# Linha do Douro

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Location on the network + Ermesinde × Pocinho (🔎)

The **Douro line** (Portuguese: Linha do Douro) is a 99-mile (160 km) railway line in northern [Portugal](/source/Portugal) that runs from [Ermesinde](/source/Ermesinde) to the eastern terminus at [Pocinho](/source/Pocinho). The line runs close to the [Douro River](/source/Douro) for much of its route, offering scenic views of the river and valley. Passenger trains are operated by [Comboios de Portugal](/source/Comboios_de_Portugal) (CP) and run between [Porto São Bento](/source/S%C3%A3o_Bento_railway_station) and [Pocinho](/source/Pocinho_railway_station), taking 3 hours and 20 minutes. Freight trains operated by [Medway](/source/Mediterranean_Shipping_Company) also run on the line.

## Construction

Section Length Opened Ermesinde–Penafiel 30.311 km July 29, 1875 Penafiel–Caíde 7.328 km December 20, 1875 Caíde–Juncal 18.818 km September 15, 1878 Juncal–Régua 38.371 km July 15, 1879 Régua–Ferrão 15.813 km April 4, 1880 Ferrão–Pinhão 7.611 km June 1, 1880 Pinhão–Tua 12.993 km September 1, 1883 Tua–Pocinho 31.678 km January 10, 1887 Pocinho–Côa 9.061 km May 5, 1887 Côa–Barca d'Alva 18.882 km December 9, 1887 Continuation to La Fuente de San Esteban Barca d'Alva–La Fuente de San Esteban railway December 9, 1887

## Route

From west to east, the line runs from the junction at Ermesinde to [Pocinho](/source/Pocinho_railway_station). The line formerly continued east for a further 28 kilometres to the Spanish border. Until 1984, the track connected to a [Spanish](/source/Spain) line, thus allowing through trains to/from [Salamanca](/source/Salamanca).

Passenger trains normally run from [São Bento station](/source/S%C3%A3o_Bento_railway_station) in [Porto](/source/Porto) to Pocinho, with some not running as far as the eastern terminus. The line is built to the [Iberian gauge](/source/Iberian_gauge) of . 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).[1]

In 1984, the Spanish rail operator [RENFE](/source/RENFE) announced the closure of its [connecting line from La Fuente de San Esteban](/source/Barca_d'Alva-La_Fuente_de_San_Esteban_railway) 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]

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.[3]

## Branch lines

There were formerly five [metre gauge](/source/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](/source/Caminho_de_Ferro_de_Penafiel_%C3%A0_Lixa_e_Entre-os-Rios), which closed in the 1920s after less than 20 years of operation
- The [Tâmega line](/source/Linha_do_T%C3%A2mega), which closed in 2009 and ran north from a junction with the Douro line at Livração
- The [Corgo line](/source/Linha_do_Corgo), which closed in 2009 and ran north from a junction with the Douro line at Regua
- The [Tua line](/source/Linha_do_Tua), which closed in 2008 and ran north from a junction with the Douro line at Tua
- The [Sabor line](/source/Linha_do_Sabor), which closed in 1988 and ran north-east from a junction with the Douro line at [Pocinho](/source/Pocinho)

## See also

- [List of railway lines in Portugal](/source/List_of_railway_lines_in_Portugal)
- [List of Portuguese locomotives and railcars](/source/List_of_Portuguese_locomotives_and_railcars)
- [History of rail transport in Portugal](/source/History_of_rail_transport_in_Portugal)
- [CP Class 1400](/source/CP_Class_1400) - diesel locomotives frequently used on the line
- [National Railway Museum (Portugal)](/source/National_Railway_Museum_(Portugal))
- [Sorefame](/source/Sorefame) - builder of most of the rolling stock used on the line
- [Barca d'Alva–La Fuente de San Esteban railway](/source/Barca_d'Alva%E2%80%93La_Fuente_de_San_Esteban_railway)

## References

1. ["Cronologia: 1844/1874 - Desde o Projecto até ao Fim do 3º Quartel do Séc. XIX"](http://www.cp.pt/cp/displayPage.do?vgnextoid=d5433cddefcb7010VgnVCM1000007b01a8c0RCRD#5) [Chronology: 1844/1874 - From the Project to the End of the 3rd Quarter of the 19th Century] (in Portuguese). Comboios de Portugal. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20141006092545/http://www.cp.pt/cp/displayPage.do?vgnextoid=d5433cddefcb7010VgnVCM1000007b01a8c0RCRD) October 6, 2014 at the Wayback Machine.

1. ["História da linha do Douro"](http://www.linhadodouro.net/historia.php) [History of the Douro line] (in Portuguese). *A linha do Douro*. September 1989. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304002329/http://www.linhadodouro.net/historia.php) 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine.

1. ["Governo avança com modernização do troço ferroviário Marco e Régua, na Linha do Douro"](https://24.sapo.pt/atualidade/artigos/governo-avanca-com-modernizacao-do-troco-ferroviario-marco-e-regua-na-linha-do-douro) [Government moves ahead with modernization of Marco and Régua railway section on the Douro Line] (in Portuguese). Sapo. 30 May 2023.

### Sources

- ["2019 Network Statement"](http://www.infraestruturasdeportugal.pt/sites/default/files/files/files/network_statement_2019.pdf). 7 December 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2019.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Linha do Douro](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linha_do_Douro) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linha_do_Douro?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.