Lisbon–Porto high-speed rail line explained

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Lisbon–Porto high-speed rail line
Type:High-speed rail
Status:Proposed
Locale:Portugal
Start:Lisbon-Santa Apolónia
End:Porto-Campanhã
Stations:Leiria, Coimbra, Aveiro, Gaia-Santo Ovídio
Open:by 2030[1]
Operator:Comboios de Portugal
Tracks:Double track
Gauge:Iberian gauge (planned)
Electrification:Overhead catenary
Speed:300km/h

The Lisbon–Porto high-speed rail line is a proposed high-speed rail line in Portugal, linking its capital Lisbon to its second-largest city Porto in Iberian gauge.[2]

Background

The Alfa Pendular service currently operates a Braga to Lisbon-Santa Apolónia service via Porto-Campanhã using the Linha do Norte, occasionally continuing to Faro on the Linha do Algarve, operating at a maximum speed of 220km/h.

High-speed rail in Portugal was planned in the 1990s and formally announced in 2005,[3] which included the Lisbon–Madrid high-speed rail line, a Lisbon to Porto line and a line from Porto to Vigo, Spain. The plan was cancelled in 2009 due to the economic downturn.

In 2020 the plan was reactivated as part of an initiative by the Portuguese government to invest €43 billion into infrastructure projects by 2030. The line is projected to cost of €4.5 billion,[4] with a proposed 75 minute journey time between the two cities.

Construction

The project will be split into three phases, with the first phase being the section from Porto to Soure, which is planned to be complete by 2028. The second phase will be the section between Soure and Carregado, which is projected to be finished by 2030. The third phase involves building a small section between Carregado and Lisbon, and is planned to be complete only later than 2030.

The rail network will be able to connect Lisbon to Porto with speeds as high as 300km/h, and in a total travel time of 75 minutes without stops, and 105 minutes with stops.The new high-speed line will have stops in Leiria, Coimbra, Aveiro, Vila Nova de Gaia, apart from the already mentioned in Lisbon-Santa Apolónia and Porto-Campanhã.In most of the cities, the current stations will be expanded to service the new high-speed line, except in Vila Nova de Gaia, where a new station will be built, called Gaia-Santo Ovídio. To cross the river Douro between Porto and Gaia, a new bridge will be built over the river.[5] [6]

There are also plans to connect Porto to Vigo by high-speed rail, with a line departing from Porto-Campanhã, through Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport and Braga, and ending in Vigo. These plans are less concrete and are expected to be finished only later than 2030.[7]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Portugal to invest 43 billion euros in large infrastructure by 2030, PM says. Reuters. 22 October 2020. 5 January 2021.
  2. Web site: Alta velocidade portuguesa pode ficar só para Espanha. Eco. 24 October 2022. sapo.pt. Diogo Ferreira. Nunes.
  3. Web site: High Speed Rail in the Iberian Peninsula. Global Railway Review. 14 April 2016. 5 January 2021.
  4. Web site: €10.5bn for rail in Portuguese 10-year investment plan. International Railway Journal. 20 November 2020. 5 January 2021.
  5. Web site: Apresentação da Nova Linha de Alta Velocidade Porto - Lisboa.
  6. Web site: Comboio ligará Porto e Lisboa em duas horas (sem paragens) em 2028.
  7. Web site: Apresentação da Nova Linha de Alta Velocidade Porto - Lisboa.