Comboios de Portugal

Comboios de Portugal
Incorporation
Industry Rail transport
Founded 1951
Headquarters Lisbon, Portugal
Key people
 Manuel Queiró,
Vicente Pereira,
Isabel Vicente
Products Rail transport, Cargo
Revenue Decrease € -225.6 million (2013)[1]
Decrease € -75.35 million (2013)[1]
Owner Government of Portugal (100%)
Number of employees
 2,766 (2013)[2]
Website www.cp.pt
CP's Alfa Pendular tilting train at Orient Station in Lisbon.
CP suburban trains at São Bento Station in Porto.

CP — Comboios de Portugal, EPE (CP; English: Trains of Portugal) is a state-owned company which operates freight and 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.

History

On 28 October 1856 the first railway line was inaugurated in Portugal, between Lisbon and Carregado: the Companhia dos Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses was born. The 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. During the second half of the 20th century, much of CP's rolling stock was built in Portugal by Sorefame - notably carriages with stainless steel bodywork.

Gradually, electrification was put in place for a little less than half the network. In 1975, the company was nationalized, 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.[3]

As of 2012, the Portuguese rail system is facing the threat of considerable contraction due to spending cuts by the Portuguese government. The Vouga line is now the only narrow gauge line left in operation - it is also slated for closure.

Infrastructure

The infrastructure of the Portuguese network is managed by Rede Ferroviária Nacional, EP, usually abbreviated to REFER. A summary of the history is given in that article.

Portuguese railway network extent:

Organization

CP is split into four divisions:

Services

CP offers the following types of trains:

The network

CP's flagship service, introduced in 1999, is the Alfa Pendular which operates between Braga - Porto - Lisbon - Faro, at a top speed of 220 km/h (138 mph) with FIAT/Siemens tilting trains. As of 2006, CP's network reaches most of the country.[4]

CP inaugurated new trains in suburban service in the 1990s.

Lines/Routes

Network map

Former lines

Passenger rolling stock

Comboios de Portugal utilises the following rolling stock and commercial products:

Major stations

Lisbon

Porto

Other

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ Werner Stohler, "Modernização do sistema da exploração ferroviária da Região de Coimbra" (Portuguese) Retrieved 2010-11-07.
  4. ↑ CP route map
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