GRICING AROUND THE ALGARVE - I hope these notes are of use/interest to anyone planning a visit to the Algarve. 1. Southern Portugal Railway Background The rail network in Portugal is state owned, Caminhos de Ferro Portugeses (CP). Outside Lisboa, the system is mostly single track and diesel operated, the electrified Lisboa to Oporto main line being the most notable exception. The network is laid on the Iberian standard 1668 mm gauge, though some metre gauge branches survive in the north. The system is divided in two by the Rio Tejo which flows through Lisboa. The only physical rail link, some distance inland, carries few passenger trains. The Southern region is based on Barreiro, located on the opposite bank of the Tejo from Lisboa. A frequent ferry service makes the 30-minute trip between Lisboa and Barreiro, where there is also a large bus station. This physical break has undoubtedly hindered the development of the railways to the south, especially since a road bridge has now been built. A rail bridge is in the pipeline. Southern Portugal is very rural, and many lines were closed to passengers in 1990. Apart from the Barreiro-Setubal suburban section, and the line along the Algarve coast, few stations are served by more than three trains per day in each direction, and many halts have only one or two. Portuguese passenger trains fall into these categories: IC - intercity and/or Rapido (also ALFA on the Oporto line) IR - inter regional, principle stations only, medium-long distance R - Regional, usually all stations, usually shorter distances SUB - Suburbano 2. The Algarve Railway - Geographical Setting The Algarve is fairly densely populated compared to most of Southern Portugal. The fishing and agricultural sectors remain, and tourism is now a major cash earner in the region. The Algarve coastal line runs from Lagos in the west, to Vila Real de St.Antonio 142 km away on the Spanish frontier. The line from Lisboa joins the coastal route at Tunes, 40 km west of Faro. The junction is triangular, however, the west-to-north spur, avoiding Tunes station and enabling direct running Lagos-Lisboa is now out of use (but still in situ). The line competes with the N125 road, which is being constantly upgraded, and parts have been replaced by motorway. Another drawback is the distance between the some of the stations and the towns they are meant to serve. Albufeira, the second largest town in the Algarve, has a 12 km bus link to its station. The busiest station is Tunes, which doesn't serve a town at all, just a small railway community. 3. Algarve Railway Infrastructure The line is single throughout, with passing loops at principal stations. Some passing loops have been removed. Signals are rare. Many of the smaller stations (apeadeiros) have no facilities whatsoever, and even platforms are a luxury. Simple freight facilities exist at most of the major stations, but goods trains are not particularly common. The lines into the oil depot west of Tunes have gone rusty, and since this was probably the only traffic in recent years to use the west-to-north spur at Tunes, this would seem to explain that closure also. 4. Algarve Train services Train services are quite frequent, with most sections of the line getting 14-16 trains each way on weekdays. Saturday and Sunday services are only marginally reduced. Many trains omit the smaller stations, which get only a few trains a day. Despite the predominance of single track, punctuality is good. This being ensured by very long turnarounds at each end of the journey. Links to Lisboa (Barreiro): There are two (three in summer) daily Faro-Tunes-Barreiro IC Rapido trains. These are usually four/five coaches long, and hauled by the French 1901 class diesels. Although mostly non-stop between Tunes and Setubal/Barreiro, trains are liable to stop a couple of times to pass others in loops. There are also two daily Vila Real-Faro-Tunes-Barreiro IR trains, one of which conveys through coaches Lagos-Barreiro, these being shunted at Tunes. These semi-fasts are usually hauled by the English Electric 1801 class 50 lookalike diesels. A 1401 class (also EE) takes the Lagos portion over the branch. A further Regional train runs overnight Vila Real-Faro-Tunes-Beja-Barreiro calling at nearly all stations. This must be one of the longest runs for an "R" train in Portugal. Branch Trains: Three daily IR trains travel the Algarve line end-to-end. These are worked by three-car, unpainted silver Budd-style DMU's, and stop only at the major stations. Two units are required in service each day, each doing three end-to-end trips, with long turnarounds in between. Several R services also cover the line, mostly terminating at either Tunes or Faro, although a couple work throughout. These are worked by Sorefame 1201 (sometimes EE 1401 class) class diesels hauling three carraiges. These serve the smaller stations and apeadeiros (halts). Much of the stock on these trains is downgraded first class in typical Iberian unpainted silver. Other hauled stock wears a red and white livery, clashing nicely with the orange locos. The Blue Train The "Comboio Azul" runs weekly from Oporto via Encontramento, Vendas Novas and Beja to Tunes and Faro. Oddly, the train runs north on Fridays and south on Sundays (shouldn't it be the other way around?). 5. Observations around Lagos Lagos is a medium sized town, with an active fishing port. Today it is very popular with tourists and expatriates from other parts of Europe. As well as package holidaymakers, the town attracts more than its fair share of backpackers, probably due to its remoteness and links with Portugal's age of discovery. As mentioned, Lagos is the western terminus of the Algarve line. It has a very attractive station which is poorly located on the edge of town. Thanks to the recent development of a new marina and shopping complex near the station, it is much less isolated than before, and a new footbridge over the river has shortened the walk into town considerably. The station has three low-height platforms, all of which are in daily use. The goods siding, comprising a bay at the south end of the station, is used for resting trains between turns, as is a further long siding on the east side. The remainder of the yard east of the station is completely overgrown (or removed), and somewhere here is/was the headshunt giving access to the turntable and shed. The shed, taking the form of a quarter roundhouse of modern design, has signs suggesting it is a railway museum, but there are no signs of life. The station has a simple track layout, and loco run rounds involve shunting via the single track approach. There are no conventional signals. Three motive power types are common in Lagos, these being Sorefame 1201 and English Electric 1401 class single cabbed diesels which work Regional trains, and three car DMU's which work the trans-Algarve IR services. During our visit, we were fortunate (?) that Barreiro depot went on a five-day strike, halting all the Algarve to Barreiro expresses. This meant that Faro depot had drivers and EE class 1801's to spare, which it put to work on the coastal locals, including an afternoon trip to Lagos. This made a very a welcome change from the 1201s which usually dominate the line. Most trains, including the DMU are three coaches long, although some of the loco hauled locals have the addition of a four-wheeled orange brake van. There are three exceptions. The first is a weekday lunchtime departure which is six coaches and double headed by two 1201 class locos. This happens because on weekdays there are 14 arrivals and only 13 departures, and this working balances stock and locos. The other exceptions are the 1323 arrival and 1700 departure of a two-coach portion from the Barreiro-Algarve IR service, usually hauled by a 1401 class over the branch. Trains are reasonably well filled, but fares are low, so revenue undoubtedly falls short of running costs. Although the loco hauled trains are beautiful, I can't help thinking that with short turnarounds, the same service level could be maintained at a much lower cost with a couple of new DMU's. Let's hope CP don't see sense and do this. Happy travels! Chris Fletcher