alta Line was electrified) and freight trains. Some sold to Medway. All of CP units have been withdrawn from service. One is here seen at Porto Campanhã.
• 
  CP's 0350 Series were once mainly used for Regional on unelectrified rural lines. As of 2021 only 3 remain in service. One is here seen at Guarda.
• 
  CP's 4700 Series were the backbone of their freight business. All 25 units were sold to Medway.

Major stations

Lisbon

• Cais do Sodré - for local trains from Lisbon to Cascais. Portugal's busiest interchange station (train/ferry/metro/tram/bus)
• Oriente - for trains to the north and to the Algarve
• Rossio
  - for local trains to Sintra
• Santa Apolónia
  - terminus station, for trains to the north and to Spain

Porto

• Campanhã - Porto's main station, including use by Alfa Pendular
  high speed trains
• Douro line
  trains

• Braga
• Faro

Accidents and Incidents

On 21 January 2013, two trains crashed on the Portuguese Northern Line in Alfarelos. 25 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

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Comboios de Portugal.

• CP Official website
• REFER Official website