Linha do Douro

Linha do Douro is a railway in northern Portugal. For much of its route the line runs close to the Douro River, offering very scenic views of the river and valley. Trains on the line are operated by Comboios de Portugal (CP).

Linha do Douro
Pinhão railway station.
Overview
Status	Operational
Termini	Ermesinde Pocinho
Operation
Owner	Infraestruturas de Portugal
Operator(s)	Comboios de Portugal
Technical
Line length	ca 160 km (99 mi)
Track gauge	1,668 mm (5 ft 5 ^21⁄32 in) Iberian gauge
Electrification	25 kV / 50 kHz Overhead line (Ermesinde to Caíde)

Location on the network

+ Ermesinde × Pocinho (🔎)

Ramal de Alfarelos
000 000 L. Minho / C. Gemil 000 000 L. Minho → São Bento   C. S. Gemil → L. Leixões
008,430 Ermesinde
008,976 L. Minho 008,976 L. Minho → Valença 009,500 Ermesinde-A (closed) 010,406 Cabêda 014,300 Suzão × IP4/A4
015,965 Valongo × Ferreira River 018,622 São Martinho do Campo 019,346 S. M. do Campo Terminal 021,815 Terronhas 023,387 Trancoso
025,332 Recarei-Sobreira 028,170 Parada
030,169 Cête 031,760 Irivo 031,904 R. Irivo 032,445 033,154 Oleiros × IP4/A4 034,940 Paredes × Sousa River 037,400 Santiago (dem.)
037,990 Penafiel CFPLE → Entre-os-Rios Penafiel (old station) CFPLE → Lixa 040,785 Bustelo 043,057 Meinedo
046,075 Caíde 037,900 Tapada tunnel (1086 m) × A11 048,815 Oliveira
050,814 Vila Meã × IP4/A4 050,817 Recesinhos (formerly Castelões)
055,323 Livração 055,323 Livração
000 000 L. Tâmega 000 000 L. Tâmega × Tâmega River 057,801 Gaviarra tunnel (258 m) 058,201 Campainha tunnel (227 m)
059,954 Marco de Canaveses
064,910 Juncal 065,201 Juncal tunnel (1621 m) 069,851 Pala
072,362 Mosteirô 075,318 Portuzelo (dem.) × Douro River 075,700 Aregos-CPE (dem.) × Douro River
078,374 Aregos 081,658 Mirão
084,090 Ermida 084,301 Riboura tunnel (120 m) 087,669 Porto Rei Loureiro tunnel (402 m) Má Passada tunnel (32 m) 091,412 Barqueiros
094,614 Rede 098,034 Caldas de Moledo 100,101 Santinho tunnel (82 m)
101,815 Godim 101,815 Godim (formerly Quatro Caminhos) 102,411 Régua tunnel (342 m)
103,297 Régua 103,297 Régua L. Lamego → Lamego (abandoned proj.) = L. Corgo (dual) × EN2 = L. Corgo (dual) × A24 = L. Corgo (dual) Corgo Bridge × Corgo River
104,500 L. Corgo 104,500 L. Corgo → Chaves (closed 2009) 107,101 Bagaúste tunnel (425 m) 107,595 Milnorte 107,769 Bagaúste (old route) 109,001 Pedra Caldeira tunnel (174 m)
112,237 Covelinhas 116,411 Gouvinhas 119,219 Ferrão 123,369 Chanceleiros (dem.)
126,830 Pinhão 132,321 Cotas (closed) 135,186 Castedo (dem.) 138,428 São Mamede do Tua × Tua River
139,727 Tua 139,727 Tua
000 000 L. Tua 000 000 L. Tua Rapa tunnel (68 m) 145,136 Alegria 147,001 Valeira tunnel (712 m) (old route) Ferradosa Bridge × Douro River Ferradosa (old station) 150,612 Ferradosa 153,133 Vargelas 153,501 Vargelas tunnel (364 m) 154,701 Arnozelo tunnel I (31 m) 155,901 Arnozelo tunnel II (57 m) 156,001 Arnozelo tunnel III (62 m) 158,400 Vesúvio 162,982 Freixo de Numão-Mós do Douro 156,701 Fontainhas tunnel I (162 m) 168,501 Meão tunnel (62 m) 168,801 Saião tunnel (752 m) 169,701 Vale Meão tunnel (91 m)
171,522 Pocinho 171,522 Pocinho
000 000 L. Sabor 000 000 L. Sabor 107,595 R. Pocinho-Quimigal × IP2 180,600 Côa × Coa River Castelo Melhor tunnel (79 m) 187,300 Castelo Melhor 191,800 Almendra Almendra tunnel (91 m)
199,500 Barca d'Alva 199,500 Barca d'Alva (closed 1988) 191,800 ⇄ Bridge × Águeda River
200,100 F. San Esteban (closed 1985)

