CP — Comboios de Portugal, EPE (''CP''; English: ''Trains of Portugal'') is a state-owned company which operates passenger trains in Portugal. Before 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. In 2019, CP transported 145 million passengers, 19 million more than in 2018.

History

On 28 October 1856, the first railway line was inaugurated in Portugal, between

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

and

Carregado Carregado () is a former civil parish, located in the municipality of Alenquer, in western Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish Carregado e Cadafais. It has a population of 9,066 inhabitants and a total area of 15.52 km ...

: the ''Companhia dos Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses'' was born. The network was gradually expanded both south of the

Tagus The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to e ...

and to the north of the country, as well as in the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropo ...

and to Spain. During the second half of the 20th century, much of CP's rolling stock was built in Portugal by

Sorefame Sorefame (an abbreviation of ''Sociedades Reunidas de Fabricações Metálicas'') was a Portuguese manufacturer of railway rolling stock and industrial equipment, such as dam gates equipment. The company was established in 1943. In the 1990s the ...

- notably carriages with stainless steel bodywork. Gradually,

electrification Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic histo ...

was put in place for a little less than half the network. In 1975, the company was nationalised, and its name was shortened to CP, A plan to finally connect all the district capitals by a fully electrified double line was to be implemented from 2010. Part of this plan is based on the Swiss Rail 2000 model. Manuel Antunes Frasquilho served as Chairman of the Board of directors between 1996 and 1997. The Vouga line is now the only

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

line left in operation.

Infrastructure

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

Broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union ( C ...

(): , electrified at

25 kV 50 Hz AC Railway electrification systems using alternating current (AC) at are used worldwide, especially for high-speed rail. It is usually supplied at the standard utility frequency (typically 50 or 60Hz), which simplifies traction substations. The dev ...

and at 1.5 kV DC. *

Narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

(

metre gauge Metre-gauge railways are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre. The metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by European colonial powers, such as the French, British and German Empires. In Europe, ...

) : not electrified. * The maximum extent of 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 the service that connects Portugal with Spain and France. These are the Sud-Express (Lisbon-Hendaye), Lusitânia (Lisbon-Madrid) and

Celta Celta is Galician, Portuguese and Spanish for the Celts. It may also refer to: * Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA), an English teaching certificate * Celta (train), an international train service connecting Vigo and Porto ...

(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

to either

Braga Braga ( , ; cel-x-proto, Bracara) is a city and a municipality, capital of the northwestern Portuguese district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality has a resident population of 193,333 inhabitants (in ...

Guimarães Guimarães () is a city and municipality located in northern Portugal, in the district of Braga. Its historic town centre has been listed as a UNESCWorld Heritage Sitesince 2001, in recognition for being an "exceptionally well-preserved and ...

(passing through

Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of . The fourth-largest urban area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto, and Braga, it is the largest cit ...

, Aveiro and

) or between

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

to either

, Guarda,

Covilhã Covilhã () is a city and a municipality in the Centro region, Portugal. The city proper had 34,772 inhabitants in 2001. The municipality population in 2011 was 51,797, in an area of . It is located in the Beiras e Serra da Estrela subregion and ...

Évora Évora ( , ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. It has 53,591 inhabitants (2021), in an area of 1307.08 km2. It is the historic capital of the Alentejo and serves as the seat of the Évora District. Due to its well-preserved old ...

(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. *Inter-Regional (IR) is a medium distance service which stops only at the main stations. Runs mainly on the routes

- Viana do Castelo- Valença (Minho Line),

- Régua- Pocinho (Douro Line),

Caldas da Rainha Caldas da Rainha () is a medium-sized Portuguese city in the Oeste region, in the historical province of Estremadura, and in the district of Leiria. The city serves as the seat of the larger municipality of the same name and of the Comunidad ...

Leiria Leiria (; cel-x-proto, ɸlāryo) is a city and municipality in the Central Region of Portugal. It is the 2nd largest city in that same region, with a municipality population of 128,640 (as of 2021) in an area of . It is the seat of its own dist ...

(West Line) and

Tomar Tomar (), also known in English as Thomar (the ancient name of Tomar), is a city and a municipality in the Santarém district of Portugal. The town proper has a population of about 20,000. The municipality population in 2011 was 40,677, in an a ...

