PORTUGAL: Infraestruturas de Portugal will reopen the closed Mouriscas-A–Vila Velha de Ródão section of the Beira Baixa line on 20 September. Two landslides caused by storm Kristin in January cost EUR 3.4m to repair.
The state infrastructure manager said the reopening lets Comboios de Portugal (CP) restore Regional and Intercidades services over the full length of the line between Entroncamento and Guarda. The operator has run replacement buses since 16 March, between Abrantes and Guarda for Intercidades passengers and between Mouriscas-A and Vila Velha de Ródão for Regional passengers.
The section also carries freight. The Beira Baixa is the alternative to the Beira Alta line for international rail freight towards Spain, and the infrastructure manager said the reopening restores that redundancy in the national network.
Two landslides at kilometre 39
The slides occurred between kilometre 39.150 and 39.270 and destabilised the track bed. The works covered slope stabilisation, reinforcement of the trackbed, improved drainage and full restoration of the track and affected systems.
The infrastructure manager placed around 5,500 cubic metres of rock fill and built two reinforced-concrete structures founded on micropiles, together with an intermediate capping beam. It described the site as difficult to access, with limited room for machinery and unstable ground during the works, and said the intervention had also raised the safety and resilience of the infrastructure.
“This reopening represents much more than the completion of a construction project. It represents the return of a rail link that is essential for the population, after the interruption caused by the storms,” said Paulo Carmona, chairman of Infraestruturas de Portugal.
The July forecast
Hugo Espírito Santo, secretary of state for infrastructure, said on 27 July that the line would reopen in September or October, slightly earlier than first planned. The 20 September date falls at the start of that window.
CP chairman Pedro Moreira said the operator would resume its commercial offer on the line from the reopening date. Replacement buses run until then.
“This reopening means the return of a service that is part of many people’s daily lives,” he said.