Porto Commuter rail
Porto metropolitan area commuter rail services
Guimarães Covas Nespereira Caíde Pereirinhas Cuca Vizela Lordelo Braga Giesteira Ferreiros Vila das Aves Mazagão Caniços Aveleda Santo Tirso Tadim Ruilhe Caíde Arentim Meinedo Couto de Cambeses Bustelo Nine Penafiel Louro Paredes Mouquim Oleiros Famalicão Irivo Barrimau Cête Esmeriz Parada Lousado Recarei-Sobreira Trofa Trancoso Portela Terronhas São Romão São Martinho do Campo São Frutuoso Valongo Leandro Suzão Travagem Cabeda Ermesinde Águas Santas/ Palmiheira Rio Tinto Contumil Porto-Campanhã General Torres Porto-São Bento Vila Nova de Gaia Coimbrões Aveiro Madalena Cacia Valadares Canelas Francelos Salreu Miramar Estarreja Aguda Avanca Granja Válega Espinho Ovar Silvalde Carvalheira- Maceda Paramos Cortegaça Esmoriz
Legend
Ramal de Braga/Linha do Minho Linha do Douro Linha de Guimarães Linha do Norte
Source: Official site, January 2019

Freight train near Valeira on the Douro line, September 2008

Tua station on the Douro line: a Série 1400 locomotive heading a passenger train (left) passing a freight train headed by a Série 1960 (right)

Construction

Section between stations	Distance	Date of opening
Ermesinde–Penafiel	30.311 km	29 July 1875
Penafiel–Caíde	07.328 km	20 December 1875
Caíde–Juncal	18.818 km	15 September 1878
Juncal–Régua	38.371 km	15 July 1879
Régual–Ferrão	15.813 km	4 April 1880
Ferrão–Pinhão	07.611 km	1 June 1880
Pinhão–Tua	12.993 km	1 September 1883
Tua–Pocinho	31.678 km	10 January 1887
Pocinho–Côa	09.061 km	5 May 1887
Côa–Barca d'Alva - Spanish border	18.882 km	9 December 1887

Route

From west to east, the line runs from the junction at Ermesinde to Pocinho. The line formerly continued east for a further 28 kilometres to the Spanish border. Until 1984, the track continued onwards into Spain, thus allowing through trains to/from Salamanca.

Passenger trains normally run from São Bento station in Porto to Pocinho, with some not running as far as the eastern terminus. The line is built to the Iberian gauge of 1,668 mm (5 ft 5 ²¹⁄₃₂ in). The line is single track, apart from a double track section between Ermesinde and Valongo (the authorisation for the dualling work was given by CP in 1993).[1]

In 1984, the Spanish rail operator RENFE announced the closure of its connecting line from La Fuente de San Esteban to the Portuguese border. With the loss of international traffic, CP had to close its line east of Barca d'Alva to Spain. The service was cut back to Pocinho in 1988, which has since remained the eastern terminus of the Douro line.[2]

Branch lines

There were formerly five metre gauge branch lines connecting with the Douro line, but the last of these closed in 2009. Geographically, from west to east they were:

• The Penafiel to Lixa and Entre-os-Rios line, which closed in the 1920s after less than 20 years of service
• The Tâmega line, which closed in 2009 and ran north from a junction with Douro line at Livração
• The Corgo line, which closed in 2009 and ran north from a junction with Douro line at Regua
• The Tua line, which closed in 2008 and ran north from a junction with Douro line at Tua
• The Sabor line, which closed in 1988 and ran north-east from a junction with Douro line at Pocinho

See also

• List of railway lines in Portugal
• List of Portuguese locomotives and railcars
• History of rail transport in Portugal
• CP Class 1400 - diesel locomotives frequently used on the line
• National Railway Museum (Portugal)
• Sorefame - constructor of most of the rolling stock used on the line
• Barca d'Alva–La Fuente de San Esteban railway

References

1. "Cronologia: 1844/1874 - Desde o Projecto até ao Fim do 3º Quartel do Séc. XIX". CP (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on October 6, 2014.
2. "História da linha do Douro". A linha do Douro (in Portuguese). September 1989.

Sources

• "2019 Network Statement" (PDF). 7 December 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2019. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

External links

• www.linhadodouro.net (in Portuguese)