Linha do Douro

The Douro line (Portuguese: Linha do Douro) is a 99-mile (160 km) railway line in northern Portugal that runs from Ermesinde to the eastern terminus at Pocinho. The line runs close to the Douro River for much of its route, offering scenic views of the river and valley. Passenger trains are operated by Comboios de Portugal (CP) and run between Porto São Bento and Pocinho, taking 3 hours and 20 minutes. Freight trains operated by Medway also run on the line.

Construction

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 connected to a Spanish line, 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 Caíde (the authorisation for the dualling work was given by CP in 1993).

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.

As of May 2023, there are intentions to reactivate the extension from Pocinho to the border town of Barca d'Alva, with a preliminary study commissioned on May 10th.

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 Railway, which closed in the 1920s after less than 20 years of operation
• The Tâmega line, which closed in 2009 and ran north from a junction with the Douro line at Livração
• The Corgo line, which closed in 2009 and ran north from a junction with the Douro line at Regua
• The Tua line, which closed in 2008 and ran north from a junction with the Douro line at Tua
• The Sabor line, which closed in 1988 and ran north-east from a junction with the 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 - builder of most of the rolling stock used on the line
• Barca d'Alva–La Fuente de San Esteban railway

Sources

• (PDF). 7 December 2018. {{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires |journal= (help)