‘Storm train’ disrupts Portuguese cross-border rail to Spain

Portugal is facing heavy rain for two weeks already, and the rail infrastructure is under pressure. Strong winds, landslides and lack of preparation are testing even the least anxious train passengers. For one week, there was no cross-border link between Porto and Vigo, affecting the only international connection between Portugal and Spain and leaving travellers only with a regional and a very slow service between Entroncamento and Badajoz. The connection between Lisbon and Porto remains disrupted and uncertain.

Kristin, Leonardo, Marta and Nils. For the last two weeks, Portugal and Spain have been facing a “train of storms”, putting their rail infrastructure under stress. The outcome is not good, since there are many disruptions on both sides of the Iberian Peninsula. Between the 5th and the 12th of February, there have been no trains between Porto and Vigo.

The Celta train is a partnership between the Portuguese and the Spanish state-owned operators CP and Renfe. Spain’s counterpart suspended the service, and during that week, there were no bus replacements for passengers. The service was resumed last evening but only between Porto and Valença, near the Spanish border. Then, Renfe provides a road alternative. Between Valença and Vigo, there is no infrastructure issue currently, according to the railway manager, Adif.

Without the Porto-Vigo route, the only Iberian cross-border link is a 1950s-built Allan diesel train from Entroncamento to Badajoz, which takes two hours and 48 minutes to run less than 200 kilometres. And even this route (Linha do Leste) was interrupted for half a day in the middle of the week due to a barrier landslide.

Passengers will have to wait until the beginning of 2027 for a faster cross-border connection, with the opening of the new rail track between Évora and Elvas, linking to Badajoz and Madrid. At that time, the journey between Lisbon and Madrid will last less than six hours, instead of over nine hours.

Lisbon-Porto uncertainty

Portugal itself is much affected by flooding from storms. Many rail tracks have been closed or have had reduced services for several days. The Lisbon-Porto rail link is the most affected, and regular passengers have to constantly check for the service updates. As RailTech reported last week, Comboios de Portugal (CP) halted Intercity (Intercidades) and Pendolino (Alfa Pendular) services between Lisbon and Porto from January 28th to February 2nd. On February 3rd, long-distance routes were resumed but only for a day and a half, since there were floods next to the Alfarelos train station in the Coimbra region.

Since the water didn’t vanish, CP finally implemented a contingency plan. An alternative road replacement service began on February 5th for the intercity trains under the public service obligation (PSO) contract: on the Lisbon-Porto route, passengers take a train between Santa Apolónia and Pombal; then, there is a bus route from Pombal and Coimbra-B, where they take another train until Porto-Campanhã. Since the Alfa Pendular is not operating, the Pendolino train is being used in the Intercity service, facilitating the operation and avoiding the shunting of the locomotive and carriages of the PSO service.

However, this alternative didn’t last: on February 10th, the long-distance services were halted again due to a second flood in Estarreja, next to Aveiro. With only four hours of anticipation, Intercity service was resumed yesterday at 5.30 pm, and the contingency plan was put into action. Despite the effort, fewer than 150 passengers took the train, a third of the usual demand on an Intercity service for the Lisbon-Porto route, as RailTech witnessed.

A few hours later, however, the long-distance services were suspended again, with no replacement buses forecasted. Coimbra is on the brink of having the “flood of a century”, as the city mayor, Ana Abrunhosa, told local media. Under the PSO contract, CP must establish road alternatives in the event of rail track failures or interruptions.

Audit demanded

In the latest bulletin, there were restrictions on nine rail tracks, including regions such as Alentejo, Cascais, Douro, Beira Baixa and Sintra, announced this morning (13 February) by the Portuguese infrastructure manager (IP).

With many damages on the rail superstructure and catenary systems, the Portuguese Infrastructure Minister, Miguel Pinto Luz, demanded an emergency audit on the road and rail tracks and bridges from the Civil Engineering Laboratory (LNEC). LNEC has up to one year to deliver a full report on the condition of the critical infrastructures and has to submit monthly documents on the status of the evaluation. With a scarcity of human resources, the laboratory is allowed to hire external experts for this purpose.

The rain is expected to stop next week. However, the dark clouds will remain over the Portuguese rail network for many months, with many questions regarding readiness for the increasing effects of climate change, resulting in more extreme weather.