(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

and

and in the

Figueira da Foz Figueira da Foz (), also known as Figueira for short, is a city and a municipality in the Coimbra District, in Portugal. Practically at the midpoint of the Iberian Peninsula's Atlantic coast, it is located at the mouth of the Mondego River, we ...

Line.

The network

CP's flagship service, introduced in 1999, is the Alfa Pendular which operates between

- Faro, with a maximum operating speed of 220km/h (138mph) with FIAT/Siemens

tilting train A tilting train is a train that has a mechanism enabling increased speed on regular rail tracks. As a train (or other vehicle) rounds a curve at speed, objects inside the train experience centrifugal force. This can cause packages to slide ab ...

s. As of 2006, CP's network reaches most of the country. CP inaugurated new trains in suburban service in the 1990s for Lisbon's Suburban service, and in 2001 in Porto's Suburban service.

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

Multiple Units

Passenger Cars

File:Flickr - nmorao - IC 570, Alcácer, 2008.07.25.jpg, 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 Alcácer do Sal () is a municipality in Portugal, located in Setúbal District. The population in 2011 was 13,046, in an area of 1499.87 km2. History Earliest settlement There has been human settlement in the area for more than 40,000 y ...

. File:CPA 4009.jpg, CP's 4000 Series work all Alfa Pendular services. Here on is seen at Entroncamento on the Linha do Norte. File:Train type 2240 Linha do Norte close to Entroncamento Portugal.jpg, 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. File:Urbano, Santa Iria de Azóia, 2011.11.12.jpg, 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 . File:Flickr - nmorao - Urbano 19723, Apeadeiro de Cruz Quebrada, 2009.11.13.jpg, All

Linha de Cascais The Cascais Line ( pt, Linha de Cascais) is a Portuguese railway line which connects the municipalities of Lisbon, Oeiras, and Cascais. The line starts in Lisbon, at Cais do Sodré and ends in Cascais. On the Lisbon urban trains' diagram ...

urban trains are in the hands of CP's 3150/3250 Series.Two are here seen near

Cruz Quebrada Cruz is a surname of Iberian origin, first found in Castile, Spain, but later spread throughout the territories of the former Spanish and Portuguese Empires. In Spanish and Portuguese, the word means "cross", either the Christian cross or th ...

. File:Automotora Ume3400 01.jpg, CP's 3400 are responsible for all Porto urban services. One is here seen at São Bento station. File:Flickr - nmorao - InterRegional 806, Estação de Caldas da Rainha, 2009.01.24.jpg, 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. File:Areia, Marateca, 2011.06.14.jpg, 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 uinits are withdrawn from service. File:Flickr - nmorao - Locomotiva 1962, Estação de Campanhã, 2009.10.30.jpg, 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 uinits are withdrawn from service. One is here seen at Porto Campanhã. File:Portuguese Railways 0370 railcar at Guarda Railway Station.jpg, 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. File:Contentores, Grândola, 2009.08.10.jpg, 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 The Rossio is the popular name of the King Pedro IV Square ( pt, Praça de D. Pedro IV) in the city of Lisbon, in Portugal. It is located in the Pombaline Downtown of Lisbon and has been one of its main squares since the Middle Ages. It has been ...

- for local trains to Sintra * Santa Apolónia - terminus station, for trains to the north and to Spain

Porto

Campanhã Campanhã () is a Portuguese ''freguesia'' ("civil parish"), located in the city of Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Port ...

- Porto's main station, including use by Alfa Pendular high speed trains * São Bento - city centre terminus, for local services, northbound and Douro line trains

Other

* Faro

Accidents and Incidents

On the 21st of January 2013, two trains crashed on the Portuguese

Northern Line The Northern line is a London Underground line that runs from North London to South London. It is printed in black on the Tube map. The Northern line is unique on the Underground network in having two different routes through central London, t ...

in Alfarelos. 25 people were injured and the line was closed for 3 days. On the 31st of July 2020, an Alfa Pendular Train collided with a track maintenance vehicle at Soure,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

. Two people were killed and 43 were injured, three seriously.

References

External links

CP Official website

REFER Official website
{{authority control Comboios de Portugal Rail transport companies of Portugal Companies based in Lisbon Government-owned companies of Portugal 1951 establishments in Portugal Portuguese brands Railway companies established in 1951